Page 31 of Love Rewritten

I giggle. “Fair point. It’s Lauren. Not sure why. I think my parents just liked the way it sounded.”

“Abigail Lauren Cooper,” he says, playing with the sound of it. “I like it. It flows well.”

“What’s yours?”

He huffs, jaw clenching tightly. “It’s Charles.”

His dad’s name. That’s got to hit differently now. “Oh,” I say.

“Yeah. Not so fun anymore, huh?” He chews the inside of his lip.

I tilt my head to find his eyes. When he meets mine, he looks a little pained. “I don’t think you need to be ashamed of it. You can make it mean whatever you want. Pretend they gave it to you because of Charles Manson.”

His smile returns, if only a little dimmed. "I'm not sure that's any better. Didn't he kill a bunch of people?"

"Kind of, but that's not the point. He was also a great musician."

Dallas chuckles enough to lighten my spirits. “You’re right,” he says and places his forehead to mine. "Thank you."

We settle into bed under the covers, clinging to each other like it’s the end of the world. If it were, I would be just fine going out like this, with Dallas by my side, his body heat warming me, his scent enveloping me.

We’re in our own little world in here. And I think, at this moment, and going forward, I could survive this life with him.

Chapter 12

Dallas

I’mstartledawakebymy phone vibrating on my nightstand. I squint into the dimly lit room. It’s still early. Only a dull stream of light seeps through the crack in the blackout curtains. Abby lies curled around my arm, still sleeping soundly. The sight of her like this, clinging to me so tightly, makes my heart melt. The vibration stops, and I peer at the caller ID. My mom. The time is barely past five. She never calls this early.

As much as I’d like to stay like this forever, I pry my arm out of Abby’s grasp. She turns but remains asleep. I’m calling my mom back almost before I get my shorts on and leave the room. It starts ringing as my bedroom door clicks shut, far too loud for how quiet the apartment is.

She picks up on the first ring. “Dallas, honey, I need to tell you something, and then we need to figure out how to tell Abby.”

I can already feel my heart racing, the heat in my veins rising. I keep my voice low and steady despite the urgency in her voice. “Tell me what, Mom?”

“They found Sam, Dallas. He came back.”

My grip on my phone tightens so hard I think I might break it. Deep breaths. “He better be in jail.” There’s a fierce bite to my words.

“Right now, yes. He will spend a few days booked until he meets bail, but then he’ll be released.”

“They’re letting him out? After everything he’s done?” My voice is getting louder, angrier.

“Likely, yes. He’ll meet with a judge to set bail, and if he can pay, they’ll let him out. That’s just how the system works, unfortunately.”

“The system is a fucking joke,” I snap, and then immediately regret the words. “Sorry. Not the whole thing. Just … parts of it.”

“I know, honey. I know.”

I run a hand through my hair and pause at the back of my neck. “So, now what?”

“Like I said. I wanted to talk to you first and see if you knew the best way to tell Abby. I know she’s in a tough spot.”

I sigh, resting my elbows on the kitchen island. My brain is still trying to wake up. This information was a jolt to the system. “Honestly, there is no good way to tell her. But she’s stronger than people give her credit for.”

“I know. No one survives something like that and comes out weak.” I hear her take a deep breath, the sudden burst of air rumbling through the phone speakers.

“I’ll tell her. I’ll figure it out. I think it’ll be better coming from me anyway.” I squeeze my eyes shut at the thought and pinch the bridge of my nose.

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