“I’m not mad at you, Goose,” he chokes. “You’ve carried this alone for years. I can’t imagine… I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t tell me.”
Erin rushes to him. “That’s not it, Griff. You protected me every day. I was scared telling anyone what I saw would cause more problems. If I wasn’t so scared of the consequences I came up with in my head, I would have told you everything.” There’s nothing but truth behind her words.
“You were just a kid, and she…” The rest of Rudy’s sentence dies on his lips. “If I ever see her, I’m?—”
“No.” Erin cuts him off, a cutting tone I’ve never heard before. “No threats. Don’t think about her. I won’t allow you to put yourself in a position where you’re even near her.”
“I’m gonna take a walk,” Rudy mutters.
He leaves without another word. The door clicks shut, and guilt punches me square in the gut.
I caused this fracture.
I lit the fuse.
Erin covers her face and sinks into the sofa.
I move toward her and crouch down.
“What can I do?” I ask.
“Don’t let Griff do anything that will hurt his career,” she whispers. “He’s worked too hard.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to him, Erin. He’s hurtingforyou, not hurt by you.”
I take her hand and kiss her palm.
“I’m sorry I told him your mom’s here,” I admit, guilt swirling inside of me. “I should have pushed back harder.”
“I don’t want you taking any more pucks to the head for me, either.”
I huff out a laugh and press my forehead to hers. “I’d take a hundred if it meant you weren’t carrying this alone.”
But even as the words leave my mouth, I feel her slipping away into her head—somewhere I can’t reach. Along with her weak smile, a shadow crosses her eyes. Maybe there’s a truth she doesn’t want to share.
My bones know it.
There’s a door she’s keeping locked, even from me.
I rise and offer her my hand. “Let’s make tacos.”
She lets me pull her up. I keep her close, tucking her into my side, wanting to believe I can shield her from it all.
As we walk into the kitchen, her mouth opens, but then it closes.
And I know I’m right.
She’s withholding.
I don’t know why she’s not ready to tell me—it stings being on the outside—but I trust her.
She’ll come to me when she’s ready.
She always does.
I lace my fingers with hers. “It’ll be alright, Erin.”
She looks up at me and sighs.
