Come Back To Me (29 page)

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I nod. ‘Yeah. What’s he doing here?’ I ask, jerking my

head in Todd’s direction.

‘Oh,’ she says. ‘His dad and my dad are friends.’

‘Looks like Todd and your dad are having a little

bromance.’ I can’t help the bitter tone in my voice and

Jessa hears it and gives me a curious look. I kick myself,

reminding myself that I’m here to support her, not to act

like a little kid. I’m about to apologize when there’s a

chink-chink sound and we all look up. Riley’s walked

into the centre of the lawn and is banging a knife against

the side of his glass. Jo trails after him, smiling self-

consciously. Shit.

‘Oh my God,’ Jessa whispers as Riley sets his glass

down on a nearby table. ‘Kit, he’s really going to do it.’

‘Everyone, can I have your attention?’ Riley asks.

The chatter dies down instantly, curiosity fully piqued.

Someone kills the music. I glance quickly at Jessa’s dad.

He’s frowning at the interruption. I can’t wait to see how

he reacts to the next bit of news. I’ve got a bad feeling

about this. I think about diverting Riley somehow, but

there’s no way of stopping him now. He’s smiling at Jo

and everyone’s waiting. The only thing I can do is stand

here and show my support.

Riley clears his throat and looks around at the expect-

ant crowd. ‘I . . . we . . . have some news to share,’ he

announces.

There’s a ripple of noise, a Mexican wave of chatter

that skips right over his dad who continues to glare at the

two of them.

‘Jo and I are getting married.’

There’s a moment’s pause. Everyone seems to be

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waiting on Jessa’s dad’s response before they react. Riley

ploughs on into the silence. ‘And we’re having a baby.’

The silence stretches a moment too long and so I let

out a whoop and start clapping loudly. Thankfully every-

one follows suit. The women rush forwards to surround

them, but I look over at Jessa’s dad, no longer the king

surrounded by sycophants but a lone statue standing on

the periphery. He’s staring at Riley with a look of total

disgust. I watch him set his glass down on a table and

march towards the house. Jessa, frozen at my side,

watches him too.

Well, at least he’s not causing a scene, I think to myself.

It could be worse. But then Riley looks up, scans the

crowd, and seeing his father walking away he strides

after him. Fuck. What is he doing?

‘You got nothing to say?’ Riley asks, grabbing his

father’s arm and stopping him mid-stride. ‘Nothing at

all? Like maybe “Congratulations, son, that’s wonderful

news”?’

I feel like walking over there and dragging Riley away.

It’s like watching a kid at a zoo poking a lion through the

bars, but for some reason I can’t move.

His father turns to him, the look of disappointment so

clear on his face that it makes me want to run in front of

him so I can shield Riley from it. ‘What is there to say?’ he

snaps. ‘You seem determined to screw up your life at

every opportunity.’

The crowd has fallen silent. This is what they want:

drama. The beady-eyed wives turn to watch, biting their

lips with glee. This is going to give them weeks of gossip

fodder. Riley stands face to face with his father, his jaw

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pulsing, his nostrils flaring. He looks ready to throw a

punch, and I finally take a step towards him to pull him

back, but Jo’s already there. She walks up to him and

slips her hand into his, drawing him away with more dig-

nity than I know I could muster in the same situation.

Riley gives his father one last look so filled with hatred

that I flinch and take a step backwards, and then he turns

around and starts following Jo.

‘Come on,’ I whisper to Jessa, jerking my head towards

them. I want them to know that we’re on their side. I

want to shield them from all the stares and gossip, and I

know Riley’s going to need someone to rant at. But Jessa

stalks right past me in the opposite direction. I turn and

see her stopping right in front of her father.

‘Why are you such an asshole?’ she asks him in a voice

that cuts through the crowd. Everyone turns around,

anxious for round two.

Oh shit, I groan inwardly. Jessa, what are you doing?

‘What did you just say?’ her father asks in a voice that

rumbles like thunder.

‘I asked why you have to be such an asshole,’ Jessa

repeats.

There’s a communal inhalation of air. I’m stunned into

silence along with everyone else.

‘Get inside,’ her father spits, his face turning red.

Jessa shakes her head at him, her own eyes flashing

dangerously.

‘Get inside NOW!’ her father roars.

Someone gasps. Someone else drops a glass. The

waiters are standing frozen, trays hovering in mid-air.

Jessa’s mom makes a sound that’s something between a

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whimper and a sob. Shit. I need to do something. I step

forwards and put my hand on the small of Jessa’s back.

‘Let’s go,’ I whisper under my breath, trying to steer

her away. But Jessa’s body goes rigid at my touch. She’s

breathing fast, fury setting her mouth into a line.

‘Get your hands off her,’ her dad hisses at me under his

breath. There are two bright spots of fire on his cheeks.

He’s struggling to keep his temper. I know that if there

weren’t three dozen witnesses right now he’d probably

go for my throat.

‘Get inside,’ he orders Jessa again. ‘Go to your room.’

Jessa just glares at him, her body vibrating like a tuning

fork. She seems stuck. She can’t speak but can’t move

either. Her dad lifts his head, sees everyone staring at him

and takes hold of Jessa by the arm. She lets out a muted

cry. Straightaway I’m between them. Without even think-

ing I pull his arm off her and step in front of Jessa, my

blood pounding like a drum in my ears.

‘Calm down,’ I hiss at him.

‘Get your hands off me,’ he spits back, the colour rising

in his cheeks.

