I swore my heart cracked in half.
“If I could’ve made him happier—” Her voice broke.
I leaned forward and tightly wrapped her into my chest. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for that. Ever. You read what he’d written. He loved you and Danny more than life itself. If anything, you kept him alive longer.”
All of the tension in her shoulders released as she clung to me and cried. David’s demons had left her with a scar that would never heal, and his journals were a reminder that kept breaking open her wound.
They needed to disappear. Forever.
“You were never supposed to find those, Avery. That was never supposed to be your burden to bear.”
I didn’t know how long we sat there, but she eventually lifted her head off my chest and wiped away her tears.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
When I realized she was apologizing for falling apart on me, I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her. It was the softest, most tender physical act we had ever shared. “Thank you for telling me.”
I gave her another kiss on her forehead before I shifted off the bed and started to get dressed. There was a box at my feet with some of her clothes packed in it. I handed it to her so she could find something to wear, and started gathering her dad’s journals.
A hint of fear flashed in her eyes. “What are you doing?”
I cradled them under my arm. “You trust me?”
She nodded slowly.
“Come out to my truck when you’re ready.” I smiled warmly at her.
“Nina’s going to be here soon to help me move my stuff out.”
“Call her and tell her you’ll be out for the next hour or so. This can’t wait.”
30
Avery
Fate. The ultimate F-word. I wasn’t sure I’d believed in it until I found myself in the arms of Liam Lockwood. But as I stood over the water that nearly took my life, in his tight embrace, I’d never had more of a feeling of belonging.
I was safe.
Loved.
And although my mom had provided me with everything I could ever need to feel safe, her love only went as far as my efforts and my successes did.
Fate had brought Liam to me in an unexpected way. I never thought I would fall for my brother’s best friend or that he would be the one to break through my walls and help me heal. But as he’d chipped away at my surface, some of my pain had seeped out. My darkness was no match for the light he lit up inside me.
Liam kissed the top of my head as I looked up at the cloudless blue sky. The sun was bright and warm on my face.
My tears had long ago dried from the walk here. Liam had parked on the shoulder just before we reached the bridge because he knew I needed to approach this slowly. I gripped the shit out of his hand the whole way here, but he never complained or let go.
Something had told me he would never let go.
His chest was both hard and soft against my back. “Are you ready?” He leaned his head next to my ear, his voice vibrating through his chest against the top of my shoulders.
Knots formed in my stomach. I picked up the box at my feet and shook my head. “I don’t think I could ever be ready for this.”
Liam’s arms tightened. “You know you don’t have to do this.”
“No. I want to.” I let out a heavy sigh. “You’re right. I should’ve never found these. Whoever is in these journals wasn’t the dad who raised me. My dad was funny and kind. He was a happy man who loved his family and making music. He had this laugh that could light up the room.” I smiled, still remembering the sound. “He didn’t just teach me about music; he also taught me to think for myself and to always lead with my heart.” I took the first journal in my hands and held it over the railing. “I haven’t been doing that for a long time.”
