Page 48 of Broken Butterfly
Every day with the two of them was filled with new and wondrous experiences, and every night, Ryder made love to me until our bodies were sweaty and our hearts sated. I’m only nineteen years old, yet my life has undergone so many drastic changes. I’m glad that Fallon metaphorically kidnapped me and made me face myself, but I can’t live under his protection any longer. It’s time for me to fight for the life I want and the people I love. That being said, I’m terrified of facing Jayson and Julien for the first time since I ran off four weeks ago.
That thought snaps me back to the present. I can’t believe I’m here on Fallen Brook Drive. My childhood home is right down the street, as are Jayson and Julien’s. I’m overwhelmed with so many memories, ones that were lost to me for over a year but are now back with full force. If I didn’t have both Ryder and Fallon holding on to me, I think I would crumble under the sheer intensity of it all.
It’s the day before Thanksgiving and we’re standing on the front porch of Ryder’s family’s home. I can perfectly picture Faith inside preparing the turkey to cook for tomorrow while Randy watches football on TV from his recliner. Brea should be in her room watching the Hallmark movie marathon she and Hailey used to love, and Jamie is more than likely knitting something to give away as a Christmas present. I know Ryder’s family almost as well as I know my own, but mine are no longer here.
“I think you should have warned them I was coming,” I say to Ryder. “I don’t want to freak anyone out.”
“They’re going to be overjoyed, baby.”
“What if they want to ask questions about that night?”
“They won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Kitten.” Fallon bumps my shoulder. “Relax.”
“Easy for you to say,” I grouse.
Okay, I can do this. I lift my hand and press the doorbell with a tentative finger. Then I wait. My heart is thudding, and I feel like all the blood has drained out of my body and is leaking out through the soles of my low-heeled pumps. I’m not used to the cold North Carolina weather after spending a couple of days in Sydney where the weather was hot and humid. I’m wearing the long coat, scarf, and gloves Fallon bought for me in New York, but the shaking that’s vibrating through my limbs is not from the cold. My posture straightens as the front door opens.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Faith greets Ryder cheerily before her smile drops to astonishment when she sees me. “Oh my God! Randy!” she screams, reaching forward and grabbing me in a crushing hold. “Oh, sweet girl. Oh, my precious girl,” she cries. She smells the same as I remember, like cinnamon and sugar.
Ryder’s dad rushes to the door to see why his wife is yelling. “Holy shit!” Randy booms and joins Faith in crushing the life out of me. I couldn’t care less. I’ve missed them so much. Brea and Jamie come running when they hear their dad bellow.
“Lizzie?” Brea screeches, and Jamie shouts, “Holy shit!” just like her dad did. The girls sandwich me between them and their parents as we all cry and hug. Other than being in Ryder’s arms, this is the best feeling in the world. I’m finally home.
“Mom, Dad, can we take this inside?” Ryder asks them. “It’s freezing out here.” None of his family is willing to let me go, so Ryder winds up pushing all of us through the open doorway.
My body is being tugged in different directions by eight hands, and four different voices are talking on top of one another. The cacophony of it echoes like a marching band in the small foyer. Ryder pulls me out of his family’s stranglehold and wraps his arms around my front.
“I know everyone has a lot of questions, but we’ve had a long trip and Elizabeth is tired and a bit overloaded right now, so can we all just calm down and give her a minute.”
The sudden silence that follows is startling in its contrast. Four pairs of wet eyes zero in on me and I squirm, feeling like a bug under a magnifying glass.
“Hi,” I lamely say, and they all start talking excitedly again.Oh, boy.
“Fallon, take her upstairs so I can deal with this.”
“Come on, kitten. This shit is giving me a headache.”
Thankful for the small reprieve, knowing it’s not going to last long, Fallon puts his hands on my waist and pushes me up the stairs and into Ryder’s bedroom. Once inside, I fall back on the bed with a whoosh of expelled air from my lungs. Fallon looks down at me, a gleam in his wicked blue eyes.
“If the words ‘I want to fuck you’ come out of your mouth, I think I might knee you in the balls,” I warn him.
“I didn’t say a thing,” he muses.
“I can see the smirk in your eyes.”
“You’re no fun, kitten,” Fallon rejoins and flops down next to me.
I turn my head on the bedspread and look around Ryder’s room. It’s exactly the same as I remember. Walls painted a dark blue color. Posters of motorcycles and exotic cars plastered to the walls. Various trophies and photos adorning the dresser and desk. So many childhood days were spent up here with us playing board games, doing homework, or just chilling and talking. I hope they still have the firepit out back. That was one of my favorite places. I shift to turn on my side, but my long coat catches under my hip. I shed my outerwear and toss everything on the chair next to Ryder’s desk.
“You seem to know your way around the house. Did you come over often?” I ask Fallon. You would think I would have noticed Fallon hanging around, but I remind myself that old me was apparently so oblivious, she couldn’t see the forest through the trees.
“On occasion, Ry would sneak me in late at night when I needed a place to crash or escape my dad’s fists.”
“Fallon,” I begin when Ryder opens the bedroom door.