I look down and realize my hand is locked around his

arm.

‘Not until you calm down,’ I answer.

He throws off my grip with a violent shrug of his

shoulder. ‘Get out of my house,’ he says. ‘Who even

invited you?’

I stand there, my feet glued to the ground. My anger’s

a living thing, coursing through me like electricity.

Suddenly it’s just me and Kingsley facing off against each

other, and everyone else fades into the background. It’s

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the zone I drop into when I’m on sniper duty. I feel eerily

calm.

‘Kit.’

It takes me several seconds to realize Jessa is calling my

name. She’s behind me, her hands on my arms, pulling

me backwards. ‘Kit,’ she says again in a low, urgent voice.

‘I think you’d better leave.’

Her words sting me, shaking me out of my calm. She’s

ordering me to go? While I’m doing my damnedest to

protect her? I turn, confused, to face her and am struck by

how terrified she looks. Over her shoulder I catch sight of

her mom, a handkerchief pressed to her mouth, her eyes

watery and vacant, staring around like a lost kid at a

carnival, while a ring of other faces stares at me in utter

shock. Shit. Jessa’s right. I need to go.

‘Sure,’ I say, my voice catching in my throat. ‘Wouldn’t

want to cause a scene.’

I shrug off Jessa’s hands. I’m angry. Not just at her

father, but also at her, for treating me like I’m the one

who’s in the wrong here. Holding my head up I make for

the door.

‘And don’t ever step foot in this house again or let me

see you talking to my daughter,’ her father mutters to me

as I pass. ‘You’re no good, just like your father.’

He could have said anything about me and I could

have taken it on the chin, but insulting my father pushes

me over the edge. I spin around: ‘My father’s worth a

hundred of you,’ I growl.

With relish I see the look of surprise that splashes over

Kingsley’s face. I step right in front of him, realizing that

I’m the same height as him and that even if he has ten

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ranks on me I no longer care. ‘At least my father owned

his demons. At least he fought them. At least he doesn’t

claim to be a better man than anyone else when clearly

he’s not.’

Kingsley’s face turns from red to white as the blood

sluices from it. I know I’m acting recklessly, I know I’ve

stepped into the danger zone, but I don’t stop, can’t stop.

I’m on a roll, and seven years of taking his shit and

watching him terrorize his children while I stand by in

silence has finally taken its toll.

‘He doesn’t make his wife and daughter terrified to be

around him,’ I shout. ‘He doesn’t look down on his son

and make him feel like he’s never good enough. He

doesn’t control his daughter and make her feel like she

has to walk on eggshells around him. He lives his life

trying to make amends for all the wrongs he committed,

trying to honour the memory of my mother, trying to be

the best parent and grandfather and man he can.’

I take a breath. Faces – aghast, open-mouthed – blur at

the edges of my vision, but I blink them away. Kingsley’s

my only focus.

‘And here you are,’ I say, gesturing at him. ‘You have

this amazing, perfect family. You have a son you should

be fucking proud of because he’s the best man and the

best soldier I’ve ever had the honour to know, and a

daughter who’s so beautiful and so incredible she takes

my breath away every time I look at her and who I’d

walk over hot coals to see smile. And you don’t even

notice her. You don’t do anything to make her smile. You

don’t even know
what
makes her smile.’

With satisfaction I see Kingsley’s mouth dropping open

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and then closing as each of my words slams into him with

the force of a bullet.

‘Do you see how scared they are of you?’ I say. I shake

my head, disgust edging out my anger. ‘You don’t

deserve them.’

Finally Kingsley gathers himself. ‘Get out!’ he roars.

‘Kit, just leave. Please.’

I glance around. Jessa is standing there, eyes downcast,

tears rolling down her cheeks. She can’t look at me and

it’s only then I realize that instead of being her champion,

her knight to the rescue, I’ve just done the worst thing

possible. I’ve humiliated her in front of an audience.

Shit. Shit. Shit. I scan the faces surrounding me – see the

delight, the wonder, the shock, the utter train wreck I’ve

made of the party. And there – there’s Jessa’s mom, a

quivering mess in the middle of it all.

I open my mouth to say something to Jessa – to apolo-

gize, to beg her forgiveness – but my brain blanks. What

the hell have I just done? I thought I was making things

better and I’ve made them a thousand times worse.

‘Just go.’

It’s Riley this time. He’s glaring at me, though under

the glare I sense both an apology and a warning. ‘I got

it, Kit,’ he says tersely. ‘You can leave.’ He nods towards

the door and then lowers his voice to me. ‘You’re only

making it worse.’

I look back at Jessa, my heart tumbling to a stand-

still, aware the whole time of Kingsley breathing heavily

right in front of me, the anger beating off him in waves.

But there’s Jessa, still staring at her feet, her shoulders

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shaking. I can’t just leave her like this. ‘Come with me,’ I

say, the words spilling over my lips before I can stop

them.

She shakes her head at me. ‘I can’t,’ she says. Her eyes

are red-rimmed, almost glassy with confusion, as though

she can’t believe I would ask that of her.

I stare at her, willing her to understand I was only

trying to help, that I love her, but she drops her gaze and

it feels like a judge’s gavel slamming against a block.

With my heart dive-bombing in my chest, I swivel on my

heel and march towards the door.

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There’s a silence as thick as snowfall, obliterating every-

thing. My ears sing with static until a waiter rests his tray

down and the glasses clink, and as though it’s the signal

everyone’s been waiting for the whispers start back up. I