My Lucky Catch (University Park #6) (26 page)

“I understand.” I nodded. “But she needs to know what’s about to happen with my mom.”

Veronica and Martin instantly became more interested in my visit. They looked at each other and then back at me. “Is she turning herself in?” Martin asked.

“Yes.” I gave a solemn nod. “And I think Delaney should know. Maybe it would help bring her some closure, regardless if it does nothing for us.”

Veronica covered her mouth, and her eyes watered. Lowering her hand, she said, “I hope you two can make this work. You’re good for her, Luke.”

“I hope so, too.” I pushed the screen door open and stepped down the stairs that led to the yard. The red and white barn was about one hundred yards away, surrounded by large pecan trees and a small creek that ran behind it. The July sun beat down on me, and I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. I took several breaths, but the simmering air only caused more tension inside of me.

As I neared the barn, all I could think about was how our paths had crossed. It was as if we were meant to run into each other. Like God wanted the truth to come out about what my mom did. I was glad Delaney finally knew who caused the wreck, but where did that leave us? How could we possibly be together?

The barn doors were open, and I stopped in front of them, peering in. In the center stood a blonde quarter horse and Delaney on the other side of it. I watched her intently as she brushed the horse’s coat. Her long, slender arms glided effortlessly along the animal. When she caught sight of me, she stopped abruptly, dropping the brush to the ground. She stared at me, and I wasn’t sure if I should walk up to her, or turn around and leave.

“Why are you here?” she asked as she stomped toward me. Her hair was pulled to the side in a thick, loose braid. Her tight fitting t-shirt and shorts made her appear slimmer than the last time I’d seen her.

“I’m sorry. You refused to answer any of my phone calls or text messages, so I had no choice but to come here.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know I was here?”

“Where else would you go?” I held up my arms, feeling frustrated about the situation. I didn’t want to tell her that Martin had told me.

“I’m busy.” She rolled her eyes and huffed. “What do you want?”

“Why are you pissed at me? I know you hate my mom, but why are you taking out your anger on me?” I stepped closer to her, and she motioned for me to stay put.

“Because it’s easier this way. Don’t you get it?” Her voice carried through the stalls, and the horses immediately responded with several high-pitched neighs.

“I do, and I’m sorry.”

“You have no idea.” She shook her head and walked toward the horse she was brushing.

I followed her, but kept a safe distance. “I know this is fucked up, and I wish none of this happened, but maybe it did because it was the only way for you to get closure on the death of your parents.”

She dropped the horse’s reigns and faced me. “I need closure, badly, but if this is God’s way of doing it—I don’t want it.” Tears filled her radiant blue eyes, and her sorrow struck me right to the core. “All I ever wanted was to be a normal kid, with a loving family and a bright future. To fall in love and have a family of my own, but your mom took that from me!” She stabbed my chest with her finger. “And to find out that your dad had a part in this, too, just makes it that much harder to be with you.”

“I know.” My heart pounded for her, but I wasn’t sure if my love was enough for her—for us. “Delaney, I love you, and I can’t be without you. We can make this work.” I reached for her arm, but she jerked it away. “Just please don’t shut me out. Let me be with you. Help you through this difficult time.”

“I’m sorry, Luke, but it’ll never work.” She picked up the reigns again, and that’s when I noticed her bare ring finger. My heart plummeted to my stomach, but I wasn’t giving up, not yet.

“It can work. We can make it work, together.” I followed her as she led the horse into one of the stables. “Please, Delaney, don’t give up on us.”

Her head slumped to her chest, and her shoulders dropped. “Please, just go.” She walked out of the stable and shut the door. With her back facing me, she said, “I can’t see you right now.”

The words she spoke were like daggers to my body. Each one hurtful and deadly. She had no idea how much this was killing me, too. “Fine, but before I go, there’s something you need to know.”

“What is it?” Slowly, she turned around, leaning against the stable door. Her body looked frail and weak, and I wasn’t sure how she’d take the news. But I had to tell her.

