Chapter Thirty
Lily
I sat in the hospital waiting room, snuggling under the warm grey knitted cardigan a nurse had kindly given me while the doctors stitched up Jackson’s face and tended to his left arm. He’d had his lip and right eyebrow busted during the fight with my father earlier today, and his arm had also been fractured. Though that fight was only a few hours ago, it already felt like a distant dream.
Maybe it was because such a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Even though I was devastated to learn that my mother had been dead all along—and innocent, too—I was glad her name would be cleared now. People wouldn’t remember her as ‘that crazy bitch’ anymore. They’d remember her as the poor innocent woman who was framed for a crime her own husband committed and taken away from the daughter she loved so much.
“Lily?”
A soft voice called to me, and I looked up to see Alexandra staring down at me, her forehead lined with concern. I jumped up. “How…how did you know I was here?”
“Jackson asked the nurses to track me down to come and be with you while he gave his statement to the police. You must’ve talked about me and said my name a lot whenever you chatted to him in the past, because they managed to find me pretty quick.”
She smiled and sat down next to me, and I was immediately wracked with guilt. Alexandra was one of my best girlfriends, and I hadn’t even told her I was seeing anyone. I’d barely even seen her over the last couple of months. I’d been too wrapped up in myself, my new relationship with Jackson, and all the mystery and questions surrounding my nightmares.
“Alex, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you ab…”
She held up her hand, cutting my sentence short. “It’s fine. I get it. What’s important now is that you’re both safe.”
“Are you judging me?” I asked in a small voice, assuming she knew the whole story now.
She shook her head. “Hell no. Jackson Barker is hot. And he’s powerful. Rich, too. Who cares if he’s a bit older?”
“More than a bit.”
“Whatever. It’s so not a big deal, Lily. Fuck what other people think. I mean, I get why you were scared to tell anyone. A nineteen-year-old girl banging an older guy who’s running for state senator is pretty dang scandalous. And you know…there’s also the fact that one of your parents killed his ex-girlfriend. Not the parent we originally thought, apparently, but still…” She sighed, then carried on. “Don’t worry about it. People will get over it. You’re an adult, and so is he. And for Christ’s sake, babe, you two just captured a freaking killer! That’ll look good to the voters, right? Senate candidate out in the world fighting crime like a real superhero!”
She winked, and I finally broke. I leaned into her embrace, blubbering in her arms, and she spoke to me in a soothing voice and stroked my back. “It’s okay, Lily. I know it’s horrible; what happened to your mom. But she has justice now. So does Jenna Potter. And it’s all because of you. You didn’t stop asking questions, and you didn’t stop trying to find out what really happened that day. You did good.”
“I guess so. But….I really thought I was going to see her again today. Even when I still thought she was a killer, I wanted to see her anyway. Just wanted to talk to her one more time. I never got to say goodbye!”
“I know….I know. But you’ll get to have a proper funeral and memorial for her soon. It’ll help, trust me.”
I sobbed into her sweater for a few more minutes, and then I looked up at her, sniffling. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a shitty friend. I should’ve told you about Jackson.”
“You would’ve told me eventually.”
“Yeah, but I should’ve done it sooner.”
“Shoulda, woulda, coulda. It’s in the past now, Lily. You get to be happy now. It’s what your mom would’ve wanted for you.”
I nodded, and Alexandra squeezed my hand. “Did you talk to the cops already?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“So when Jackson is patched up, you can go home?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Maybe you guys should move,” she suggested. “It’s not good for either of you, being in an area with that many memories. Get a fresh start somewhere, I say. Maybe somewhere close to Blair so we can catch up more often,” she added with a wink.
Blair was the inner-city neighborhood she lived in, and I couldn’t help but laugh at her cheeky suggestion. Just that little giggle, that little tinge of amusement, helped me realize she was right. Everything was shitty right now, and it would be for a long time, but with a little help from all the important people in my life—especially Jackson—I was going to get through it. Move on. Everything would be all right eventually, and I would be happy.
I was allowed to be happy.
And when I looked up fifteen minutes later to see Jackson walking into the waiting room, all fixed up and eyes shining with intensity as he looked at me, I was happy.