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“Arizona? There isn’t anywhere closer? Like Dallas? And why did you take down all her pictures? Don’t they say to keep showing her pictures because you don’t know what will trigger her memory?” I don’t have a freaking clue if that’s what they say, but it sounds reasonable. It’s crazy to think, but it sounds like they’re trying to take her away from me. The sadness inside me switches to anger.
“We didn’t take them down, she did.” I’ve never wanted to punch Everly’s dad as much as I do right now. His smug face fuels the fire burning in my gut. He takes a solid step toward me, lifting a brow as if taunting me to do it. The only choice I have is to turn around and leave. He wouldn’t hesitate to throw me in jail and it’d destroy my military career.
The slight satisfaction of leaving tire marks in front of his house as I speed away lasts less than a second before the reality of the situation sets in.
I’ve lost Everly.
Chapter Four
Kase
The steering wheel takes the brunt of my anger. I stare at the water tower with blurred vision as tears burn my eyes. When I imagine what the scene of the car crash looked like, the anger overwhelms me. I should’ve been there for her. I shouldn’t have left. This is all my fault.
I jerk my head to the side as the passenger door opens. “Figured I’d find you out here.” Wayne hops in. He blows out a heavy breath and squeezes my shoulder. “It’s good to see you.”
I close my eyes and nod. “When’d it happen?”
“It’s been about seven weeks.”
One week after I left. Seven weeks, the love of my life has been suffering, and I didn’t even know. I pound my fist into the wheel again, the horn blares back every few strikes. Stopping the assault, I drop my head. “Why didn’t anyone get in touch with me?”
“I tried calling the Red Cross, and they said it had to be an immediate family member. I was hoping you’d call me at some point.” No, I kept the few calls they granted me to call Everly. I must’ve talked to her right before it happened. The other two times I tried to call her, it went straight to voicemail. “My dad said it was better you didn’t know since there wasn’t anything you could have done.”
I glare at him. “I could have been here for her!”
He shakes his head. “Kase, it was bad when she woke up. She wouldn’t let anyone see her except the doctors. I know you would’ve dropped everything to come back, but it would’ve killed you.”
I shove the door open, jump out and throw my arms out screaming, “It’s killing me now! It fucking hurts, Wayne.” I drop to my knees on the hard dirt, holding myself up with my hands. Pebbles dig into my already raw palms, but the only pain I feel is my heart twisting. “It hurts,” I keep repeating in agony.
Wayne puts his hand on my back. “Dude, I’m so sorry.” He sits down next to me while I cry, not caring I sound like a chick, bawling. This is what Everly would call an ugly cry.
Fifteen minutes is all I allow before I pull it all back. I can’t change the past. Hope is what I’m left with that she’ll regain her memories. Wayne and I sit on the ground against the truck in its shadow, throwing rocks at the tower.
“What are you gonna do?” He lolls his head my direction. Ain’t that the question of the day?
I shrug. “I don’t know. If I stay, my chance at being a SEAL is over. If I go, I’ll always regret leaving her.” Boot camp brought out a deep sense of pride in myself. I’ve never had to work hard to achieve anything because of my name. In the Navy, I’m not a millionaire’s grandson or the son of a drunk. I have to work my ass off to prove that I’m great enough to become a SEAL like everyone else. I’ve never wanted something so bad in my life. Until today.
“What’re you suppose to do next for the military?”
“I’m supposed to report back to Illinois for training in two days.”
“If you go, can I get a hold of you?” I nod. I don't start SEAL training for another two months. This is the get your ass in shape before you go phase. “If her memory returns, I’ll call you. There’s nothing you can do from here, especially if they’re sending her to a facility.”
It helps to know I have Wayne here to keep me updated, but I’m still not sure. “I need time to think. It would’ve been an easier decision had I come home, and she was with someone else.”
“Are you kidding me? Everly would've never left you by choice.”
We stay there and talk about boot camp and what he’s been up to. The sun dips low in the sky and I know I need to go home and make a decision. As I drive off, my mind is a flurry of pros and cons.
Fuck, I say to myself when I see my dad’s car in the driveway. I make a conscious decision to run in, grab my bag, and hopefully leave before he sees me. I’d rather spend the night in my truck than stay here with him. The TV is blaring, masking any noise I make walking into the house. I slither down the dingy brown carpeted hallway, grab my bag and head for the front door.
As I reach for the gold doorknob, the bastard laughs. I twist my head around to see what he’s laughing at; he’s staring right at me. “Running away again, boy?” he jests, stumbling to his feet. “I guess you weren’t very important to that girlfriend of yours. It didn’t take her long to forget about you.”
Staring at the door, I try to ignore the chill creeping up my spine. Leave. Walk out and forget he ever exists.
“Stop being a pussy, go over there and make her remember you. Be a man.”
The bag slips from my trembling fingers; every muscle stiffens at his insinuation. My pulse spikes to dangerous heights as my vision turns red. I spin around, glaring at the monster, pushing the one down threatening to escape inside me.
