Letting You Know (32 page)

“
We
do,” Deacon agreed, his fingers wrapping around my own at our
hips. It filled me with a rush of glee, yet guilt was soon to follow;
there was no mistaking the irritation on Dylan's face at our display.

I
can't tell... but is he actually angry at me over this decision?

Deacon
glanced at me, following my eyes to his father. “Do you have
something you want to say, Dad?”

“
No.”
It was a gruff word, final and firm. “You do what you want, you
always have. Tell everyone you're leaving, at least. You should know
enough to
try
and be considerate.” With that, the larger man turned, striding
away down the hall.

The
fists at his sides were plain to my eye, I'd learned to unconsciously
looked for such signs of anger. Peering sideways, up at the young man
beside me, I found a startling similarity in his body language.

Those
deft hands that made wonderful art, that touched me so sweetly, were
also shaped into hard fists.

He's
more like his father than he realizes.

Deacon
blinked, noticing me staring. That smile, those perfect teeth, set my
heart fluttering. “Well, I guess I should go give everyone the
news. Why don't you call your parents, tell them we're coming?”

My
delight shifted to jittery nerves. “Uh, yeah, good idea.”

He
turned towards Bethany, the blonde having stood by us quietly for
some time. “And seriously, thank you so much. I promise we'll
drive carefully.”

Digging
into her pocket, she offered the jingling keys. He took them with a
tight smile. “It's fine, I trust you.”

Deacon
paused, then wrapped her in one more quick hug. He was brimming with
energy, it followed him in his light steps as he headed off to find
the rest of his family.

Bethany
watched him go, her blue eyes flicking to me curiously. “You
really will be careful, right? After last night, I think the snow
might be ready to really start showing.”

“
I—yes,
don't worry about it.”

She
nodded, leaving us to stand there in uncomfortable silence. Fidgeting
with the hem of my sweater, I peeked back at her solemn face. “Thank
you. You didn't have to do this, but I'm really happy that you did.”

Shrugging,
she brushed her hair away from her throat. “I don't mind
helping. But I'll be truthful here, I did it for a reason.”

“
What
reason?” My tone was low, wary.

What
could she possibly...?

The
sapphire color of her dark-rimmed eyes was intense. It was difficult
to look away from the sincerity in there. “You need to promise
me something.”

It
was hard to nod, but I made my head bob slowly. Did I even have a
choice after what she'd offered me? “Tell me.”

We
couldn't have moved closer, I thought. In that hallway, Bethany
seemed mere inches from my face. Her voice was hard, unbending when
it came to my ears.

“
Deacon
has one major flaw. He loves stronger, more fiercely, than anyone
I've ever known. Whatever you do... don't break his heart.”

“
I...”
My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. “Why would I...”

“
Promise
me.”

How
can I promise that? Is it possible to mean such a thing at this point
in our relationship?

But
as I stood there, absorbing her words, taking them in and tasting
them fully... I realized that making such a promise didn't seem so
impossible.

It
didn't seem out of reach.

Tightening
my lips, I narrowed my eyes and gave a curt nod.

“
I
won't break his heart. I promise.”

Though
she smiled, like she was truly relieved, I wondered if Bethany
actually believed me.

****

The
phone was heavy in my hand.

I
can do this. I want to do this.

Knowing
the first basic step was to just... turn the phone
on
...
I held the POWER button, watching everything light up. The screen
blinked, the phone display chirping at me.

This
is a way better phone than my old one. I don't want to know how much
Deacon spent on this.

Shaking
finger tips moved over the buttons, inputting the phone number. I was
halfway through putting the familiar name into my phone, on my way to
sending a text to Vanessa, before I cursed.

Dammit!
Just call your parents already, stop stalling.

Gritting
my teeth, I erased the message in a hurry. Sitting alone in the
bedroom upstairs, my bags packed and on the blanket beside me, I
hunched in the darkness over the glowing device.

Do
it, just do it.

Tapping
in the phone number of my parents' cell phone, it occurred to me that
there was a chance they didn't even use that number anymore.

What
if they don't have that phone now? So much could have happened in the
last two months.

Wrinkling
my brow, I bent closer to the red cell.
No,
stop making excuses. Just do it!

My
thumb pounded down the CALL button.

