“I’ll be fine, Ash. I promise.”
She angrily stomps toward her car, obviously pissed at me.
“Please don’t be mad at me, Ashleigh. You’re the only person in the family that actually gives a shit about me besides Mom.”
“Oh, you mean the woman who up and moved to the Bahamas after asking for the divorce? The one who hasn’t talkedto any of us since. Good luck getting a hold of her.” She glares at me from over the hood of the car before we both climb inside.
My hand hits her shoulder as she clutches the steering wheel, knuckles straining to a pale white. “I’ve lost Mom, Dad’s a workaholic and stays away from home, and my brother just got out of prison declaring he’s running straight to a motorcycle gang. How I’ve managed to stay the sane one in this family, I’ll never know,” she grumbles under her breath.
“It’s because you’re a good person, Ash. Always have been.”
She blows out a frustrated breath. “Is this what you really want, Wes? Is this the kind of life you want to lead? One where you’re constantly having to look over your shoulder because someone is always out to get you?”
I shrug. “It’s the only life I know, Sis. Please don’t be mad at me.”
Her breath blows out in utter frustration. “I’m not mad at you, Wes, just worried. I saw you almost die; I never want to see that again.”
“You won’t.”
“You can’t promise me that.”
She has a point, but I still promise it anyway. “But I just did.”
Her head flops over to look my way mid eye roll. “You’re impossible, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, but you still love me, anyway.”
For the next hour, we only talk about her, avoiding the taboo topics that had us fighting before we started the drive. She tells me about her life these past few years, about how she met a guy at UNR and now they’re talking about engagements and weddings.
“Damn, I can’t believe my little sister may be getting married before me. Who would’ve thought?” The familiar Virginia Mountain range comes into view, tips topped with freshly packed snow, the scent of dry desert winds and sagebrushwhipping through the air. It’s a scent I’ll never forget even if I lose my ability to smell.
“Nicholas is a nice guy. You’ll like him.”
“I’m not going to like any guy you date,” I answer truthfully. “But I’ll be civil.”
She laughs, pulling up to a driveway that leads into a tow yard. “This is as far as I’ll go,” she states, tears forming all over again. “Just promise me you won’t do something stupid and end back up in prison, Wesley, or worse… dead.”
“I won’t.”
We hug for far too long before she finally pulls away. “Are you gonna see Dad anytime soon?”
I shrug. “Probably not.”
She nods her head, knowing the wound between us is too deep to mend. “Well, for whatever it’s worth, he misses you.”
“It’s nice of you to say that, Ash, but we both know that’s not true.”
Her mouth twitches into a frown. “He may not say it, but I know he does. Anyway, I guess tell Eddie and Rich hello for me. I love you, Wes.”
“Love you too, Ash.”
She stays parked at the gate until I’m inside and almost to the door, then I hear the tires kick up gravel as she pulls away. We both know it will be awhile before we speak again.
“Damn, had I known I would come home to this kind of welcome, I would’ve at least knocked,” I joke, after enteringthe shop and finding my best friend lips deep in a brunette bombshell wearing coveralls and grease as accessories.
It’s weird to see him with someone who isn’t blonde and Amber. It feels wrong, like he’s committing a felony or something right before my eyes.
Eddie freezes and slowly turns his head, his face going from concerned to excited as the biggest smile ignites across his face.
