Page 10 of A Forever Home
“Trisha Langly,” Della confirmed for the third time in the last hour.
Roman watched as Della and his mom chatted back and forth while he and his dad said nothing to each other. What more could be said? His dad had blamed him for his brother’s accident. Yeah, his dad blamed several people, primarily Mitch Hargrove, the driver who’d hit Brian’s vehicle one winter night. Mitch had walked away from that wreck, while Brian had never walked again.
But his father blamed Roman too. Roman was at that party with Brian. He was supposed to make sure his brother didn’t drink too much, which Brian never did. Then Roman was supposed to drive Brian home. They were each other’s buddy system. Needless to say, Roman had failed as a big brother that night. He’d met a girl, and he’d wanted to stay at the party longer to flirt and maybe get her number. Brian, being the rule follower he was, had been adamant about keeping curfew. He left while Roman had stayed behind.
Ten minutes after Brian had gone, rumors of an accident began to circulate. Roman had heard that it was Mitch. He was friends with Mitch, so he’d been a little worried. Soon there was news that the other driver was Brian.
Roman should have been there. He should have been driving. He should have been the one in that wheelchair.
Roman met his father’s gaze now. If looks could talk, that’s exactly what his dad’s eyes were saying. Still, after all this time.
“Oh, the ceremony is about to begin,” his mother said, glancing back at the flurry of activity on the makeshift stage. “We’re sitting in the front row. Come join us,” she told Roman.
Roman shook his head. “We’ll stay back here. I’ll tell Brian hello before I go.”
“How soon do you have to leave town?” his mother asked.
“As soon as it’s over, I’m afraid. Della has an event of her own in Somerset Lake. We can’t be late.”
His mom looked disappointed. “Well, you know what time we’re having Christmas dinner. We always set a spot for you, should you want to come.”
Roman didn’t attend anymore. He hadn’t in years.
“Should we set a spot for Della too?” she asked, looking between them. Roman could see his father’s impatience creeping into the edges of his serious expression.
“Oh, that’s so kind of you to ask,” Della said, “but I’ll be spending Christmas with my two sons.”
“You have two sons?” his mom asked. Roman suspected she was worrying what he was getting himself into by dating a single mother of two.
“Twin boys,” Della said. “They are the apples of my eye.”
“As are all my children,” his mom said, giving Roman a meaningful look. “I hope you’ll be home for Christmas. It would mean the world to me. I love you.”
“You too, Mom.” He gave her another hug but spared his father this time. Then he took his seat and watched his parents navigate through the crowd toward the front row.
“They seem so nice,” Della said, tapping her elbow into his arm to get his attention. “What do you have against them?”
Roman inhaled deeply as Brian, the mayor of the town, rolled onto the stage in a wheelchair. “It’s what they have against me. See that man up there? That’s my brother, Brian.”
Della followed his gaze.
“He’s in a wheelchair for the rest of his life,” Roman told her. “And I’m partly responsible for that.”
***
Della’s heart had been breaking for Roman since he’d shared his story with her. They’d watched the ceremony, and afterward, she and Roman had said hello to Brian and his wife, Jessica. Roman had made it a quick exchange, offering his congratulations and his regrets that they had to leave so soon. Then he and Della had climbed back in the rental car and driven silently out of town.
“We need gas,” Della pointed out, leaning across the center console to check the dashboard. She couldn’t help but catch the scent of Roman’s cologne as she got close. Judging by how perfect it was, she guessed it was expensive. If he had money, he wasn’t showy about it. Unlike his parents.
“I’ll stop at the next gas station before getting back on the highway,” Roman said.
Della nibbled at her lower lip as she returned to her upright position in the passenger seat. “Your brother and his wife seemed great.”
“Yeah.” Roman nodded.
She wanted to ask for more details about his family situation, but it wasn’t any of her business. So instead, she continued to nibble her lip, a bad habit she’d had since childhood. She’d managed to nix biting her nails and twirling her finger in her hair, but she’d never been able to stop chewing softly on her lip when her nerves were overfiring.
Five minutes down the road, Roman pulled the car into a gas station. He parked and got out to fuel up.
