When Stars Collide (Light in the Dark #2) - Micalea Smeltzer Page 0,87

shop and we take a seat so we can eat our ice cream in peace instead of walking down the street with it.

I lick my ice cream and then ask her, “How’d it go yesterday with the therapist?”

“Good, I think.” She shrugs. “We still have lots to talk about, but I think we’ve made a lot of progress in a short amount of time, so that’s good. I think Mom’s feeling a lot better. She’s looking and acting more like a human being.”

I nod and grab a napkin, wiping melted ice cream off my fingers. “Any word from your dad?”

She nods. “He keeps calling my mom, non-stop, apparently. She never answers, but that doesn’t stop him from leaving nasty messages. I keep telling her she needs to change her number.” She shakes her head. “Cade’s caught him driving by the house twice, looking for her, I guess.”

My eyes widen in surprise. “Has Cade confronted him?”

She shakes her head. “He never stops. Only gives dirty looks.”

“We should get a security system installed.”

She nods in agreement. “Yeah, we definitely should. He might be my dad, but I don’t trust him. At all.” Fear flashes in her eyes.

I don’t like seeing that she’s afraid. Especially of someone she should be able to love completely. It’s a shame she’s been robbed of that.

“We talked about Gabe too, at therapy, I mean,” she adds.

I nearly fall out of my chair. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve heard someone utter Gabe’s name. After he died it became this unwritten rule that we never speak his name.

“Gabe?” I repeat, hating how squeaky my voice sounds, but she’s completely surprised me. “How’d that go?”

“Good.” She licks her ice cream, her brows furrowed so I know she’s thinking deeply about something. “I feel better, since we talked about him yesterday. Like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I’ve blamed myself for what happened for a long time, and Dr. Long is showing me that it isn’t my fault. Accidents do happen.”

I frown. “I didn’t know that.”

“Know what?” She bites into her cone.

“That you blamed yourself. You never talk about it.”

“Exactly. I don’t talk about it, because it hurts too much, and I felt like for a long time I could’ve prevented his death. So, I guess, it became easier to pretend he doesn’t exist, which was wrong of me. I don’t want to erase his existence from my life.” She presses her lips together, staring off into the distance. “I want to go visit his grave. I haven’t been in years.”

“We can go. Just say when.”

“When.” She smiles, but it’s a little bit sad.

“Right now?” I confirm.

“Well, after we finish our ice cream. We should probably get some flowers too. Aren’t you supposed to take flowers to a grave? Maybe a toy too? Gabe loved trains.”

“Whatever you want.”

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“Don’t thank me.”

“You deserve to be thanked,” she argues. “You’re pretty awesome.”

I chuckle. “No, I just love you.”

She grins. “Same difference.”

We finish our ice cream, and since we’re already downtown, it doesn’t take us long to get flowers and a toy train.

We head back to my truck and get in, then drive back toward home, and to the cemetery.

I reach the cemetery gates and park on the street.

I can feel Thea shudder beside me and her hands flex in her lap. Eventually, she takes a breath and gets out of the car. I reach into the back and grab the flowers and train before joining her.

She stares at the wrought-iron gates with fear in her eyes. She steels her shoulders, though, and lifts her chin defiantly, refusing to be bowed.

Thea takes a deep, shaky breath and her hand finds mine. I squeeze hers in reassurance.

“When you’re ready,” I tell her.

She nods and gives me a small smile in thanks for not pushing her.

This is a big deal for her, and she has to go at her own pace.

A few minutes pass, and then she finally takes the first step forward, letting go of my hand.

She’s slow at first, but then picks up speed, until she wraps her hands around the gate and pushes it open. I follow behind, so that I don’t crowd her. If she needs a moment alone I want her to have it.

She stops and turns around, looking at me with panic in her eyes. “I can’t remember where it is. Xander,” her voice cracks on my name, “it’s been so long that I don’t know where my own brother is buried.