An idea strikes me. I can work remotely for a while. A lot of what I do for the company can be done from my laptop. I wouldn’t be able to photograph for them, which isn’t a big issue with Thomas trying to use his images over mine anyway. I might return to a demotion, but I couldn’t care less if it means that I can help my Papaw.
“How? You have?—”
“Papaw, I can make this work. I will talk with my boss about working remotely. I can stay here if that’s something you’d like me to do for you.”
He shakes his head slightly, his brows coming together in concentration as he considers my offer. “Raine, I couldn’t ask this of you. You have a life in Rockdale. You shouldn’t have to stay here and deal with my mess.”
“Ourmess,” I correct him. “I might have had a job and a tiny apartment in another state, but my life will always be wherever you are. I hate that I haven’t been here for everything that has happened and the things I’ve missed out on in the past. But I want to be here now for you.”
A flashback pops into my mind. The moment in the hospital where I had to squeeze my Mamaw’s hand while she lay there hooked up to tubes, unresponsive. I bent down and gave her a hug and whispered into her ear that I promise to take care of Papaw. I expected the memory to cause me to come undone; however, peace wraps around me, letting me know that I’m making the right decision.
“I told Mamaw I would take care of you, and that’s what I’m going to do,” I say with determination.
He looks out toward the front yard, his eyes scanning the farm before huffing and shaking his head. “It’s a lot for me to ask from you.”
“I’ll just tell you that it’s happening, then.” It feels like a small victory when we both face each other and share a smile that seems to help release a bit of the tension building inside me. “You trained me for this growing up. I’m telling you I got this.”
“I know you do, Little Duck.”
Chapter Fifteen
Twelve Years Before
Raine
“Quit acting like you give a crap about what I’m doing!” I can hear the tremble in Luke’s voice.
I had every intention of staying here with my bedroom door cracked open, but knowing that Luke is on the verge of tears has my feet moving toward the living room. Luke has his back to me. He’s clenching and unclenching his fists.
This is bad.
I look over at Mom, who's sitting on the couch, tension written on her face. She notices me then and flicks her head, silently telling me to leave, but I don’t listen. I’m not leaving Luke, especially with how fiercely Davis peers down at him.
“You will not speak to me that way in my house!” Davis hisses, the words weaved together in a threat. “Go to your room before you regret your actions.”
“No!” The sound of Luke's shout makes me flinch. My mother does the same and stands up quickly, moving toward me.
“Raine, go to your room,” she whispers in my ear.
It’s not a room in this house. It’s a prison cell. Davis wants us to be trapped with nowhere to go—a punishment I’ll never understand. But I refuse to leave Luke, so I shake my head and stay planted.
“I’m done with you,” Luke says before shoving his way past his father and grabbing the knob of the front door.
Davis reaches for Luke’s wrist, but Luke is quick to escape, making his way out the door before Davis can grab him a second time.
“If you walk out that door, don’t you dare come back!” Spit flies out of Davis’ mouth, like snake venom, the words sounding just as deadly.
“I don’t plan on it.” Luke’s words are just as lethal, and even though I know he didn’t mean to, they hit me like a blow to the chest.
He’s leaving me?
How can Luke leave me here?Alone? I can’t be here without him. If he’s leaving, so am I!
I rush toward the front door, not missing the way my mother’s fingers brush my arm in an attempt to stop me. Before I can open my mouth and shout for Luke to wait for me, Davis’ broad chest meets my face. I crash into him, and before I can move backward, he grips my forearm tightly and yanks it up. I hear apopin my shoulder and grit my teeth as pain shoots down my arm and into my back.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he practically hisses like the serpent that he is.
“You can’t keep me here!” Now my voice decides to tremble, but I blame the pain, not the panic currently rushing through my veins. “I want to go with Luke.”
