Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
"You're right," he finally says, his voice rough with emotion. "I don't want to be like him. I don't want to be the guy who hurts people just because I'm hurting." He exhales into the phone. "I'll talk to the cops, tell them what I did."
Tears spring to my eyes, and I blink them back, so proud of this kid I've only just met. "You're doing the right thing. Remember, just keep your hands visible, follow their instructions, and everything will be okay. You're going to get through this."
"Thank you, Molly," he says fervently. "For talking to me, not judging me. For understanding."
"I'm glad I could help." I dab at my eyes. "Go ahead and walk toward the door, honey. I'm going to let them know that you're coming out, okay? You can sit the phone down right inside the door before you open it so I'm with you all the way until you have to step outside."
"Okay. Thank you."
This time when I key up, I don't mute the phone. I let him hear so he knows what's happening on this end. "Dispatch to Unit 100. Daryl is going to step out. He'll sit the phone down inside the door and step onto the porch with his hands raised. He wants to talk to you."
"10-4, dispatch. Send him on out. We're ready to talk."
"Did you hear that, Daryl?"
"I h-heard him," he says. "I'm almost to the door."
"Do you have anything in your pockets or on you that they need to worry about, Daryl?"
"No, nothing," he promises.
"Good. That's good. Go ahead and set the phone down when you get to the door, okay? Don't forget to keep your hands where they can see them. I'll keep listening in."
"Okay." He exhales. "I'm setting it down now. Thank you." He pauses. "And Molly?"
"Yeah, honey?"
"I'm sorry if I scared you this morning."
I pause, caught off guard. "How did you—?"
"I saw your stuff in your house. Sorry for everything I broke. I'll replace it," he promises.
"It's okay, honey."
For the first time all day…it actually feels okay.
Easton doesn't say a word when he steps into dispatch two hours later. He simply stands at the door, looking at me.
"Hey," I whisper, fidgeting under the weight of his gaze. "How is he?"
As soon as he hears my voice, he breaks, storming across the room toward me. In two steps, I'm in his arms, and he's kissing me like he's never going to come up for air.
I don't say a single word of complaint. I kiss him back the same way. For a few minutes there, I was worried I might not ever get to kiss him again. Had Daryl been anyone else, it could have ended that way. But he's just a scared kid, angry at the world because his dad is an asshole who doesn't deserve him.
"He's going to be fine," he says against my lips. "Dillon is going to talk to the prosecutor, see what he can do for him. With any luck, he'll be doing a whole lot of community service and probation until he gets everything paid back, but he's going to try to keep him out of jail."
"Thank God," I whisper, exhaling a relieved breath. "He's just a scared, broken kid. He needs help, not jail."
"I love you," Easton growls against my lips, startling me.
I pull back, staring at him in shock. "W-what?"
"I said I love you," he says, his fiery gray eyes locked on my face. "I don't care if you're ready to say it back. Don't care if it takes you a lifetime to say it back, I love you."
"Easton," I whisper.
"That boy idolizes you right now," he says, cupping my cheek. "You know what kind of special person it takes to do what you did tonight? What kind of person it takes to forgive and help instead of demanding justice?"
"I was just doing my job."
"No, baby. You weren't. Helping get him out of that house safely was your job. But he broke into your house, scared you, ruined your shit, and you still met him on his level and gave him a reason to believe in himself. You gave him hope." His lips meet mine again, his kiss sweet and worshipful. "You're a special kind of perfect, Molly Tessler."
"No, I'm not," I whisper, staring up at him. "Easton, I…" I take a breath. "When I was talking to him tonight, I realized that I've been doing the same thing. I've been shutting you down and shutting you out because I've been scared and hurting. What my dad did messed me up in ways I'm only just beginning to understand. But you don't deserve to carry his guilt. You don't deserve to be collateral damage because I haven't ever let myself see past it."
My dad was an asshole. He didn't deserve me or my mom. But Easton isn't my dad. He's deserved me since the very beginning. He's done nothing but deserve me and fight for me. So I can either keep hanging on to the past, letting it eat at me…or I can let it go and move on. I'm ready to move on. With Easton.