Page 54 of Holiday on the Rocks
“Looks like their plane will be here around noon.” I set it back on the nightstand.
“Lexi and Rachel.” His head shook lightly. “They are going to have a hot dip shit fit when they see me.”
“You spit the truth.” I scooted closer and our faces were inches apart. “But they won’t kill you. Well, I’m pretty sure.”
“The scary part is there are so many places they could hide a body in Colorado.”
“Oh, they wouldn’t have to. They’d make it an accident for sure.”
“So steer clear of mountain hiking with your girls?”
“Oh yeah, don’t even give them a cliff to consider.”
We lay perfectly still while I knew our minds were doing no such thing.
He pushed a curl from my face. “They were scared. All of them. Your parents.”
My voice cracked. “I love them, and things are good now, but I don’t know. Maybe a part of me doesn’t forgive them.”
“Or me.”
I shrugged. “It was all done by the time I woke up. I had no say.”
“That day?—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I pulled the blanket up to my chin.
“I do.”
I didn’t want to go back there. I shook my head, and he held me firmly; like he knew I was on my way out.
“I was responsible for you almost dying, Me.”
“No, you weren’t. The truck swerved into us.”
“I was responsible for you.”
“Things happen that are out of our control sometimes.”
“I was out of control. You and me back then was raw energy that we didn’t know what to do with. An all-consuming fire we couldn’t control.”
My chest tightened. “It was love.”
“Hell, yeah it was. You were the moon and stars to me. And the lengths I went to have you?—”
“Stop making it sound like that.”
His eyes narrowed. “I stole my uncle’s car, picked you up on your eighteenth birthday, and drove to Vegas to marry you. That doesn’t sound a little bit unhinged?”
I traced my initials scrolled into his tattoo. “That day. Wow.”
“We were like Bonnie and Clyde. Burning everything behind us so we could get where we wanted to go.” He drug his thumb across my lower lip. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than you in that dress.”
I giggled. “Never underestimate the treasures of Goodwill. Am I right or am I right?”
“You could’ve worn a trash bag, and I would’ve clawed my way through walls to get to you.”
“I’ve never understood what happened. I mean, I know what happened, but I was stunned. All my parents would ever tell me is that you realized we were better apart.”
