Page 64 of Final Goodbye
“I did. But you’ll look me in the eyes when you say it this time. You’ll look me in the eyes and tell me you left my dad for dead,” I let out in anger.
I pulled Declan back into the bathroom where Myles was still lingering and closed the door behind us. I took a tissue, wiped my tear-stained makeup off, and told Myles to start from the beginning. Declan stood there, his hand on my back being the best support system I could ask for in a moment like this. The tears stopped, anger setting in while the sadness was pushed away for now.
Myles started from the beginning, telling me exactly what he already told Declan. It wasn’t any easier hearing it for the second time. No details were left behind. When I heard it all for myself, I did have to admit that some things didn’t quite make sense.
What was Logan’s part in this?
Why did he want to blackmail Myles into telling Declan?
Why did Declan need to be the one to know and not anyone else?
Why wouldn’t Logan make him tell me? He’s my fucking father.
If Myles truly crashed his car, why wouldn’t he be hassling him to pay him for repairs?
There were too many loose ends and none of it made sense. My gut told me Myles wasn’t guilty here, he was a good person. But even good people did bad things sometimes.
My brain was wracked with questions, and there would only be one solution here.
“I need to have a conversation with Logan,” I blurted out.
“Paige, no. There is no way this will go over well. Let me talk to him,” Declan argued back.
“I know him best. I’ve been in the middle of his bullshit too many times to recall and this is just another one of those times. I’m going to get to the bottom of this and I’m going to get the answers I need. I know better than anyone how to drag information out of him and I’m going to figure this the fuck out,” I demanded. The boys were stunned silent. They couldn’t tell me what to do in this situation and they knew it.
“Myles, you aren’t out of the woods yet. Thank you for telling me but I have a lot to think about. I won’t tell anyone yet. Not until after I talk with Logan. I’ll decide what to do next after that conversation,” I said, stoically turning toward Declan, desperate to get out of here.
“Please grab the leftovers from your mom and let her know I wasn’t feeling well. I can’t say goodbye to her like this without giving away the fact that some shit went down. I’ll meet you at the truck.” After addressing both Declan and Myles, I turned off my emotions briefly to give myself time to escape the house without being seen.
“Paige, wait…” Myles finally found the courage to speak. Through a shaky voice, I turned around to face him. “I’m really sorry. I’m not sure how yet but I promise to make this right. Why don’t you both get out of here and forget about the leftovers? I’ll let mom know you weren’t feeling well so you both had to get out of here for the night.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, headed for the front door.
Declan hung back for a second to talk to Myles, but before I could reach the front door, he jogged up behind me, right on my heels and escorted me out.
The drive back to Declan’s house was eerily quiet. Our minds were both reeling with the information weighing heavily on our hearts.
The house I wanted to consider home so badly was straight ahead. “I understand if you don’t want to be around me tonight and want to go back to your mom’s house, but I just want to let you know I want nothing more than to have you in my bed tonight. I know it’s been a long night, and a lot has been said, but I want to be there for you—if you need me,” Declan let out with hesitation.
“It’s probably not the best idea for me to go home. I can’t face them while holding onto this kind of news. I don’t want all of this to somehow slip when I don’t have all the details. They deserve the full story, and I plan to get that for them. For me.” I sighed in defeat.
I was stuck in this impossible situation. I was falling so hard for Declan and that wouldn’t change. But what if everything Logan was telling Myles was actually true? What if he really did kill my dad that night? Everything wouldhaveto change.
“I’m going to take a shower.” I walked straight to the massive modern restroom, shutting the door behind me. I flipped the nozzle all the way, warm water and steam filling the mirrors and open space around me. Before I washed up, I took out my phone and scrolled to where my blocked numbers were.
Logan Brooks
I clicked the contact I’d had blocked for years, hoping his phone number hadn’t changed. I didn’t beat around the bush when I sent him a text for the first time in twelve years.
Me: Meet me tomorrow. We need to talk.
Who knew when he would answer or if he would at all. I didn’t even know if he kept his phone number or not. Just as I was about to get in the shower, my phone dinged with a response almost instantly.
Logan: Wow. Happy Thanksgiving to you too. What could it be that we need to talk about so urgently?
He was so smug, and he knew it. Now that I’ve put the puzzle pieces together, this was exactly what he was trying to tell me that day in the park.
Me: I’m sure you know exactly what we need to talk about. Meet me at Mugs for coffee in the morning, 10AM.