“I wanted to let you know that my mom has confessed to causing the accident. Charges were filed this morning with the district attorney’s office. You’ll be contacted regarding the request of a private hearing.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that my mom would like to settle without a jury. She’ll plead guilty to the offense and will request a plea bargain for a reduced prison sentence with probation.” I took a deep breath. What my mom did was wrong, but it was still was a tough pill to swallow.

“But what if I don’t want to press charges?”

“It’s too late. She’s already confessed. Papers have been turned in.”

“Oh, God.” Delaney slumped to the ground. Her body shaking as tears poured from her eyes. “I just want all of this to go away.” She covered her face, crying.

“Me, too, baby.” I knelt next to her, feeling her pain and torment. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and hold her. Hold her and protect her from the agony we were both feeling. “It’s not fair that either of us are going through this, but we can at least be here for each other.” I touched her arm, but she scooted further away.

“No, Luke.” She shook her head. “We can’t. We can’t stay together.”

“Don’t say that, Delaney. I love you.”

Her crying turned into hard sobs. With each yelp, my heart weakened, unable to handle the rejection. I would do anything, as long as I could be with her.

Reject my family.

Never see them again.

Whatever she wanted.

All she had to do was say the words. But instead, she said, “Just leave.”

My knees pressed deeper into the ground as I pleaded with her. “No. Not without you. I can’t be without you, Delaney. It’s killing me.”

“Go!” Her hands dropped from her face. “Leave! Get out of here!”

“Don’t you love me?” Tears seeped from my eyes, and my throat tightened. My mind was spinning out of control, and I wasn’t sure I could keep it together.

“No.” Her head shook. “Not anymore.”

I fell back on my heels, everything draining from me. My heart rate slowed, receding deeper into my chest. Not only had my mom taken Delaney’s parents from her, but my future, as well. Delaney and I wouldn’t be together. My nights would be without her by my side. I peeled myself up from the ground and stumbled to my feet. I wasn’t sure how I’d move on without her, but life would never be the same.

***

Delaney

I stared at the paper that would change not only my life, but Luke’s family, as well. Everything had happened so fast, and I prayed I was making the right decision. After spending several hours in the barn crying, I had finally told Veronica and Martin what Luke told me. Martin contacted a criminal attorney, and we met with him the next day. He explained my options, and the choices I had to make.

It wasn’t an easy decision. Part of me wanted justice to be served—to punish Olivia for what she had done. But what kind of person would that make me? I loved Luke with all my heart, and deep down I still had hope for us. I regretted telling him I didn’t. I just didn’t know how we could survive this. How do you marry a guy knowing that his mother killed your parents?

“Delaney, if you need more time to think about this, I can request an extension,” Mr. Soto said with a heartfelt expression. “If you want a trial by jury, we can press for that, too.”

“No.” I took a deep breath and steadied the pen in my hand. “My decision is made.”

“Are you sure?” Veronica asked, placing her hand on top of my arm.

Looking at her and Martin, I nodded with confidence that I was making the best decision possible. The one that allowed justice to be served, but wouldn’t destroy the Thompson family. Even though it had destroyed my family.

The attorney moved the paper closer to me. With the ballpoint pen pressed to the linen paper, I signed my name, agreeing to the plea bargain that Olivia Thompson had requested. I didn’t want a long, drawn out court case, and I refused to sue her for damages, even though the attorney said I had enough evidence to win. I just wanted this hearing to be over with and to move on with my life.

I folded the paper and handed it to Mr. Soto. “Thank you. I’ll file the paper with DA’s office, and they will schedule the hearing.”

“About how long will it take?” Martin asked.

“It depends on the courts. It could be a few weeks or months. It’s really hard to say.” He tucked the paper inside a folder and placed it next to him on the desk. “I’ll keep an eye on it and keep you posted.”

“Thank you, Mr. Soto.” Martin stood and shook the attorney’s hand.

Veronica did the same. “We appreciate it.”

I took several deep breaths, trying to ease my racing heart. All of this was giving me anxiety, and I wasn’t sure how I was functioning. I kept reminding myself that this would be over with soon and to just stay the course. What scared me the most was what might be at the end of that course? Luke and me together, or me by myself?

