Page 55 of The Other Side of Green

Her tight lips pressed into a line and she gave a small nod of the head. The pallbearers waited down the aisle behind us. Without another word, Lyra took one long look at Grams’ coffin and then stepped back up onto the stage picking up her violin. I sat on the piano bench, desperately trying to absorb the sheet music now that I had the ivories in front of me.

Don’t fuck this up, Jack.

Just don’t fuck this up.

Sure I could hear a snort from Evan, I hit the first note. My stomach ached as Lyra teased pure magic from her violin.

From my peripheral vision, I couldn’t take my gaze off the music. I could see the frozen surprise of the congregation as we fell into the haunting rhythm of the violin and piano duet ‘Time Forgotten’. It ached in my bones, turning them liquid. Lyra’s eyes closed as she leaned in and swayed to the haunting melody and at the piano solo. As the pallbearers stepped up to lift Grams’ coffin once again, her gaze opened and held mine. There was no air left in church as we played and watched one another, slipping into a different time and place where only her and I existed. I forgot about the sheet of music, pulling it from my study, letting the notes fall into place.

Grams left church with the mourners in her wake and then the music stopped, leaving just Lyra and I, a piano and a violin, and who the hell knew what else between us.

“Oh my god, Jack.” Mom pounced on me. “I can’t believe you can play like that.”

“Mom.” A burning blush crept up my face. ‘I won’t be offended by your surprise.”

She laughed, a sound that honestly must have been close to magic. “A mom’s allowed to be blown away by her child. I knew you were good. Mrs. McAllister was always telling me, but when your piano…” she trailed off.

“Got burned in the yard by my dick of a dad?” I filled in the blanks, hoping for a laugh, but instead finding tears.

“Jack, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how you can even look at me knowing that I failed you so badly.”

I frowned. “Mom you didn’t fail me, he failed both of us.”

Her skin paled though, lips drawing tight together.

“Wait a minute. Did you think I didn’t come back because I was angry with you?”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.

“Mom, that’s not the case at all. I missed you every damn day.” How could my mother not know this? What had I become that for four years I’d left her without a word as I got myself deeper tangled into a net with the Collins’ twisted games?

“Look at all the things you’ve achieved though away from here, away from this place. You’d never have played piano like that if you hadn’t left that night.”

I’d never thought about it like that. Her simple fact stating punched me in the gut. For as much as I despised the Collins family, and as much as I hated who I’d become, Mom had it right. I’d never looked at the last four years as a gift, only ever seeing it as a prison sentence.

“Mom—” Her words were cut off by Luca coming toward us. He was still pale, and I could see him forcing himself to meet Mom’s gaze. “Mrs. Cross.” He extended his hand, but Mom batted it away.

“Luca!” She pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry about Grams,” she whispered into his ear.

Pulling back, he met her gaze. “I’m sorry too.” What was he sorry for? Failing to murder her shitty husband? Not like those were words he could ever say.

“You’re going to have to look after your sister now,” Mom told him.

Luca’s gaze flickered to mine. “I always have.”

Seriously I wanted to punch the douche. How had we been friends so long?

“And no more fighting, boys.” Mom wagged her finger between us and Luca and I both curled our lips in unison.

Couldn’t keep that promise.

“Jack, thank you for helping Lyra today.” God, that must have hurt for him to say. He looked like he was constipated.

“I’ll always help Lyra.” I shot him a tight smile.

He nodded and sighed. “You must be getting ready to go back to Boston with your friends. That was kind of them to come all this way for Lyra.” He actually looked physically pained.

“They love her.”