Wade lowered his head in defeat.“I didn’t bully him or steal his girlfriends like he said, but I wasn’t a good brother to him.We didn’t get along, even as kids.I wish I had a better memory for our last interaction.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I want you to know what kind of man I am.”
“I already know what kind of man you are.”
“Let me finish,” he said gently.“I have a temper, and I don’t always control it.I’ve done things I’m not proud of.I’ve done things I won’t talk about.If your ex comes around here, I’ll give him the beating he deserves.I imagine punishing him in ways that are too dark to describe.But I’d never hurt a woman, and I won’t hurt you.”
“I trust you.”
“You don’t trust me,” he argued.“If you did, you wouldn’t be plotting your escape to Mexico while pretending to enjoy an afternoon with me.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?”
“I wasn’t plotting, and you know damned well I wasn’t pretending.”
He examined her face in silence.He’d opened up to her about some of his lowest moments.He’d confessed to violent behavior and expressed his bloodlust for Tripp.These statements should have bothered her.Instead, she felt calmer now.He had flaws, like any other man, but he also had a conscience.He cared about people and took responsibility for his actions.His ability to self-reflect and make changes for the better was an incredible asset.And she was hopelessly, helplessly in love with him.
Meredith squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the feeling away.It did not go away.When she opened them again, he was staring at her.She stared back at him hungrily.The intimacies they’d shared earlier made him even more attractive.
“Why do you want an old truck?”Wade asked.
“It’s all I can afford.”
“My mother offered you the Subaru.”
“I can’t take it.”
“You’d rather buy a piece of junk that will leave you stranded on the side of the road?You’re so desperate to get away from here that you can’t save your money and wait for something better?”
She rose to her feet and paced the length of the barn.“I found an article online about my disappearance.”
He leaned back, digesting this news.
“A family member reported me missing.”
“When?”
“Recently.”
“You’ve been missing over a year.What took them so long?”
She crossed her arms over her chest.“Two years ago, I wrote a note to my little sister saying I’d joined a religious group.A cult, basically.According to the article, they interviewed members of the group, and no one fitting my description had ever joined.”
“Does your ex think you joined?”
She gave a rueful smile.“He’s the one who made me write the letter.He wanted me to have no contact with my family.”
“Have you had contact with them?”
“No.It’s safer.”
“For you or them?”
“Both.”
