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“So, her memory never returned?”
“I don’t know. She never came looking for me.” I watch his shoulders tense and he adjusts himself in the seat, sitting taller. His eyes won’t meet mine. “After I left her house, I drove back home. My dad was drunk, like normal. He spewed about how no one would ever love me if they couldn’t remember me. Shit like that.”
“I’m sure it made you furious.” Unease rolls off him as he clenches his jaw.
“I couldn’t control my anger.” He takes in a deep breath, blowing it out through his nose, a bead of sweat falls from his forehead and he wipes it with the back of his hand. “Everly’s father was a police officer. He came to my house, searching for me. But it was too late.” I cover my mouth, trying to silence the gasp. His face jerks to the side. “I swear, I didn’t mean to kill him.” My heart squeezes with emotions from his admission. My worst fear is being with a man like my step-father, but Kase isn't like him. He's not like his dad. I can hear the shame, the regret, the unfounded guilt in his voice. I see a teenage boy trapped with an evil father like my stepfather, hurt and angry at life. It's how I spent my teenage years. Life is unfair. I dreamt every night about killing my stepfather, but I could never go through with it. For years I wondered if I fought back hard enough the night he left me for dead, it would’ve been him laying unconscious on the ground instead of me.
“He was a monster,” I say, reassuring him I understand.
“I should’ve been able to stop. After the years of abuse my mom went through, I was blind to any rationale.”
“I’m the last one to judge, Kase. I don’t think I would’ve been able to stop either.”
“Jake had to pull me off. He’s the reason I left. He didn’t like me, didn't think I was good enough for his daughter. So he gave me an ultimatum.”
“Leave or go to jail?” I whisper, stunned a grown man would do that, let alone a police officer.
He nods, opens his mouth to say something, but snaps it shut. For a man who demands control at all times, admitting this has to be killing him on the inside. Clearing his throat, he continues. “Nobody liked my dad in town. Jake and my mom were a thing in high school. My dad shows up, a stranger in a small town and my mom took a liking to him. Jake wasn’t happy and always had it in for him. I should’ve stayed and dealt with my mess, but I was a scared teenager given a way out. So, I took it and I haven’t been back since.” He swallows harshly, sniffs and wipes away his unwanted tears.
We need to turn around. The last thing I want is for him to find himself in trouble for returning. Worry is etched into his sharp features and guilt for making him take me here presses heavy against my chest. If I’d only known everything. “Kase,” I finally say. “I can do this by myself. You don’t need to go back and risk everything.”
He glances in his rearview mirror, flipping on his hazards to move to the shoulder. His lip quirks up and the tension in his shoulders relaxes some. “I’m not worried about that. At all. I’m here for you and I’m not leaving your side. Okay? I just needed you to know.”
I nod, turning in and kissing his hand that’s cupping my cheek. Not knowing how the next few hours will play out, I hold on to the hope we’ll survive this.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kase
As soon as I turn onto residential streets, we both quiet and stare at the smaller brick houses lining each side of the road, the anxiety in the space suffocating. Each one that passes by makes my stomach twist more. Why did I agree to this? I understand she wants to meet her sister, but this whole situation has me feeling out of sorts.
When Stone told me the address, it surprised me she doesn’t live in Barrow, but a few towns over. He also informed me she recently filed for divorce, and that’s where I stopped him. I don’t want to know. I’m here for Ellie, I’m not coming here to catch up with Everly. She forgot about me, and as much as that still stings, I’ve let it go and moved on.
I clear my throat and say, “This next left is her street.” Ellie wrings her hands together and leans forward to read the house numbers. I’ve reminded her every day that no matter what happens, I choose her.
I slow the car and park in front of a pale yellow brick house and glance over at Ellie. She’s staring at the house, biting the inside of her cheek. “This is stupid,” she says, shifting in her seat toward me, panicking. “Let’s go. We can call her and tell her she has a twin.”
I grin, having thought that numerous times this week. I wrap my hand around hers and bring it to my lips. “How about I go check if she’s home. She won’t recognize me, so I’ll introduce myself and explain…” I pause, wondering what I should say. “Well, we’ll go from there. This isn’t something we can plan out.”
She exhales loudly. “Okay. Gesture when it's a good time for me to get out.”
I lean over, grab her behind the neck and guide her to my mouth. Her lips part and I pour the love I have for her into the kiss. “I love you,” I murmur against her lips. She nods when I find her eyes. “It'll be okay.”
At least, I hope so.
I hop out of the SUV and shake out my hands, taking a few deep breaths. She won’t know you, I repeat in my head. I'm a stranger to her, she'll think I'm a sales person in my khaki shorts and polo. My knuckles rap on the glass part of the door and then I stick them in my pockets. It’s afternoon, so she’s probably not even here. After a couple minutes of hearing nothing, I spin around and walk down the stairs. I glance at Ellie and shrug. The sound of a door opening stops me in my tracks.
“Kase,” a familiar voice says from behind me. Ellie’s voice, but with a heavy southern accent. I turn slowly, cocking my head. She didn’t just say my name. Did she?
When our eyes meet, my words get stuck in my throat. I always knew Ellie looked like her, but seeing Everly standing there, it’s remarkable how similar they are. Those green eyes I fell in love with stare back at me. My brain doesn’t seem to be functioning. I told it over and over she wouldn’t recognize me, yet she said my name.
“Did you say my name?”
She smiles. “I did.” I can see it in her eyes. The recognition. The love. I drop my gaze, focusing on my hands. “Kase, I remember you.” She takes a step toward me. I should take a step back, but I can’t. My feet are rooted in this spot.
“How? When?” I respond in disbelief.
She turns her attention toward a vehicle coming down the street and her gaze darts down to her watch. She peeks at it again and then back to me. A flicker of panic flashes in her eyes and her shoulders tense. I crane my neck around to see what has her so worried. A truck pulls up, and a boy hops out and rushes up the sidewalk.
