“No,” she says firmly. “It’s like when he found me in my crisis. I didn’t know that I needed anybody, but I did. He needs us to get him through this. Just to know we are here.”
Matteo flies down the road, but when we get to Danny’s house, all the windows are dark.
“I have a key,” I tell them. “It’s worth a try.” My quick walk-through shows me that it’s empty, except for Shallots. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s go find your dad.”
After I load the dog into Matteo’s truck, I know where to go.
“Matteo, back up,” I say urgently.
“Why?” But he does as I asked.
I hang my head out the window and look around. “Turn in here.”
“To the greenhouse?” Slowski asks. “Why?”
“Just turn,” I plead. “Just drive over the grass.”
“She’s right,” Mary Ann says sharply. “Take the turn. Here! Callie, go!”
Even before we slam to a stop and upload dirt, I have the door open. My legs tremble as I rush to the greenhouse.
I’m only minutes too late.
Shards of color rain down as Danny takes a baseball bat and smashes his mother’s ornaments over and over again. I try to rush in, but glass fragments are flying about too much. Tears fall as I call his name and beg him to stop, but in the end, all I can do is bear witness. He keeps his head low to shield his face, but he doesn’t stop until his bat finds nothing else to break. Finally, he throws the bat to the side, having destroyed everything he can.
“I’m here, Danny.” My voice breaks, but I at least mange to get out the words.
He’s breathing hard when he finally turns and looks me in the eye, and my heart shatters because only hours ago, he felt whole, happy, and full of life—loved enough to pretend that he also didn’t feel as abandoned and rejected as he knew he was.
It only took a short time with Andie to make pretending impossible.
“You might as well leave me, too, because you’ll realize how unworthy I am. How I’m the actualnobodythat you thought you were.”
“Never,” I state unequivocally.
We both walk forward, and when we reach each other, he simply drops to his knees as his arms encircle my waist, and he lets himself cry for what I suspect is the first time. The sound of his agony is not something that I’d wish on anyone, and hearing it from him is excruciating.
When I lower myself to the grass, my arms go around his neck, and he falls against me. Within minutes, truck doors slam, and our friends move in. The three kneel next to us, and we all grab on to each other, surrounding Danny with love. We hold on and let him sob in the safety of our physical and emotional shield.
