Keaton’s eyes flit between his parents and mine. “I’m sorry I let you all down. You raised me better than that.”
“You let us down, but I believe you let yourself down more,” my mom says.
Mom tries to stay tough, but it’s impossible not to soften in the face of his raw regret.
“I did,” Keaton agrees. “But I promise to do better.”
Mom nods with a gentle smile. “Okay.”
Each parent repeats the gesture when Keaton looks at him. There’s a humbleness on his face that I haven’t seen in such a long time. A gratefulness that he’s having a hard time putting into words.
“Okay?” Keaton chokes out. “That’s it?”
My mom shrugs. “If Charlie forgives you, then so do we. It wouldn’t be fair of us to continue holding something against you when she was the one directly affected by your betrayal.”
She wraps her arms around him, hugging him tightly, before pulling away. When she looks at him this time, there’s a frightening, stern expression on her face. “Know this, kiddo. It won’t be my husband you’ll have to fear if you break my daughter again. You might have forgotten that I’m a crime scene investigator, but I have not.”
Worried about how his parents will take her threat to their son, my eyes jerk toward them. I should have known better, though. Both of them stare at Keaton with faces just as stern as my parents.
Keaton’s shoulders deflate, and he nods. “I never forgot, ma’am. You have my permission to do what needs to be done if I break my promise.”
With the air finally cleared, I clap my hands and smile at my family. “Since that’s done and out of the way, can we go get something to eat? I’m starving.”
My dad glares at Keaton playfully. “Are you starving my daughter?”
“Ready to punch me now?” Keaton asks helpfully.
“He may not be, but I am if I don’t get some food in my belly,” I grumble.
Keaton walks over to me, his smile loving as his eyes roam over my face. When he reaches me, he cups my cheek in his palm. His thumb caresses my skin, a soothing gesture that has me melting into him.
“Then we should probably feed you. We don’t want a hangry Charlie on our hands,” he teases, brushing a kiss over my lips.
“Damn straight.”
The room fills with chuckles at my sassy response.
That sound tells me we’ll be all right. The road ahead won’t be smooth, but if we stick together, we’ll weather every bump with only a few scrapes.
Sometimes love wins.
Sometimes it doesn’t.
I’m just thankful that ours will survive.
Maybe our love is a little bent, not as shiny as it used to be. But it’s alive and thriving beneath our skin, humming in our veins, dancing with every heartbeat.
Faked Messages From The Past
Charlie
Mymomalwayswarnedme to brace for surprises. So when an unknown number flashes up, bearing screenshots of old chats between Rianna and Keaton, I barely blink. Honestly, I figured she’d try to cause trouble sooner. She didn’t swipe Keaton’s phone just to let it gather dust.
When Keaton and I were together the first time, I never went through his phone, not even when my instincts told me something was off. Both my mind and heart urged me to reach for it whenever he flipped it face down, but I resisted. I didn't want our relationship filled with distrust or me always checking on a friend he insisted was just that. Despite the warning signs, I kept my distance from his phone.
Curiosity sinks its claws in. Rianna is a master manipulator, so I know better than to trust a single word she sends.
But what if there’s a sliver of truth buried in her words? Can I really risk turning a blind eye to her messages?
