Page 88 of The Fire Walker
I shrugged. “They didn’t want to know me after I ranoff.”
“I’msorry.”
“Don’t be,” I said. “I was a kid. I did something stupid I’ll regret for the rest of my life. I can only look forward now,right?”
“Maybe that’s a battle for another day.” He squeezed my hand gently, and I wondered about his parents and how the hell they’d made someone like him. Dee wasperfect.
“You must think I’m some kind of nutjob.”
“No,” he said. “That’s not the Jessie I’ve come toknow.”
I just looked at him like he was insane. I mean, I’d kept it all from him. Everything. He should still be mad at me, shouldn’t he? I just kept hurtinghim.
“I mean, I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like,” he said. “I’ve had a pretty ordinary life up until now, but people make mistakes. Some people learn from them, and some people don’t. The prime example being that guy, right? You’ve learned. You tried to make your life better. Make amends.” He whispered the last part, eyes downcast like he was unsure. He didn’t have tobe.
The tears that had been threatening began to slip from my eyes. Was he for real? What did I ever do to deserve Dee Cosgrove? He reached up and brushed away my tears with a thumb, a smile pulling at his lips. He was so perfect and strongand…
“Dee?” Iwhispered.
“Yeah?”
“I loveyou.”
Leaning over, he kissed the side of my mouth and said, “Love you,too.”
