Then he looks up and says, “I think it’s safe to say I didn’t see this coming.” He gives my dog tags back. “My grandfather had dog tags just like those. I used to look at them while he told his old war stories.” Dad pauses. “I’m sorry you’ve been having to go through this alone, but you’re not alone anymore. Okay? You can talk to me whenever you need to.”
I’ve been waiting to hear those words for years, and I lean in to hug him in response, my throat choked up too much to talk. Another thing I’ve been waiting to do for a long time.
“Thanks, Dad.”
He nods. “As you can imagine, I have more questions for you. But they can wait for later.”
He helps me to my feet and we climb into his truck. I’ve never felt so tired in my life. Not just from the beating I took, but for the relief I have now that he knows. I might even be able to sleep tonight.
Dad puts the keys in the ignition but doesn’t start the engine right away. He’s looking at the empty parking space where my car no longer is. “I’ve really made a mess of things, haven’t I? You could’ve been killed tonight. It’s not something you ever have to forgive me for.”
“I could say the same thing.” I give him a small, encouraging smile even though losing my car has a bigger impact than he knows. I’m just not ready to think about it yet. I dug a hole and buried it the moment it happened.
30.
Harper
Breakfast the next morning is a quiet one. We speak a little about Kale talking with his Dad last night and wondered how it went. Uncle Jasper has to be somewhere in ten minutes and I have plans—well, to play video games with my BBFF (Battlefield Best Friend Forever), but neither of us has moved.
We both sit up when Kale slips through the door. My heart stumbles. The door closes and he stands there, trying to put on his best smile despite his bruises and cuts on his face.
“What the hell, Kale?” Uncle Jasper stands from the table, an expression on his face I’ve never seen until now. He’s angry. Uncle Jasper says, his voice low and serious, “This has gone too far.”
“It wasn’t him.”
Uncle Jasper stops but is on the cusp of walking out the door. “You better tell me who did it then.”
Uncle Jasper doesn’t take his eyes off Kale, waiting. Kale shoots me a quick glance and then sits down, having trouble looking at Uncle Jasper. I would, too, if the situation were reversed. Uncle Jasper is usually so relaxed and carefree; I’ve never seen him so determined before.
“You better start talking,” he says, slowly lowering himself into his chair.
Kale takes a deep breath and tells his side of what happened last night. About how he came home and his dad wasn’t there, and how he found him at the bar. Uncle Jasper’s jaw tightens even more when he hears about Kale’s dad betting on the basketball game. He must know he used to have problems with that before, even though I had no clue.
Kale stares at the table and tells us what happened in the parking lot. Before and after how his face got to be the way it is. When he opens his mouth to tell us what happened after that, he hesitates, and then closes it.
He lifts his steady gaze from the table and says, “Bryce told Dad before he left, so I didn’t have to tell him much. The bottom line is, he believes me.” He shrugs it off like it’s not a big deal even though I know it is. He’s been waiting for his dad to believe him his whole life.
Kale looks between us, waiting for some sort of reaction.
Uncle Jasper finally speaks up. “Why did they leave?”
“Who leave?”
“The guys your dad owed money to. You just said ‘after they left.’ How did he get them to leave?”
Kale struggles to answer this one, swallowing hard and looking away. “I gave them my car as payment.”
“Your—” Uncle Jasper has trouble ending the sentence. He clears his throat and attempts to act calm. “They took your car?”
He nods and Uncle Jasper abruptly stands. “Where are you going?”
“I have some business to conduct.” Then he says to me, “I’ll be back later.”
Uncle Jasper leaves and the house is quiet save the clock ticking above the sink.
“You haven’t said a word since I got here,” Kale says. I look up to see him already staring at me from across the table.
“That’s because I don’t know what to say…. How does it feel having your dad know?”
Kale smiles—dimple showing—and leans back in his chair. “Better than I ever thought it would be. It’s like this weight has lifted and I can breathe again.” His gaze focuses on something between us, something I can’t see. “I really feel like it’s going to be okay between us. For a while, I didn’t think it would ever be possible.”
“But now it is,” I say.
“Yeah, now it is.” Another smile shows.
For weeks after seeing Kale unhappy and so unlike himself, he’s finally becoming more and more of the boy who I remember. Not the same, because after the things he’s been through, there’s no way he could be, but he’s becoming something even more than that. He’s becoming the person he was meant to be. “Do you think this will change things? With your time-traveling, I mean.”
“I don’t know, but I hope so. I guess we’ll find out. It would be nice to spend more than four days here at a time.” He leans forward, putting his elbows on the table. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to know the girl next door a little better. I heard she’s a lot different than she used to be.”
“Does this mean you’ll be able to take me on a date now?” I try not to show how hard my heart pounds when I smile back.
“Is that a yes?”
Kale and I haven’t said a word about whatever it is that’s going on between us.
And I have no idea what to do. The closest thing I’ve had to a boyfriend was in fifth grade when a kid named Jeremy pulled on my ponytail under the yellow slide. I’m crossing into unknown territory with a reckless heart, ready to take a step toward something new.
“Yes,” I start, wincing a little, “but I don’t know how good I’ll be at this.”
“Like I’ll be any better? The girls at my school wouldn’t even look at me.”
“I don’t know, you seemed like you knew what you were doing last week.” I bite the inside of my lip to keep myself from smiling any wider. I have to force myself from looking down at his lips—even when there’s a cut running across the bottom one, I still want to kiss them.
Something flickers across Kale’s face, too fast for me catch. “Are you sure this is okay? Me and you?”
Every second of silence that passes between us feels like forever, and the table separating us is a mile too wide. I can’t bear it anymore. My feet touch the tiled floor and I walk around to the other side of the table. I bend down, softly touching the side of his face, and kiss him. His jaw moves under my fingers and he leans into me, his lips matching with mine. I slowly pull away, going against every fiber within me.
Kale looks up with eyes I know too well, his lips still wet from mine.
“Is that enough of an answer for you?” I ask.