“Yes, sir.”
“Your mother wouldn’t like it if she heard you using language like that.”
“That was a direct quote,” he said.
I couldn’t fault him for that. “Fair enough,” I said.
We got through his morning routine without any hiccups. He liked my truck a lot. I told him I’d teach him to drive it if he wanted. He liked that idea a lot. When we got to his school he was a little hesitant to get out.
“What is it, buddy?”
“Thanks for the ride,” he said.
“Anytime.”
“You’re a good guy, Jackson,” he said.
I was stunned. I’d never have imagined that a kid saying something that simple could have hit me with such an emotional impact. I almost felt like I’d cry.
I had a son.
Thanks to Faith, I had a son.
Chapter 46
Faith
BY THE TIME I GOT to the police station, I was worried sick about Lacey. She was sitting on a bench, waiting to be discharged, and she looked completely dejected.
“What the hell, Lacey,” I said when I saw her.
She was looking at the ground and when she looked up at me, I saw she was crying. My heart filled with sympathy and I softened my tone.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
I put my arms around her and held her. She’d always been there for me. Now it was my turn to be there for her. She nestled her face into my neck and sobbed. I almost burst into tears myself.
“It’s all right, Lacey. Everything’s going to be all right.”
“I don’t know,” she said, between sobs. “I don’t know if it will ever be all right.”
“Lacey, what happened?”
“I was drunk,” she said.
“And you went over to his place?”
She nodded. “First, I tried calling him. I called his cell, like a million times. There was no answer. Every time I called, no answer. I got more and more worked up. I couldn’t let him end a two year relationship with a single voice mail. I needed closure. I’d given him everything.”
“I know, Lacey. That’s all right. That makes sense.”
“I wasn’t crazy?”
“I’d have wanted the same thing.”
“Well, eventually, he answered the phone. Only it wasn’t him.”
“Who was it?”
“His wife.”
I put my hand over my mouth. “Oh, Lacey.”
“I felt like such a slime ball, Faith. I mean, was I the one being cheated on, or was she? What was I supposed to feel? Didn’t I have a right to be upset too? I was a victim of his lies as much as she was.”
“What did she say?”
Lacey shook her head. “What do you think she said? What would you have said?”
“I’m so sorry, Lacey.”
“She called me a whore, a home wrecker, a slut. She said I’d ruined her life. She said she hoped I burned in hell for what I’d done to her.”
“You didn’t do it to her, Lacey. You didn’t know Matt was married.”
“But should I have known? Was I intentionally being naive?”
“No. You had no clue. Did you?”
“No. I didn’t.”
“Then how can you be held responsible for his decisions? Matt did this, Lacey. He hurt you and he hurt his wife.”
“I felt sick to my stomach, Faith. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just felt such rage.”
“Weren’t the brothers around?”
“No, they were out. You were out with Jackson. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
My mind cast back to the text message she’d sent me. It had been out of character and I should have realized something was up. I’d been so taken by Jackson meeting Sam for the first time that I’d completely forgotten.
“You should have called me, Lacey. You know you can always call me. I’d have talked you down.”
Lacey smiled. It was an embarrassed look but at the same time mischievous.
“I didn’t want to be talked down, Faith. I wanted to hurt him. I went over to his apartment, the one his company rents for him, and I tore up his suits and shirts, ripped his furniture, smashed his television.”
I was shaking my head but when I caught her eye, we were both seeing the funny side of it.
“That will teach him,” I said.
“I hope so. He probably won’t care. He’ll replace it all.”
“He’ll be in trouble with his wife.”
“She’ll probably forgive him. Hold it against me instead.”
“Do you think he’ll press charges?”
“No. He wants this brushed under the carpet as quickly and quietly as possible.”
“What a fucking asshole,” I said.
“I know.”
“Let’s tell the brothers. They’ll teach him a lesson.”
Lacey grabbed my shoulders. “Don’t even think about it,” she said. “Faith, I’m mortified. The less people who know about this, the better. It’s too humiliating.”
“All right, Lacey. All right. Calm down.”
Lacey let out a sigh.
“Are you ready to leave?” I asked.
“I need to wait to sign some statement. They’re typing it up.”
“I’ll wait with you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Nonsense. You helped me through all the difficult times in my life. I’m not going anywhere.”