“Come on, Delaney. Let’s get you home.” Martin reached for my hand and helped me stand. Robotically, my feet shuffled toward the door. I wanted to tell Mr. Soto thank you, but I wasn’t sure if the outcome would need thanking.

The next week, I received a letter requesting my presence at the plea bargain hearing that was scheduled in two weeks. I was surprised at how quickly the court date was set, but knowing that Luke’s sister was an attorney, I figured she had some pull.

As I lay in bed, I contemplated going to the hearing. Mr. Soto had told Martin that it wasn’t necessary for me to attend, but he would be there regardless. I didn’t know if I could handle sitting in front of Luke and his family as they listened to the fate of their mother. A piece of me wished I hadn’t discovered that Olivia caused the wreck, but a bigger piece was glad to finally know. One part of my life might have been healing, but another part was bleeding to death.

My phone rang, and I glanced at the screen. It was Jordan. She had been calling and texting me over the past month. I let it ring several times before finally answering.

“Hello?”

“Delaney?” She gasped for air.

“Yeah?” I stiffened in my bed, hoping that she wasn’t about to deliver bad news. I hadn’t spoken to her since I’d told her Luke had proposed to me.

“I’m so glad you answered.” The noise in the background dwindled, and I heard a door shut. “Why haven’t you called me? I’ve been so worried about you. When you missed your hair appointment two weeks ago, I knew something was up.”

“I’m sorry . . .” I sucked in a rattled breath, “the past few weeks have been insane.”

“I can only imagine. Forbes talked to Luke a few weeks ago, and he told him what happened. Excuse me for saying this, but this is so fucked up for you guys. I can’t believe Lexi and Luke’s mother caused your parents’ wreck!”

Tears immediately fell from my eyes. “I know.”

“So, are you thinking things are over between you and Luke? Luke told Forbes you left him.”

I stayed silent for a moment, not sure how to answer her question. “I don’t know, Jordan. I’m still in love with him. I just don’t know how we can be together, knowing what his mom did to my parents.”

“I get it. Believe me, I do. Forbes said Luke was so torn up about you leaving. Didn’t know what he was going to do without you. Said he was going crazy.”

More tears streamed from my eyes, and my throat tightened. Hearing that Luke was having a hard time dealing with this made me hurt even more. I hated that we couldn’t be together. But it was better this way.

“Oh, my God. I hate that you’re going through this alone.”

I wrapped my arms around my body, comforting my dying soul. “I’m not alone. I have Veronica and Martin.” But even their love wasn’t enough for me.

“Is that where you’ve been staying? In Greenville?”

“Yeah.” I reached for a tissue and wiped my eyes. “I came out here the night Luke told me. I couldn’t stay with him, Jordan.”

“I understand. I’m sure I would have done the same.” Her voice weakened, and she sounded like she was on the brink of tears. “Have you talked to Lexi?”

“No. She’s called and texted me, but I haven’t talked to her.”

“She’s called me a few times, but we’ve been playing phone tag.” She released a heavy sigh. “So, what have you been doing this past month?”

“Crying. All day in my room.”

“Shit, Delaney.” She sniffed. “Can I come pick you up? Get you out of the house? Or can we meet up somewhere?”

I considered her request, but decided I wasn’t up for company. “Not right now. I just want to be alone.”

“Are you at least working?”

A laugh escaped me. Taking photos of brides, babies, families, or couples was the last thing I wanted to do. “No, I haven’t worked in a few weeks. My mind isn’t the right place.” Thankfully, I had a few friends in the industry and was able to transfer my work to them. I’d also paired Trinity with one of them. She understood my situation, and I promised her I’d be back to work soon.

“Yeah, I guess that would be hard for you.” She sighed. “So, any news on the court hearing?”

“Funny you should ask.” I glanced at the paper lying next to me. “It’s scheduled for Monday, August 10th, at 10:00 am.”

“Wow, so soon? That’s good, though, get it over with.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going?”

Releasing another heavy sigh, I said, “I don’t know.”

“You have two weeks to make your decision. Don’t worry about it right now.”

Easier said than done.

“Hey, that’s two days before your birthday.”