Sins of Sevin(63)

“Took you in? Were you homeless?”

“It never came to that, but it was close.”

“Vangie, listen. You know I love you. You may not be ready to tell me everything, but I expect a full explanation of why you did what you did to us. Leaving town is one thing, but leaving the way you did without telling us where you were…”

“I promise, Addy. Someday, I’ll tell you everything that happened while I was away. I just can’t right now. I can’t handle it all yet, okay? Please just know that I love you and never meant to hurt you. You have to believe that.”

“You know I’m a strong person, and you know I love you. You could have stayed away for twenty years, come back, and I’d welcome you with open arms. I’m not the one you owe an explanation to. I’m not the one who was completely destroyed. You need to face him.”

“He doesn’t want to see me.”

“Doesn’t matter. You still need to face him.”

“He hates me.”

“You really believe that? Let me tell you something. That boy looked everywhere for you. I was there. I saw how much he suffered after you left. That doesn’t mean he hates you; he’s angry, yes. But it’s not hate. You know what else happened while you were gone? That boy became a man. He owned up to his responsibilities, took care of your sister every day until she died. Even though you’d left him completely shattered, he found his inner strength. Love gone wrong can disguise itself as hate. Let me define Sevin’s hatred for you. It’s a self-protective mechanism for a love that hurts so bad he has to fight it every day. At the very least, he deserves an explanation.”

She was right, but it wasn’t going to happen today. Looking down at my watch, I knew if I didn’t get the car back by a certain time, Dean was going to kill me. “I have to go, Addy. I promise I’ll be back again soon.”

Addy made me give her my address. I didn’t want her to know where I lived because she’d probably be horrified at what she found, but I was done hiding. I couldn’t hurt the people I loved any more than I already had.







It was two weeks later before Dean would let me take the truck to Dodge City again. I kept telling myself that I didn’t have to go through with it, that I could change my mind at any time. That was the only way I was able to conjure up enough bravery to face Sevin.

It was late on a Sunday afternoon, cloudy and overcast. Bypassing my parents’ property, I parked Dean’s Dodge Ram in front of the guesthouse. Heart pounding, hands shaking, I stayed in the driver’s seat for the longest time before finally forcing myself out. Breathing heavily, I just stood there taking in the scenery. It was eerily quiet, the only sound my mother’s wind chimes in the distance. There were two cars parked outside, a truck I assumed was Sevin’s and a Toyota sedan.

The front door opened before I had a chance to knock.

“You just let me know if there’s anything else you need,” an attractive redheaded woman around my age said to Sevin as she exited the house.

Who was that?

I froze when his eyes landed on me with the same angry, vacant look he’d given me at Elle’s funeral.

“Who are you?” she asked. “Can we help you?”

We?

A long, uncomfortable silence ensued as Sevin and I just stared at each other.

I finally looked back at her. “I’m Evangeline.”

“My sister-in-law,” he scoffed bitterly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. Anyway, I’ll call you later to check on you, Sevin,” she said as she got into her Toyota and drove off, leaving a trail of dust behind.

He remained in the doorway giving me the same icy glare. My heartbeat was out of control as I really took him in for the first time. Sevin was bigger, more muscular. His hair had grown out some, and his face was framed by a five o’clock shadow. He was truly a man now in every way. And even though everything about us was shattered—there was no us—my broken heart felt more whole than it had in all the years I’d been gone simply because he was near. The electric energy that always existed between us was still there. It just manifested itself in a different way now.

After an indeterminate amount of time passed, he was the first to speak. “What are you doing here?”

Swallowing, I said, “I needed to see you.”

“All of a sudden you need to see me?” He shook his head in disbelief but didn’t say anything else.

A roll of thunder rang out in the distance, a fitting addition to this ominous reception. It was starting to rain.

“Can I come in?”

“No.” His answer was abrupt. His body was rigid, and his hands balled into fists.