Shivering
anxiously, I held the phone to my ear, listening to the ringing. Each
time it jingled, my chest stuttered, reminding me to breathe.

I
felt a mixture of sadness, tinged with relief, when the fifth ring
produced nothing.

Maybe
they did change their number—

The
phone clicked loudly, shocking me. “Hello?” That voice
was so familiar, the questioning hint of curiosity and doubt that
could only come from my mother.

“
Hi,
Mom.”

“
Leah?”
She gasped, giving a quick laugh. “Oh my gosh! We were so
worried about you! We hadn't heard anything from you in so long, your
father and I, we—we were starting to think—”

“
I'm
fine,” I said quickly, an excited, nervous edge rising. “I'm
really fine. I'm so sorry I haven't called... it's been a little
crazy for a while.”

Crazy,
and if I'm honest, I was just so scared to talk to you two again.

“
You
sound good,” I added, recognizing a clarity in her voice that I
hadn't heard in a long, long time.

Chuckling,
she sounded high-pitched from what felt like relief and disbelief all
at once. “Things have been a bit crazy for us, too. God, Leah,
I'm so happy you called. Do you want to talk to your father? Here,
here let me go get him!”

“
Wait,
no, Mom,” I blurted quickly. “Hold up, I'm calling
because I wanted to tell you—uh, well, I'm coming to visit.”

“
You're
what?” Again she laughed, so loudly I moved the phone. “That's
so great! You can see our new place and everything!”

I
had to mull that over, struggling to believe what I'd heard. “Your
new what?”

“
We
moved into a new apartment, you'll love it. Let me give you our
address, actually.” Quickly, she rambled it off, my brain
struggling to commit it to memory. “You can even stay with us,
when are you coming?”

They
moved? What... what's changed since I left? I didn't expect this at
all.
“Uh,”
I drawled the sound out. “I should be there tonight, late
tonight. I mean,
we
should be there tonight.”

“
Wait,
'we'?”

Here
it goes.

Swallowing,
I licked my lips. “Yeah. Mom, I sort of met someone.”

“
You
what? Leah, what about Owen? Are you... are you still in California,
then?”

“
It's
a seriously long story. I'm actually in Kentucky, uh, with my...
Deacon, his name is Deacon.” My cheeks felt hot, the rush of
trying to decide what to say, what to hide, making me nervous. “I'm
staying with his family right now.”

She
was quiet a moment, if I hadn't heard her breathing, I'd have thought
the line went dead. “Oh, oh. I see. Well, then I'm excited to
meet him! You can tell us everything when you get here. This is...
this is amazing, Leah. I'm so glad you're coming, it's a Christmas
miracle.”

“
Yeah,”
I replied softly, wondering if she wasn't far off. “It kind of
is.”

“
I'll
go let your father know, he's shoveling the snow in the driveway.”

“
Okay,
Mom.” My lips moved, hesitating a split second. “...I
love you, Mom.”

“
I
love you too. See you soon, honey.”

The
phone clicked, ending the most surreal conversation I thought I had
ever had.

****

I
found Deacon in the kitchen, his bags at his feet. He was talking to
Nicholas, his hands braced on the tabletop across from his brother.
Both of them looked up as I approached.

“
Are
you alright?” Deacon asked me, pushing off the hard surface to
reach for my forearms. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

In
a way, I feel like I have.
My
mouth made a smile, a weak shape that I knew didn't fool Deacon
completely. “I'm fine, yeah.”

Nicholas
arched an eyebrow, an expression that was reminiscent of how the man
I loved would show his doubt. However, when Nicholas did it, those
sharper features and hard eyes gave it a crueler edge. “Well,
that's a lie. Something clearly spooked you.”

Opening
my mouth, I felt like I had forgotten how to talk.

“
Tsk,
Nicholas,” Deacon scolded, his palms running down my arms to my
fingers.

“
Sorry,”
he said quickly, lifting his working arm in defeat. “I didn't
mean that to come out like that, Leah.”

Shaking
my head, I squeezed Deacon's hands briefly before stepping back. “No,
it's okay. You're not wrong, not really. I uh, talked to my mom just
now.”

My
boyfriend looked down at me, saying so much with just his sad eyes.
“And?”