Fix me

Chapter 28

Song on the side........................................................................................................................................

Chapter 28

I knocked on Hunter’s door this time rather than the window.

After talking to Tyler, I knew I had to work things out with Hunter. I knew he deserved to know that it was Jeremy, but my fears still got in the way. I decided I would tell him one day. Just not today. For his safety and for his own.

I knew what my cousin was capable of and I didn’t know what he would do to Hunter if he found out that I had told him. And he would find out.

It was inevitable.

I waited nearly a minute before the door opened and Amy appeared, holding Evan.

“Violet,” She sounded surprised as she hoisted her baby higher on her hip. Evan’s eyes were closed and his head was resting on his mother’s shoulder. Nothing could touch. No monsters could grab him. “How are you dear? Come inside. It’s getting so cold lately. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat or drink?”

I shook my head as she ushered me into the house. “I’m fine, thank you.” I smiled a bit, reminded of my Uncle Eric. “Is Hunter here?” I asked as we moved deeper inside the house.

Amy bit her lip and looked away and my stomach twisted and dropped. Had something happened?

“He’s with Lucas. They went to go meet his father.”

I stopped walking and looked at her, shocked by her words. His father? The man that had hurt him and blamed him and kicked his out? The man who I had grown to hate without knowing? Why? How long had he been keeping this from me?

“His  . . . why?” I asked, thoughts of Jeremy and Tyler and secrets forgotten.

She soothed Evan’s hair and bounced him a little, delaying. My foot began to shake impatiently. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “He had this crazy idea in his head about a week ago that he needed to talk to his dad, to work things out, he said. He looked up his number, called him, and set up a date to meet. I was surprised Mike even agreed. I tried to talk Hunter out of it, but he was adamant on seeing him.”

She sighed, meeting my eyes. “I just wish he knows what he’s doing. No matter what his father says, he can’t make up for what he did to his own son. I don’t care if he’s my brother-in-law, I will never forgive him for what he did to Hunter.”

Her voice was firm, strong, like a mother’s. Hunter was more to her than her nephew. He was her son as much as Evan was and she was not going to let him get hurt again, not by the man who already managed to. In that moment, I was so glad that he had Amy. I was so happy that he had someone that cared so much for him. I wondered if he knew just how lucky he was.

“How long has he been gone?” I asked. What my mind was really screaming was, how long was he planning on keeping this from me?

Amy motioned for me to take a seat on the living room couch next to the fish tank. I obliged, needing something to steady myself. “It’s been a little over an hour now; he should be home any minute.”

She didn’t say it, but the words, I hope, hung limply in the air just past her lips. Words too big to be spoken.

“Maybe I should just go,” I said, standing and beginning to apologize for imposing when she stopped me.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” She interrupted me, looking up with hopeful eyes. “They should be home in a bit. It’s really not that much of an imposition.”