Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Mom sips her wine with bloodshot eyes, refilling it at least three times, her lashes wet from the stream of tears spilling down her face.
I tell her every last detail of that night, right up to the Hardin brothers cornering me on the way home, threatening my family and beating the shit out of me. I tell her how Riley all but saved me that night and how up until a week ago, I was unaware my father knew all about it.
Every now and then, she pipes up with a question which I answer quickly and factually before continuing with my story. Only those questions become more frequent when I tell her about my visit from Channing in the precinct cells.
“You think these papers came from him?” Mom demands.
I shake my head. “Dad and Channing are the only ones who know about this, and I doubt the Hardin brothers are stupid enough to keep this kind of evidence on hand,” I tell her. “Honestly, it could have come from either of them. Channing is determined to fuck with me because of Bri, and Dad … well, I wouldn’t put it past him to try and punish me after his little performance last week.”
“Bri?” she questions, her gaze snapping back to mine. “What does she have to do with this?”
I quickly explain everything Channing said to me about Bri, word for fucking word and by the time I’m done, Mom looks as though she could tear him limb from limb, but we’re not nearly done yet.
Getting back on track, I explain my reasons for why I haven’t told her, my true and very real fears about the retaliation from the Hardin brothers and for the first time all night, I see just a hint of understanding in her eyes. “I swear, Mom,” I tell her, letting her see just how broken up I am about everything that’s happened, letting her see how I shoulder the guilt despite having been a misguided child myself. “I'm doing everything in my power to make sure she's taken care of, even though I know it’ll never be enough. I paid for a proper burial from my trust for the little boy, and I’ve made sure his grave stays clean. I pay her rent, and make sure she has everything she needs, but I just—”
“That’s not nearly enough,” Mom tells me, her broken heart resting in pieces before me. “She lost everything that night, and you think you can make up for it by throwing a bit of money at the problem? That is such a childish view of the world. You’re a father now, Tanner. How would you feel if that had been Bri, and your child ran in to save her? Would you accept anything less than justice?”
I shake my head, knowing damn well she’s right.
“While I’m sure she is appreciative of the help you have given her, it is also an insult to rub your money in her face. Every time the cash shows up, I wonder what goes through her head? That some rich kid is paying for his guilt? Giving her hush money to keep quiet? None of that is ever going to erase the memories of that monster forcing himself inside her, and it sure as hell will never bring her son back to her.”
I hang my head, the weight of everything I’ve done paralyzing me.
“That woman needs justice, and you need to start making amends for what you’ve done,” Mom tells me. “I don’t know how, but I know that you’re better than this. You’re not that scared little boy anymore, Tanner, and I refuse to let you be anything like your father. You will acknowledge your mistakes and then you’ll learn from them. Is that clear? Even if it means putting yourself in a less than respectable position. Nothing is more important than giving that woman the closure and justice she deserves; no football career, no college, nothing. She is your first priority. Do you hear me, Tanner Morgan? Standing back and doing the bare minimum is unacceptable.”
I nod. “I hear you, Mom,” I tell her. “I want to do better, I just don’t know how. What am I supposed to do? How can I start to make this right without putting you, Addie, and Bri at risk?”
Mom shakes her head. “I’m sorry, love, but that’s not for me to decipher. I don’t know how to fix this, and I can’t give you the answers, but just know that I have faith in you to do the right thing.”
With that, Mom stands and glances down at the papers spread across the table. “Clean this up, please,” she says. “I don’t want Addison stumbling across these photographs. She adores you, and the last thing she needs is to learn her big brother had a hand in seeing an innocent woman being raped.”