“Why don’t you hate me?” I asked, my voice quiet.
“Why would I?” Malachi asked back, sounding genuinely confused.
“After what happened,” I explained. “You were hurt, Rose could have been hurt, Damien died because of me. Because Ifailedyou. How could you ever forgive me for that?”
“Rome,” he sighed. “If anything, I don’t deserve your forgiveness. Did you forget why you were in that position in the first place? You left the Army, retired before you had planned, to follow me across states so I could be close to my family. You were in that position, trying to keep me safe, and trying to keep my family safe. You almost died that night. If anything, you should be angry at me.”
“No, not at all… it’s what…”
“Friends do,” Malachi finished for me. “Exactly. Look… what happened majorly sucked. We lost Damien and multiple people were hurt, but none of it was your fault. Okay?”
“I want to believe that,” I murmured, “but I don’t know how.”
“Well, calling me back is a start. Eventually, you’ll work through it all,” Malchi explained. “And maybe try therapy, it’s done wonders for me.”
“You know, in therapy you have to talk, right?” I joked. “That doesn’t really seem like you. I can just imagine you silently glaring at your therapist for an hour every week.”
Malachi laughed, “Yeah, it took me a couple of months to really open up, but I got there. I was going to tell you about it… but once again, you never picked up the phone.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Eh, it’s all water under the bridge. You called now, that’s what matters.”
I smiled, grateful to be talking to him once again. There were few people in this world who understood what it was like to be in the Army, and I was grateful to have someone in my corner who did. “I hear you have a kid now. How’s it being a dad?”
“We all know I practically raised you,” Malachi mused. “This one is far easier to manage.”
“Hey!” I protested with a laugh, but knew he was right. He was a few years older than me, but far wiser.
Malachi laughed along with me, “On a real note, Roman is an incredible little guy, and thank God he’s like his mom and not like me. Looks like her too. Has the most gorgeous black hair and brown eyes… he kind of looks like you. Rose and I joke that he’s your affair baby. I think we’re losing our minds in the newborn haze over here. I haven’t gotten a full night's sleep since he was born…” He continued to talk about his son and his life with him now, but I was stuck on his name.
“You named him Roman?” I eventually interrupted.
“Yeah, it was Rose’s idea. After everything you did for us, it seemed right to honor you in some way,” Malachi explained, his voice soft. “Rose did refuse to name him Rome, saying it would just set him up for bullying in the future.”
I let out a teary laugh. “Yeah, trust me, it would. I still get bullied about the name to this day. But, Roman James? Really?”
“Really,” Malachi confirmed. “Do me a favor, when all of this is over, you fly out here and officially meet him? And bring that girlfriend of yours because I’m not entirely sure she’s real. Or knows about your relationship.”
“Very funny,” I retorted.
We didn’t talk for much longer, Malachi needing to get back to his family. I did manage to get him to agree to reach out to his sister-in-law though, who worked in law enforcement, to look into Bec’s dad’s finances. He promised to have her give me a call by tomorrow at the latest before he hung up.
I sat on my bed, the phone still in my hand. Something in my chest felt lighter, like I could finally take a full breath. My guilt wasn’t wiped away, but it didn’t linger in every recess of my mind anymore.
A soft knock sounded on the door before Bec peeked her head in, “Can I come in?”
I nodded and finally set the phone down.
Bec sat on the bed next to me, taking my hand in hers. She didn’t say anything, and didn’t ask how the conversation went. She simply rested her head on my shoulder, hand in hers, holding space for me.
“He named his kid after me,” I murmured.
I could feel Bec smile, “Poor kid.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
BEC
