Page 6 of I Love You Again
How the fuck was he supposed to know that it was his Trina. She was Jennifer’s bestfriend.
Neil had been trying indeed to arrange something for years but every time something got in the way, or some emergency happened to stop them from meeting. The whole coincidence was ridiculous. How was this all evenpossible?
His face felt hot from the thoughts that swirled through his mind, and the agony he’d suppressed foryears.
The last time he saw her was eleven years ago. She was eighteen and he was twenty. They were sitting by the river near her farm house talking about Christmas, and how they were going to plan their meetings when she went off to college. It was a beautiful day. One filled with hope, happiness and love. Then things all changed the very next day because he fucked it allup.
Him.Yes, it was his fault. All his fault, because he was a narrow-minded idiot who couldn’t see his way around stealing shit and living a life as a fuckingthief.
Brad had never taken anything seriously in his life, until the day he promised Trina's father, Jim McBride, that he'd leave his daughter alone and never see heragain.
The thought still made him feel physically sick from the abandonment, the loss the pain. And, he still couldn’t believe that he really didit.
When he looked back he always remembered how much he loved her. That was something he’d never, ever forgotten. The thought that he’d agreed to leave her was still alien tohim.
* * *
Eleven Years ago…
Thank God Jim was here. The sheriff and his deputy were really starting to piss himoff.
Sure, Brad knew he’d become more like a part of the furniture in this place, spending more time in police custody than at home. He even had his own cell, but tonight was different. Tonight’s heist was about Trina, and after this he wasn’t going to do this shit anymore. He couldn’t if they were going to getmarried.
He’d take her away. Maybe to the city where he could get a real job while she went to college. Then they’d get a nice place by the river. She loved theriver.
Jim did not look happy. In fact, he lookedfurious.
He was a burly man with scraggly hair and had that Paul Bunyan look, so when he was mad his wrath was very muchpronounced.
Trina was a complete contrast to him, and people always found it hard to believe that Jim was her father. Even Brad still thought so after years of knowing them. They’d moved into town when he was seven. Trina was five at thetime.
He thought she looked like a Disney princess with her large autumn colored eyes and light brown hair that flowed all the way down to her waist. She was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Later when she grew up, that beauty captivated him and his love for her had only grown. She loved him too. He knew she did, but it wasn't enough to keep him out oftrouble.
By the time he was sixteen, his parents had ditched him, and Brad had been to jail at least twenty times and spent countless times in juvenile detention. The last six months of the last sentence was spent in prison because by then he was over eighteen. That experience was enough to terrify him, but not enough to changehim.
Brad had been terrible. He loved stealing things, probably because he didn't have anything when he was growingup.
Jim had always bailed him out, always. The man had taken him under his wings right from the word go, saving Brad from his demonic parents. But this time he really lookedmad.
Brad was hoping he’d understand when he filled him in on what he’d planned to do. Brad and Trina had been dating forever. He was twenty years old and he’d been thinking ahead to the future. Part of that was making sure she got the best of everything. Tonight he robbed a jewelry store. Not the whole store which he could have done easily with the shit security the placehad.
Tonight, Brad was only in search of one item. Just one, and it meant more to him than the cars he'd stolen previously or any other item ofvalue.
Tonight, Brad stole an engagement ring. Him with his crazy self was going to ask Trina to marry him. But, he had it all figured out. She'd gotten accepted at Stanford to study medicine, and he thought he'd give her something to show how much he loved her. Then he’d take things fromthere.
He’d found the perfect ring that was delicate and beautiful, just like her. The problem was he couldn’t afford it. There was no way he would have been able to afford it in his lifetime and definitely not on the salary Jim paid him to help out on the farm. So, he stoleit.
However, like all the other times he stole he got caught. He’d always given what he stole back but he couldn’t give the ring back. He told the police he lost it in the scuffle to arrest him, but really he hid it. It was buried in a thicket of grass in his backyard. Maybe it was what it signified for him. He'd stolen it, but it still felt like it belonged to him, like it should belong toTrina.
From the look of Jim, Brad knew he was going to get a big telling off. He also suspected the old man would give him the usual pep talk about life that normally followedtoo.
He smacked Brad upside his head the minute he stepped out of the cell and shoved himforward.
If that was anyone else Brad would have taken them down, but not Jim. Besides, he was sure that Jim could have taken him out with one hit if he wanted. They were the same height, but Jim was massive with serious lumberjackmuscle.
They were silent on the drive back. That by itself was highly unusual. It should have given Brad a heads up that things weren’t going to go as heexpected.
The dead giveaway was that Jim drove him back to his farm house instead of taking himhome.
