20 Questions

Chapter 104

When I open my eyes, Helen and Patrick are gone, my dad is sitting at the end of the couch with my feet propped on his legs, and my head is on my mom's lap, her delicate fingers smoothing my hair. The clock reads 12:38 p.m. and the sun dances through the curtain-clad windows.

"When did you guys get here?" I ask my parents, sitting up to face them on the couch. I look around the room, but Hunter is nowhere in sight.

"We've been here a couple hours," my mom says. "We didn't want to wake you so we've just been sitting here watching TV."

I glance at the TV to see one of those cake-making competition shows and laugh to myself. "Did Dad pick the station again?"

"Yeah, I just love watching a bunch of Pinterest rejects craft butterflies out of stale pudding. I wanted to watch Sportscenter, but your mom grabbed the remote and derived all sorts of sick pleasure from torturing me. This is actually better than the stupid show we watched before this."

"What was it?" I dare to ask.

"Some show where they search for the perfect house," he rolls his eyes and throws his hands up, dramatically making air quotes. "They have a one point five-million-dollar house budget because he's a part-time blowup doll maker and his wife pulls lint out of woman's vaginas for a living."

"Babies, not lint. She's an OB-GYN, you moron," my mom counters while I laugh hysterically at my dad. "The part-time blowup doll maker may be accurate though."

"Whatever, you make terrible TV choices. My IQ dropped ten points watching these shows."

"It was never that high, dear," my mom tells him. "Dropping ten points would put you in the negative."

"You're salty today," he scoffs.

"And you're simple-minded. Why don't you go make yourself useful and get Jenna something to drink? You're getting on my nerves."

Reality show.

I turn around again and scan the rooms for Hunter, but it's no use.

"He's not here, sweetheart," my mom says, answering the question I hadn't asked yet. "He went out for a little while to run some errands."

"Oh, ok."

"Don't worry, baby girl. If I know Hunter, he will back any second. He can't stand to be away from you. We had to practically kick him out of his own house so he could get his stuff done. He didn't want to leave you."

Her words make my heart smile. I really do love that man and I miss him terribly. This morning was rough and last night was just a total nightmare. The only consolation I have is knowing Tyler is sitting in a jail cell somewhere, hiding his perfectly manicured hands so he doesn't end up as Tiny's prison girlfriend.

Serves him right.

"I hope so. I miss him like crazy."

"I know you do, baby girl. You all have an incredibly special relationship. It reminds me of mine and your dad's. Well, when he's not being a first-class idiot."

"I heard that!" my dad yells from the kitchen.

"I don't care!" she singsongs back, never missing a beat. "Anyway, he said he needed to pick up his tux and get a few things for the honeymoon. I still can't believe you all aren't postponing everything."

"Absolutely not. I refuse to delay my happily ever after because of...well, you know."

My mom frowns and my cheeks flush with embarrassment. She runs her hand over my hair once more and looks at me with sad eyes. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for my parents, knowing somebody violated their child. My mom is spreading on the maternal comfort thick and my dad is masking his anger with sarcasm and humor. There is a big fat elephant in the room, but I'm not ready to discuss every detail of what happened yet. The wounds are too fresh and I'm still so fragile that I'm afraid I may shatter. They heard the majority of the details when I gave my statement to the police and the hospital anyway. More than anything, I just want Hunter to come home.