Page 126 of Before We're More Than Friends
Why else would a family that looked this nice be sitting here?
“Raina joined Hayden’s band,” Arielle said. “She’s one of the lead singers.”
Dad’s eyes widened as he looked at me. “Really? I thought you didn’t sing anymore.”
“I didn’t,” I said, my cheeks warming from the attention. “But I decided to start again to enter a competition later this month.”
“That’s good that you’re trying new things,” Dad said with a smile.
“Yeah.” If only he knew how much I wished I hadn’t.
We spent our half hour together, sharing life updates and some jokes. Dad told us about the tasks he had while he was locked up, and the tightness in my chest returned. I told himabout Penrose and what she was up to—which happened to be nothing at all, other than continuing to crush my boobs in my sleep—and his eyes glazed over with pain. I hadn’t realized he missed her, too.
When our time ended, we stood up and hugged each other. He wrapped his arms around me after hugging Mom and giving her a peck on the lips. His fabric was itchy, but his embrace was warm. He rubbed my back and whispered to me, “I love you, Rain.”
I beamed and rubbed his back. “I love you, Dad.”
Dad pulled away and hugged Arielle, who still seemed a little stiff, but she rubbed his back and told him she loved him. I smiled, happy we were all making progress.
We didn’t have to be okay with what he did to our family to still love him.
The officer led us out of the room, and when we finally got in the car, I let myself breathe. “That wasn’t the worst thing in the world,” I said, breaking the silence that had filled the air for the past few moments.
“It wasn’t,” Arielle agreed, staring out the window in the back seat.
“That was a bit nerve-racking,” Mom said as she started the car. “But . . . I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him. How different life is without him.” Her voice wobbled, and she shook her head before backing out of her parking space. “My emotions are all over the place.”
I reached for her arm. “I know.”
Arielle sighed. “It’s really weird that he isn’t here with us anymore.”
“That makes it sound like he’s dead,” I said.
She rolled her eyes, but that got me the smallest hint of a smile.
I nodded, knowing what she really wanted to say but didn’twant to admit. “It is.” I looked out the window as we left the prison’s parking lot, wishing Dad could be in the car with us. “It really is.”
On the ride home, my mind kept lapping around several things. How much Dad loved me, even if he wasn’t the best at expressing it. How he messed up but wanted to make things better, even if I still had no idea what he messed up in the first place. How Mom messed up but now was putting in the work to recover again. I didn’t trust either one of them fully, but I still loved them like they loved me.
They were still my parents.
Dallas’s dimples and flushed cheeks waltzed into my mind again. In a wave of realization, I let out a deep breath as I planned on what I’d do as soon as I got home. Maybe he still didn’t completely deserve it, even if he loved me, but I needed to talk to him.
And I knew I loved him more than I’d thought I ever could.
CHAPTER 31
Dallas
Dear Dallas,
First of all, I hope you don’t plan on storing anything valuable in your locker, because your lock has the easiest combo. 010203? I can’t even believe the school allowed that.
For the record, I’ve written this letter six times, and it still hasn’t come out right, so I’ll just say it in person instead. I’m sorry about how I treated you last week. I want to hang out with you this evening if you’re free after dinner. Playful Paws Dog Park is open until midnight. We can talk things out and walk our dogs. Anything you want, I’m down, just let me know later today in Chem.
Yours truthfully,
Raina?
