The End of All Things Beautiful (21 page)

Jack pulls up outside my house, dropping me off from the
airport, and just as I’m about to exit, his voice stops me.

“Hey Campbell,” he says. “I know you’ve got a million other
things going on…” He stops short and then says, “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

I look over at him, his eyes are sad and I hate that I have to
tell him yes. I wish there were a way I could make this all work. I feel like I
owe Jack so much, and for once since I’ve started working for him, he isn’t
concerned about his company or the job I hold there. He’s worried about me
leaving; for once it’s about our relationship and not the one we have
professionally.

“I am,” I answer, but for some reason I can’t look at him when I
say it. “I can’t ask Benji to give up everything he has worked so hard for.”
And as I say it, I swear I see a flash of defiance in Jack’s eyes, but it fades
quickly. It was almost like he wanted to ask
 
what happens to all the time and effort I
put into my career, into his company and into both our lives. But it’s like he
realized that it’s futile to argue with me when he knows the only thing I
really ever wanted was Benji.

“You don’t have to quit,” he tells me, and I give him a strange
look. Of course I have to quit. I’m moving nine hours away, to the middle of
nowhere and there isn’t even a possibility of commuting. Jack has also never
been a fan of letting people work from home; he says it breeds laziness and
unproductivity. Plus he also likes everyone who works for him to have a
connection to the clients they deal with, that somehow meeting them in person
makes it easier to convince them to give up everything they’ve worked so hard
for. And actually, it probably does. It’s a lot easier to say no to someone via
an email or over the phone.

“What do you mean?” I ask confused by his comment.

“You can work from there. Most of what you do is internet based
and when needed you can come to the office.” He shrugs his shoulders as if it’s
as simple as that. And maybe it is. I’ve never really liked my job, but it
could also be that I was never really happy to begin with. It’s hard to find
yourself excited about something when the cloud of depression that hangs over
you never recedes. Things could be different now that I’m more in control of my
life. And I’ve often thought about what I would do when I move in with Benji. I’ve
never been the kind of girl to not work or to let someone else take care of me.
I would like to be able to contribute despite everything Benji has said about
it not mattering if I have a job or not.

“Really?” I ask, knowing this could possibly cause a lot of
problems for him. “What about the other people in the office? The ones who want
to work from home?” I’ve never wanted Jack to treat me differently from the
rest of his employees and by choosing Jack’s suggestion; it would definitely
make me stand out.

“Who gives a fuck,” Jack says flippantly. “I own the company,
Campbell, and if that’s the call I want to make then I’ll make it.” He’s very
firm in his words and it almost makes me laugh. I know no one in the office
would challenge his decision even if they think it’s solely based on the fact
that we’re family. “You’re my sister and if I want to change things to accommodate
my family, then I will.”

“Seriously?” I question again, wondering if this could possibly
work. “I’m nine hours away. You realize I can’t be driving back here once a
week, right?” Jack laughs, and it fills the car making me smile. “Stop laughing
at me,” I tell him and he laughs again.

“I know you’re going to be nine hours away and of course I wouldn’t
demand that you be in the office every week.” He rolls his eyes acting like my
thought is preposterous. But in all the time I’ve worked for Jack, he expected
everything to go smoothly and perfectly, something like this could really throw
a wrench in his plans.

“I know you think I’m demanding, but in actuality it was you who
was always demanding of yourself. I’ve always cut you some slack, but you never
took it. Take it now, Campbell. Enjoy your life with Benji and be happy. Don’t
make this more than it is. It’s a job and you’ll always have one with me no
matter where you’re at.”

I almost start to cry as I realize it was probably always me
that pushed him away. While we never really had anything in common growing up, I
used that to become more defiant and closed off after the accident. If he were
interested in having a relationship with me, I never would’ve noticed anyway. And
as much as I like to paint him out to be the bad guy, the one who didn’t really
like me, it was never like that. I notice we have more in common as adults than
we ever did before and I know it’s now time to move beyond the past and start
accepting his help and his friendship.

“Thank you,” I whisper, overwhelmed by his kindness. He doesn’t
have to treat me this way, but I’m grateful he’s able to forgive me so quickly.
This isn’t just about the job. It’s about everything he’s done for me.

“No problem. We can talk more about it later. Work everything
out. Just go and once you’re moved and settled up there, we can figure out how
it’s all going to work. No pressure, though,” he adds, and now it’s me that’s
laughing.

“Crazy how things have changed,” I say, and Jack nods.
Everything in my life used to be high pressure. It’s funny because I feel like
I can finally breathe again.

I wish Jack goodbye and agree that we’ll talk more about the job
later on. As I’m getting ready to close the door, I bend down and poke my head
back in.

“Thank you. Seriously, Jack. I really appreciate it. Not just
the job, but for coming with me, for being so understanding. For everything.”

“It’s all good, Campbell,” he says with a smile on his face, and
for once, it is all good.

I walk away from the car giving Jack a quick wave before
scampering up the steps to my house. It’s only been two days, but I can’t wait
to see Benji.

He’s sitting on the couch when I walk in. I immediately walk
over, climb into his lap, and rest my head on his shoulder.

“How’d it go with your mom?” I ask as I press my lips to his
neck. I feel his hands run up and down my back and I close my eyes relishing
the feel of his body against mine once again.

“You first,” he says, and while I love that he always wants to
put me first, I need this to be about him. I know his time with his mom was far
more difficult than mine was.

“No, baby,” I whisper against the curve of his neck, and I feel
him shudder in my arms. He lets out a long exhale into my hair, his breath
lingering along with the smell of liquor and for a moment I panic.
What happened?

