Page 111 of Ransom

"Doesn't have to stay that way, though,"Micah signs."Communities can come back."

"They're trying," I say. "Blair mentioned they're forming some kind of committee, planning events, trying to bring people in."

"Good." Cara nods approvingly. "Anything to bring people in. Tourism dollars are good, but keeping them here is the bigger issue."

I try not to. I do. But I snort into my coffee cup, and everyone stops talking to stare at me. "Sorry. But I fucking love you guys. You're sitting here thinking of ways to help this town, and you've never set foot here before."

"It matters to you. More than that, it matters to her," Cara says.

"It does. She loves this town and everyone in it."

They're all quiet again. The waitress comes around and takes our orders, and once coffee's topped up and menus handed in, all eyes are back on me. "Ask your questions."

Colton starts, but not with the question I expected. "Are you okay? Coming back here, I mean? I don't really know all the details, but you avoided this place for a long time. That makes me think there are some big feelings. Is it just Blair? Or is it the town, too?"

Colton was always sensitive. Always insightful. I think that's why he had such a hard time coping. Those feelings would rage through him, and his way of purging them was to get in a cage and beat on some motherfucker as big as he is. Thank God Evie put a stop to that. Every time he fought, I was there. I'd take a spot in a corner and keep an eye on him. It's an incredibly powerless feeling to know that someone you love is battling demons. And that you're the last person they want to share that with.

So I watched, phone in hand, backup around the corner, just in case.

Thank fuck he always managed to hold his own. Yeah, he'd come home battered, but not once did I have to call in the medics.

So even before getting his degree in head shrinking, him asking about feelings is totally on brand.

"This town saved me. Or maybe Robert did. Or maybe it was Blair. They're all rolled together into three years that helped me become the man I am now. I don't think I can separate them. But now, I'm here for her."

"She did not stay to meet us," Jonas says. His tone is level, but I think I hear just a hint of disappointment.

"Can you blame her?" Cara says. "We're a lot for anyone to take."

"Yeah, you fuckin' are." John pats the baby's back. Noah’s babbling, happily playing with a spoon. "You're always talking over each other, and you're all nosy as fuck."

We all stare at him. It's long and uncomfortable enough that John glares and spits out, "What!"

"WE," I say clearly, raising a brow at him. "We are always talking over each other. We are nosy as fuck. You're part of this shit show too, John. Don't forget it."

He grumbles again, but there's a hint of warmth on his face. He might try to deny it, but he's happy. Maybe happier than he's ever been. And a lot of that happiness is because of this loud, annoying family. Yeah, falling in love with Abby helped. So maybe it's fifty/fifty.

"When did you leave here exactly?" Jonas asks.

"A few weeks before school ended. Blair was almost eighteen, and I was fifteen." I stare into my coffee. How do I explain all that happened then? Where do I start?

Maybe with the big stuff. It's like ripping off a band-aid, right?

"Robert took me aside and explained that once Blair turned eighteen, we could get in serious trouble if we were intimate. That she'd end up on a sex offender registry, and her life would be over before it began."

"Fuck." Kade's coffee cup hits the table hard. "That's fucked up. You were both kids."

"Doesn't matter. The law's the law. Robert was a cop in the city before he moved back here. He knew what he was talking about. And I get it. If Mia were fifteen and dating an eighteen-year-old, we would lose our collective minds, wouldn't we?" There are grim faces and nods around the table.

"It's the same thing. Blair is… loyal. And stubborn. And so fucking beautiful. So I had to go, but I couldn't just disappear—Blair would have looked for me. So I took her into that park right there one night," I say, pointing into the town square. "And I said the worst things I could think of. I destroyed any feelings she might have for me. And on my way out of town, I broke the grocery store window to make damn sure I couldn't come back."

"You made her hate you. You made the whole town hate you," Bree whispers.

"I did. Robert drove me out of town that night. I never saw Blair again. Until now."

"It's like fucking Romeo and Juliet," Kade breathes.

Well, that's fucking disturbing. "Maybe if Romeo was a fucked-up foster kid, and Juliet had a mean right hook."

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