Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail

"What about all those things about Mom? If she only slept with him, why does everyone say she's a whore?"

"He wanted to hurt us…me really. He knew how your momma really was, so he said the opposite. He knew it'd hurt us if people thought Leann was a loose woman. It did at first, but then I got mad. I got all my friends to freeze Frank Stephens out of anything and everything. Those women knew your mother. She'd gone to church with them. She'd baked beside them. They knew what really happened and I'll tell you that damage can be planned at a monthly Ladies Aid meeting."

She laughed to herself. "We knew what to do. Each of them went to their husbands and Frank Stephens was frozen out of every business venture he hoped to have. Any banking loans he wanted were canceled. He was denied membership at the two country clubs he wanted into. Pretty soon he stopped saying those things about your momma, but it didn't matter. People talked. They gossip, they'll always gossip. But Frank Stephens was put in his place."

There was so much history in that room. It swirled around me and it hurt. It hurt Brady. It hurt my grandmother. For the first time, I wondered how it hurt my mother.

"I threatened Frank that I'd go to the police if he ever tried anything with Brady. I knew if he was willing to give the child away, he couldn't be trusted to raise him. I ended up going to the station anyway. Deputy Doug was working as the dispatcher that night. I told him what had happened. I had Brady with me and the two of us figured to keep it quiet. He had proof to bring against Frank if he ever did anything, but that's when Brady went into foster care. He stayed with us for a little while until Doug found a family to place him with. I'm afraid to say that Brady bounced around to a few homes, but Doug worked closely with the social worker. They finally found the Forresters right by us. I wanted him close. I wasn't stupid. By that time, I knew about you and I knew that Frank had been going down to Florida. I never asked, but I always wondered if you and Brady were siblings. I wanted the two of you to grow up together. I thought he could be the big brother to look out for his little sister. I just never…"

I whispered, "I love him."

She looked at me and nodded. "I know."

"I wouldn't have…"

"I know, Rayray. It's why you did what you did. I know."

I glanced at my hands and saw they were white. They were trembling. It was like no blood flowed through me. For a moment, I wondered if I should be concerned and then I looked at Viola and saw the same paleness in her.

When a door shut downstairs, Viola sighed, exhausted. "I should make some supper. I think your granddad must be getting hungry. I'm sorry about you and Brady. I'm sorry that I can't give you the answers you need. Your momma might've been the Godly woman, but I'm a believer too. Things always seem to work out."

When she stood, I felt my grandmother touch my shoulder. She pulled me close for a hug and whispered into my neck, "Things always seem to work out. Good comes out. It always does. It always wins."

I was numb in my grandmother's arms. I didn't know if good would win this time. I didn't feel it.

CHAPTER TWENTY

When I woke up the next morning, I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the wall. My world had been turned upside and given another shake to make sure nothing was hidden away. I was a waste of space.

Brady might've been my brother. I had sex with him twice. I might even have sex with him again. When I acknowledged that shameful secret, I closed my eyes tightly and felt the sobs store up inside. It was worse than a forbidden love. Those people were kept away by feuding families, maybe even physical space. Their barriers could be torn down. But this…sharing blood…nothing could tear that down. It was the surest way to drive my best friend away from me.

But I drew in a shuddering breath and opened my eyes. I needed to focus so I took inventory from the mirror. My eyes were swollen from tears. My cheeks were splotchy. My hair was a mess, half of it held up in a ponytail. My skin was pale, the same shade of my shirt I'd thrown on the night before.

I hadn't cared about sleeping. I hadn't really slept. I knew I wasn't alone. Viola paced the floorboards. I hadn't heard any snoring so I figured my grandpa had been awake too. I wondered if he'd just watched Viola throughout the night.

There was a soft knock on my door and Neil spoke through it, "If you're ready, I can give you a ride to school."

It was my last day. I croaked back, "Okay. Be down in a few."

When he walked away, I closed my eyes and bent forward. My forehead rested on my knees and I needed one more of those deep breaths. How was I going to get through the day? How was I going to get through anything anymore?

"Rayna." Viola knocked next. When I didn't respond, she poked her head in and sighed. "I have breakfast ready…"

"Not hungry."

"Coffee?"

"Sure."