Loving a Man Who Forgot Me Novel Chapter 74
One asshole drinks too much and gets behind the wheel of a car, and then a mother and her baby are dead.
Just. Like. That. “Did you hear anything about the driver?” I asked.
Jesse just shook his head and thumbed out a text on his phone.
“Are you talking to your parents?” “No. Your sister. She’s losing it. Can’t get on a flight out of London for a few more hours.”
I blew out a breath through my nose. “She shouldn’t be alone.”
“No, she shouldn’t. I told her to get drunk on the flight and pass out.”
As much as that was terrible advice, it was probably the only way Addie would get through it, so I kept my mouth shut instead of chewing him out.
He usually knew what to do to handle Addie, maybe better than anyone.
Sometimes I thought he knew her better than even I did, or if not knew her better, at least understood her better. “She wanted to stay. Wanted to skip it. Maybe I shouldn’t have talked her into going,” I said.
“You couldn’t have known something like this would happen.” “He’s right,” Nash said from his cramped position in the back, squeezing my shoulder. “Addie will be fine. She’ll make it home.”
The rest of the drive passed too slowly, despite my heavy foot on the gas.
The closer we got to Boston, the quieter the car drew, to the point that the silence was almost oppressive.
I had to turn on the radio to break it up.
I had a feeling they, like me, were trying to figure out how we were going to get through the next few hours and days.
I had no idea how I was supposed to comfort anyone, when I was such a wreck myself, but I guess there was some solace in knowing we were all feeling the same things.
By the time we made it to my parents’, there was a full house, and yet it’d never been so quiet as it was when we walked inside.
It wasn’t right. Bruce and Wayne didn’t even greet me excitedly like they normally did. It was like they could sense something was wrong as well.
When we gathered, it was for birthdays and holidays, anniversaries, graduations, whatever. It wasn’t supposed to be for this.
Everyone sat around the living room and dining room, but it didn’t look like anyone knew what to do.
What conversation was going on, paused when we stepped into the room.
My mom, red-eyed and blotchy-faced, rushed over and attacked me with a hug. I squeezed her tight and told myself I wasn’t going to cry. If I cried, she’d lose it, and it looked like she’d cried enough.
“Has there been any more news?” I asked when she finally peeled herself off of me. She sniffed, and said, “Ace and Sadie should be landing soon. As far as I know, Jaime is with Molly’s family. He doesn’t want a bunch of phone calls right now.”
I figured as much. I wouldn’t want to have to listen to sympathies or answer questions if I were in his shoes. Abbi sat on the far side of the room next to Aubrey. Both of their eyes were red and glossy. Most of the eyes in the room were.
At seeing her brothers, Aubrey got up and walked over. Nash and Jesse both pulled her into a hard embrace and then the three of them joined their parents in the dining room. I crossed the room to Aubrey’s vacated seat and slowly lowered myself beside Abbi.
Neither of us said anything, but as soon as I sat, she leaned into my side, resting her head against my shoulder, and I tucked one arm around her. I kissed the top of her head and told her, “It’s going to be okay.” “It’s just so awful,” she whimpered.
“I know. And it’s always going to be awful, but this family takes care of each other. We’ll get through it.” “How will Jaime though? Molly and Amelia were his whole world.” Her question hung in the air, and honestly, I had no idea how he was going to survive this, but I knew he would.
“He’ll do it for them,” I said after a minute. She nodded and sat up straighter. “I’m sorry for snotting all over you. I just sorta needed a hug from you.” A soft smile tugged at the edges of my mouth. “You know you don’t have to apologize for that.”
“I know.” She gave me the tiniest smile back. Quiet settled between us, but it wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable. The opposite really. After a few minutes of it, I asked. “Is your brother coming home?”
She shook her head. “He’s going to wait until we hear about the funeral and meet us in Oregon. He’s got classes and his internship. He can only get so much time away.”
I nodded. I was proud of Colton. He was a good kid, although not so much a kid anymore. He’d be a full-fledged doctor before long, like his dad and his grandfather. Being smart and helping people, or animals, was in their genes.
“I wish he was here right now,” she said softly. “I just have the urge to hug everyone I love and never let go.” I looked at her hand between us and took it in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. She didn’t try to pry it loose and I didn’t let go.
We just sat there, our hands entwined on my thigh, and let the minutes tick by. Aunt Sadie called after a while and talked to my mom. I think everyone else in the room was waiting with bated breath to hear whatever news there was.
There wasn’t much. They made it to Newport. They were with Jaime and Molly’s family. Nobody was doing okay, and she’d call back in the morning once they’d made the arrangements. With that pitiful bit of news, a heaviness settled over the room again, like a morose blanket.
Decisions to order food for everyone were made. Abbi and I continued to sit in our spots and watch the moms try to make themselves useful, brewing tea and coffee, getting and refilling drinks, offering comfort when they could, and fighting against their own grief.
Abbi’s phone rang from the end table beside the sofa, startling her.
Her hand was still in mine, but upon grabbing her phone with her free hand, and glancing at the screen, she eyed our entwined fingers and pried hers loose. “I—uh, I need to take this. It’s Jason . . . I’m sure he’s worried. I didn’t have time to talk to him before I left school.”