I push back from him, but as soon as I do, he takes my face in
his hands and he shakes his head. Cupping my cheek, he guides my mouth to his
in a soft, sweet kiss. His tongue grazes my bottom lip and mine brushes lightly
against his as he pulls away. He tastes like scotch and coupled with the way he
smells and the warmth of his body, it’s intoxicating.

“Everything’s fine, baby,” he says tiredly. “Just a long day. I
needed a drink.”

“You taste like scotch,” I murmur, my mouth only inches from
his. “I like it. Kiss me again.”

A loose smile forms on his face as he cradles the back of my
neck and kisses me. Guiding me back until I’m lying on the couch, the weight of
his body covers mine. I almost forget about our days apart and the reason we
were separated, but it comes back quickly.

“Stop trying to distract me, Benjamin Kennedy. Start talking,
boy. No secrets, remember?” I say, running my hands up and under his shirt, my
fingers trailing slowly down his ribs.
 

“You’re terribly impatient,” he says, burying his face in my
neck. “I just want to enjoy you for a second. I missed you.”

“I missed you like crazy.” I wrap my arms around his waist,
pulling him closer; I let him find the comfort in me I know he needs.

“There was a lot of crying,” Benji says without pulling back to
look at me. His words are muffled, but still completely clear to me. “She wasn’t
as hurt by the fact that I kept the accident from her as she was by the fact
that I just disappeared.”

“I can understand that,” I say, and as much as I understand why
Benji did that, I’m now struggling with the reality of it all. At the time both
of us thought it was best to hide our feelings and avoid discussing what
happened. That somehow this would preserve us and allow us to forgive
ourselves. But in actuality all it did was drive the people who could’ve helped
us further away.

I don’t think either of us intended to live a life of
confinement and solitude, but to surround ourselves with the people we knew and
loved was just too tempting. We knew we’d eventually breakdown and tell them
everything.

“So how did you leave things with her?”

“Like I’d never even left,” Benji says, and although I can’t see
his face I know he’s smiling. I feel it against my neck and it makes my entire
body warm. I’m happy he was so easily able to repair years of lost time
together. But that’s what a family is for. To accept you in spite of the
awfulness that surrounds you.

“That’s the way it should be.”

“I know, but it makes me feel even guiltier for the way I
behaved. She was devastated.” He pushes up off of me and lifts my legs, resting
them on his lap, he sits next to me. “You should’ve seen her face when she
opened the door,” he says, and I can tell he’s holding back the tears.

“She recognized you?” I ask jokingly, as I run my fingers across
his beard. He laughs, and takes my hand in his, pressing a kiss to my palm.

“Yes she did, snarky girl. She started crying the moment she
opened the door. I think she hugged me for at least ten minutes before she even
said anything.”

I start to tear up as he talks. I’m glad things went well for
him. He really needed to know someone else cared about what he went through,
that someone else missed him.

“She wants to see you, too,” he adds, and I give him a strange
look. I was always close with Benji’s mom growing up. She was more of the
mothering, loving person than I ever had in my own mom, but after all this time
I figured she would’ve let that go. “I told her we would stop by before we left
to go back home.”

It’s funny to hear him call Hessel home and that he’s already
started calling it our home. There’s no uncertainty or concern in his voice. He
talks about it like it has always been our home. I love it.

“When do you want to leave?” I ask, and I see his face fall
slightly. He thinks I’m not coming back with him. But after talking with Jack
today and knowing my job is secure, I’m okay with leaving my house and moving
in with him as soon as possible.

“I should probably head back soon, in two or three days. I’ve
left things at the store completely unattended. I’m sure my emails are out of
control.”

I’ve noticed that Benji hasn’t checked his email or done
anything with his job since arriving here. It’s important that he gets back to
take care of things. But I also know we have to find the time to talk to
Samantha. Not something I’m looking forward to, but it needs to be done, if
only for my own peace of mind.

“I’m going back with you when you leave,” I say, completely
foregoing the conversation we have to have about going to see Samantha. I can
tell I’ve shocked him, but after that initial surprise wears off, his happiness
shines through.

“Seriously, baby?” he asks, pulling me into his arms. He kisses
me hard, his lips colliding roughly with mine and I’m smiling as he kisses me.

I love his reaction to this; it shows me that the only place I
belong is with him. Not that I’ve ever doubted it.

“Yes, seriously. I talked with Jack and he’s going to let me
work from home, so I’m free to go. I just have to figure out what to do with
the house.”

“Fuck the house!” Benji yells, yanking me off the couch. “Baby,
you’ve made me happier than I’ve been since you walked back into my life.”

He lifts me off the ground, kissing me and squeezing me tightly
as I laugh hysterically at his reaction. There are few things that elicit
complete excitement and joy and nervousness in me, but Benji can do all that in
a second.

When he finally sets me down, his forehead resting against mine,
I lean up and kiss the tip of his nose.

With complete sincerity in his voice, he says, “I never thought
there would come a day when you’d finally be living in the house with me.” His
eyes are closed and my face is now in his hands. “I built the house for you,
Campbell. I hoped you’d one day come back to me. I built the house for our
family.”

I don’t even know what to say. I’m shocked into silence. He
waited for me all this time, never forgetting what we once had, what we now
have again. I see him for all he was, all he is and all he will be and I know together,
our life can finally begin.

“Thank you,” I whisper. “I’m not sure what to say,” I add stupidly,
and Benji chuckles.

“You don’t need to say anything. You already said you’re coming
with me and that’s enough for me. You’ll always be enough for me.”