Page 13 of Teacher's Pet

“I’m so sorry, Foster,” I gulp back tears. He turns to me and the barren, hurt look in his eyes makes my chest ache, practically caving in on itself.

“It’s not the fact that I lost her that kills me. Although that does too. We were so close to being happy. She was finally well. We were talking about growing our family. She couldn’t have more kids but we were going to adopt. We’d already put in the paperwork.”

He turns away and I swear I see a shimmer on his dark skin even in the dark vehicle. A shimmer that drops down his cheek and my breath catches, my fingers aching to catch that faint tear. To touch him and pull him into me. Hold him tight and tell him it’s all going to be alright.

But will it? Will it ever be alright for him?

He slams his fist down on the steering wheel. “She was so close. So close to having her future and I can’t even blame the man that hit her! He had a heart attack and died. It wasn’t his fault. But I need someone to blame, dammit! There should be a fucking reason.”

He curses softly again and I reach out to touch his hand on the wheel, wincing when his burning gaze hits me. “I know that it’s cold comfort but it sounds like she didn’t suffer.”

He snorts but it’s broken, angry. “No, she didn’t. I have though. For so long,” he whispers, his voice breaking.

Tears trickle down my cheeks and I glance over to his fingers, seeing them touch his phone. “How long have you had that phone?” I ask. I know the answer.

“Long enough,” he grunts.

“Yeah,” I say, my eyes watering again, stinging from the tears backed up and trying to push their way out.

We reach his house on the mountain in complete silence. He jumps out and I follow him as we round the huge log cabin. It looks like a house for a big family. A house for a man that loves a woman and wants to spend forever with her, raise their future together and laugh and smile and love.

A man that’s long gone now.

We search the woods in silence, calling for Harper. We finally run across her by a tree and I wince at the tear tracks on her face.

Foster squats by her and although he’s furious that she did this, he doesn’t yell. Just holds out his big arms and she leaps at him, crying softly.

“I miss her, Daddy.”

And my heart breaks all over again. He pulls her up and stands up. “I know you do, baby. I do, too.”

And we walk out of those woods, three broken people struggling to find our footing in the dark. Two lost souls with broken hearts and me.

The one whose heart is breaking for them.

FOSTER

Ican’t take my eyes off of Tally. I’ve got one eye on Harper of course but Tally draws me like a moth to a flame. Her red hair is like a beacon in the dark, catching my eye no matter where she goes. It warms me. Heats my damn blood up and I don’t fucking like it.

I want to go back to hating her but she was so gentle with Harper. “Tell me what’s wrong?” She asked her.

The two of them went off together. I know that Harper loves Tally. She’s always talking about Miss Carter this and Miss Carter that. I never paid much attention.

But I’m paying attention now.

Tally was right. Puberty. Fuck!

I run my hand through my hair and groan silently. I don’t know what to do but Tally did. She offered to take Harper for a girls’ day out today with her sister. They are going to the salon and who knows what else.

I didn’t want to let her go but there’s no reason for it. Just the fact that I don’t want Harper getting hurt. But she’s hurt now. She’s hurting and I can’t fix it. I don’t have the understanding of what she’s going through.

But Rebel and Tally do. And Harper came home happy and hauling packages that she refused to show me. Probably just as well. I’m not sure my heart can take that.

But now Harper is happily dancing, her dress brand new and with sparkly girly sneakers instead of her old beaten-up ones. Her hair is a little shorter and gleams with health from the salon.

She doesn’t look like her and I don’t fucking like it.

On the other hand, Tally’s hair gleams like red fire and curls softly around her shoulders. It looks beautiful. It looks soft and silky and like it would feel amazing in my hands. I want to wrap my fist around it and yank her damn head back and kiss that smart little mouth until she’s begging me to touch her.

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