He brushed a strand of hair back from her face and gave her the kind of look that made her believe she could tell him anything.
“Start wherever you need to, sweetheart.”
She gave him an appreciative smile.
“Talking about my family isn’t easy for me. Actually, besides my Aunt and Uncle, and Jessica, I haven’t really spoken to anyone about what happened to my dad and brother until now.”
She paused for a second and glanced up at him. Pierce could see her eyes glistening with unshed tears, and it broke his heart.
“My dad was a helicopter pilot in the Army. He served multiple tours in the Middle East. He was my hero,” she said, her voice catching a little, and Pierce shifted, bringing his other arm around her and taking her hands in his.
“He was killed in Afghanistan when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his helicopter. I had just graduated high school and was getting ready to turn eighteen a few weeks later,” Charley continued, her voice tinged with sadness.”
Pierce felt a pang of sorrow for her. “I’m so sorry, Charley. That must have been incredibly hard.”
Charley nodded, blinking back tears. “It was. But unfortunately, before I ever really had a chance to heal from losing my dad, I lost my brother two years later. Matt was a Marine. He came back from his last deployment with severe PTSD. The war had changed him, and he struggled to find hisplace in the world back home. I tried to help, but it wasn’t enough. He ended up taking his own life. It broke me,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “Losing them both. It left an emptiness inside me that I really can’t explain.”
She stopped talking, and Pierce could feel her shoulders shaking. He knew that she was crying, and his heart broke for her, and for the losses she had endured.
He gently shifted her body so she was straddling his lap, and he wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her closer.
Then, as if being held that close had finally given her permission to fall apart, Charley shattered in his arms. He didn’t let her go as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and cried. He even caught himself wiping a stray tear from his eye.
“I’m so sorry, Charley,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. He pressed his lips against her temple. “I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for you.”
After a few minutes, he felt some of the tension in her body start to ease, and her sobs turned into little hiccups.
She eased back and looked at him. The sight of her tear-streaked face damn near undid him, and more than anything, he wanted to pull every last ounce of sadness from her and carry it for her himself.
He reached up and wiped her tears from her cheeks. She surprised him when a small smile appeared on her face, and she leaned in to peck him on the lips.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He smiled. “You don’t have to thank me. In fact, I should be thanking you for trusting me with your story.”
He did have one question he wanted to ask her because it had been bugging him. But he wasn’t sure how to go about asking it.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, ask away.”
“Where was your mom through all of this?”
Charley let out a small sigh, and Pierce braced himself.
“I never met my mom. She and my dad divorced when I was a baby. My dad, brother, and I never spoke about her. It didn’t really bother me because I had Aunt Bea. She wasn’t just my aunt. She was a mother figure for me. I stayed with her and Uncle Glen when my dad was deployed.”
He smiled. “I’m glad you have both of them.” He had another question. “How did you end up in Virginia Beach?”
Charley laughed and loved the sound of it. “After everything happened with my brother, I just needed to get away. My dad made sure that, if anything ever happened to him, my brother and I would be financially taken care of. I didn’t really have anything tying me to California, so I just started driving, and I ended up in Virginia Beach. That’s where I heard about Alex’s foundation. I wanted to do something meaningful, to honor their memories, plus helping others was my way of grieving.”
Pierce held her tighter, feeling a profound respect and admiration for her strength. “You’re incredible, Charley,” he said. “What you’re doing is so important, and it’s making a difference. I can see how much you care, and it’s inspiring. I can guarantee that your father and brother are both very proud of you.”
Charley looked up at him, her eyes glistening from her tears.
“Thank you, Pierce. It means a lot to hear that.”
He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his gaze intense. “I know I can’t take away your pain, but I want you to know that I’m here for you. Whatever you need, whenever you need it.”
