The torment in his brother’s tone had Rex standing tall and dropping his hands to his sides. “For what?”
“For not sayin’ somethin’ back then. For not tellin’ someone what she was doin’. If I had, she wouldn’t have…” Rafe trailed off, nodding toward the house.
Rex didn’t need him to finish the sentence. He knew who Rafe was referring to.
“You have no reason to apologize,” Rex told his brother, his voice cracking. “I’m the one who should apologize to you.”
Rafe’s upper lip curled. “For what?”
“For not speakin’ up when I could have.” Rex swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I suspected she’d been inappropriate, but I kept hopin’ I was wrong. If I’d told someone… If I’d confronted her… None of this woulda happened.”
Rex had already informed Dr. Briggs that he had suspected their father’s girlfriend had molested his little brother. He had nightmares about it, sometimes waking up screaming with his hands tightly gripping the blankets in his efforts to suffocate the crazy bitch. Only Jolene was only in his dreams. She was dead like their father, no longer a threat to either of them.
“Holt said you told the sheriff Mama’s death wasn’t an accident.”
Rex couldn’t say he was surprised by the subject change, so he went with it. “I tried. Sheriff Monroe wouldn’t listen. But he was Billy Don’s friend. He was loyal.”
Right up until Rex’s story came out in court. At that point, Carl Monroe couldn’t stand in the man’s corner anymore. Not even to defend a dead man. Not too long after that, Carl Monroe learned that he’d lost the respect of the community when he wasn’t re-elected. Unfortunately, Rafe hadn’t been around for long to see that their new sheriff was someone they could depend on to stand up for what was right.
“I don’t think either of us should be apologizin’,” Rex told him. “What Billy Don and Jolene did to us … that’s on them. But they’re the ones who must pay for what they did. Not us. We have to move forward, Rafe. We have to live our lives.”
“That’s what Holt keeps tryin’ to tell me.”
“So you and Holt. That’s a thing?”
Rafe shrugged. His brother had shrugged a lot as a kid too. Always when he didn’t want to admit to something, but he wasn’t going to deny it either.
“And Bailey?”
“That’s a thing,” Rafe confirmed.
“Wow. That’s … two of ’em. I’m impressed, little brother.”
Rafe gave him the middle finger, but he smiled. It faded as quickly as it came on.
“I don’t know how to go in that house and not remember.”
“It’s not easy. I know from experience.” Rex looked at the house. “But I can tell you what worked for me.”
“I’m probably gonna regret askin’…” Rafe muttered.
Rex grinned. “I started by tacklin’ every room. I went through and forced myself to remember the good things. And after I did that, I made new memories in there. Memories that are strong enough to drown out the others. Pretty soon, you’ll find that the ghosts are only there when you summon them.”
Rex knew it sounded simpler than it had been, but he’d done it. He had forged through because he refused to let Billy Don and Jolene control his life anymore. Of course, it had taken the love of a good man to help him get to where he was today. Since it looked like Rafe had a chance at love times two, Rex figured it might just work for him, too.
“In case you’re wonderin’, there’s no one in there right now. The only guest still checked in is Holt. At least until tomorrow.”
Rafe grunted as he peered at the back door.
Leaving Rafe with that knowledge, Rex headed toward his house, hoping his little brother would take that first step now that he had the incentive to do so. He’d seen it in Rafe’s eyes. Holt and Bailey were the motivation he needed to finally break free from the past. The only thing Rex could do was be there when and if Rafe needed him. This time he vowed he wouldn’t let his brother down.
***
After Rex left him, Rafe sat onthe back porch and stared out at the pool and the acres of land beyond, waiting for Bailey and Holt to get back. He’d received text updates from Holt since they got to the hospital, relaying what the doctor said. Thankfully, it sounded like the cut wasn’t too bad, but it did require a few stitches.
While he appreciated Holt letting him know, Rafe couldn’t help wondering what exactly he brought to the relationship. His efforts paled in comparison to Holt’s and Bailey’s. Holt seemed to have everything figured out, and he had no demons haunting him. And Bailey … well, she was Bailey. Her bright, sunny smile was all a man needed to know that his world had been turned upside down.
But what did Rafe bring? What did he have to offer?
