Page 94 of Lose to Win: Lost Trilogy: Part 3
He turns around and walks away before I have a chance to say more. Not sure I could anyway, so I open the door and walk into the room where Emily is still snuggled under the covers where I left her.
Taking Sully’s advice, I get in next to her and close my eyes. My mind refuses to shut down all the way though. I think over everything that my brother told me. Maybe I do need closure on my mother. Who would’ve thunk it.
My brain gets sluggish, and I welcome the feeling. I have one more conscious thought before sleep finally pulls me under.
I should go to Texas.
27
Emily
The sky is perfectlyclear today, not a cloud in sight. It makes me feel as if the chaos of the last few months never existed.
We just arrived back from Texas after visiting Puck’s hometown. He had this sudden urge to go back. At first, I worried that he’d want to move away from Montana. After all, he had spent most of his life in Texas. His roots in Montana are fairly non existent at this point. However, he surprised me with his decision.
“There is nothing for me back in Texas, babe. Unless you decided that you want to live there. I have to warn you though,” he smirked at me. “It’s hot a lot, you won’t see much snow, if any, and there’s snakes.”
“Puck,” I snorted and slapped at his arm.
“What? I just want to make sure you make an informed decision.”
His statement made me take pause.
“I just want you to be happy, Puck,” I chocked out. “No matter where you decide to live.”
Puck wasted no time. He pulled me into his arms and squeezed me tightly. He kissed me on the hair while one of his hands started caressing my growing belly.
“Being with you is the happiest I’ve ever been,” he whispered in my ear. “I would never bring you to the place that was hell on earth for me.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face into his chest and weeping for the boy and then the young man that he used to be.
We travelled back to his hometown where he showed me all the spots he got in trouble as a teen. We also made it to a lake where all the high school parties happened at the time.
“The place would be hopping on a Friday night,” he told me. “I’d come here and drink, get a bit high, all in good fun. And you know what my favorite part of it was?”
I looked at him, loving the way his eyes sparkled in the sun. He was looking so upbeat and happy nowadays.
“What?” I whispered, a smile taking over my face.
“Getting a ride home from the local police,” he snorted. “The look on Kenny’s face every time that happened was worth all the trouble I ever got into.”
The reminder of his uncle killed all the amusement I was feeling. I was not doing terribly bad with it, but I had nights where I’d wake up in a puddle of sweat, scared that there was someone at the door, ready to carry me to prison.
But then, morning would come, and it would all be the same.
Our last place to visit in Texas was at the cemetery. Puck asked me if it was okay to stop for a few minutes, and there was no way I was going to say no.
Elaine Adams’ grave was not a conventional one. As it turned out, Kenny had her cremated, but no one could tell us what happened to her ashes. She ended up with just her name engraved on a small plaque that was glued on a memorial wall. The placement was high enough where you couldn’t really see it unless you knew to look for it.
“It’s ironic,” Puck muttered softly. “This was him giving her the middle finger one more time. She wanted his love and attention. He put her somewhere where no one could see her or give a shit about her.”
I held his hand while he went through the grieving process, and when he was done, his mind was made up.
“I needed this, but I will never come back here again. Goodbye, Elaine.”
On our way out, we stopped by the office where Puck paid a fee and filled out a form for his mother’s name plaque to be moved lower on the wall. Front and center, that’s how he requested it.
And now, we are back in Texas, and it is my turn to visit my mother.
