Page 57 of From This Moment (After We Fall 4)
“I would,” I whispered.
“But you can’t fuck this up. It’s Hannah we’re talking about. And Abby too.”
“Abby.” My heart swelled.
“They need you. And I trust you to love them both the way they deserve to be loved, Wes—enough for both of us. Can you do that?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes.”
“Good. Because there’s no one else on earth I trust more.”
“Are you sure I haven’t…broken some sacred bond between us?”
“I’m sure. Now get out of your head. And get Hannah out of hers, too. Life is short, brother. Go live it.”
“I will. I want to.”
“And for fuck’s sake, get out of Mom and Dad’s house already. What are you, twelve?”
“I’m going, I’m going.”
“Good. I’ll be around, but only when you need me.”
“Thank you.” I looked at the empty sand next to me. “For everything.”
By the time I went back up to the house, Hannah was gone, my dad was sitting in his chair with a crossword puzzle, and my mother was following Abby up the stairs.
“I get to stay here again!” Abby shouted. “Can we make snow cones in the morning?”
“Sure,” I told her, watching them disappear at the top of the stairs. When they were out of sight, I grabbed my keys from the kitchen counter. I’d waited ten years to do this.
It was now or never.
“I’m gonna go for a drive,” I told my dad. “Maybe meet Pete for a beer.”
He didn’t even look up. “What’s a synonym for gossamer? Eleven letters, starts with a T-R-A and ends with a T.”
I thought for a second. “Transparent?”
He nodded. “That’s it.”
Hannah’s house was dark and silent as I strode up the front walk to the porch, my heart pounding frantically. Before I could even knock, the door opened.
My breath stopped.
She wore a little white slip of a nightgown that seemed to glow in the moonlight. Her hair hung in soft waves I wanted to bury my face in.
“Wes,” she said, her eyes begging me. “Please.”
“Can I come in?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Her lower lip trembled. “Because. I don’t trust myself to be alone with you.”
“Please, Hannah. I have to talk to you.”
