Almost Innocent by Carina Adams Read Free Book Online Page B

since I’d spent hours sitting at the old table in Moira’s new kitchen. But different didn’t begin to explain it. Dec hadn’t replaced a thing. It was empty, cold, and depressing as hell.
    When Dec joined me, he looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
    “What’s wrong?” I regretted the question instantly. I had parked my ass on his doorstep, giving him no other option than to deal with me. No wonder he looked miserable. “I’m sorry.”
    He blinked at me as if just realizing I was there and headed straight for the refrigerator. After grabbing two bottles and twisting each cap before handing one to me, he leaned back against the counter, propping one foot over the other, and downed half his beer in one gulp. When he lowered the bottle, he stared into my eyes, searching. He shook his head.
    “What are you sorry for Gabs?” He picked at the label. “This time, I mean?”
    Years of agitation toward him returned instantly, and I felt myself tense. “What is that supposed to mean?”
    He cracked his neck. “Exactly what I said. Every letter you sent me was filled with bullshit apologies for one thing or another. You tracked me down and camped outside my damn door, so whatever you have to say must be important. Now’s your chance. What are you sorry for today? Global warming? The tanked economy? Harassing me when I’ve made it clear I don’t want you around? Get it all out so we don’t have to do this shit again!”
    I felt heat rise in my cheeks as a vicious combination of embarrassment and anger surged through my body. “Every letter? You read every letter but never felt the need to write back?”
    He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “I was busy.”
    “Busy?” I pushed out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, ‘cause life behind bars is so fucking hectic you barely had a moment to gather your thoughts, right? Never had a minute to yourself, not once in ten goddamn years, huh?”
    He tightened his jaw and gritted his teeth, clearly annoyed with me as well. Good. About fucking time, Mr. Calm and Collected did more than ignore me. “Oh, I had about a thousand minutes to myself every day. I just had better shit to do than write back. I’d said everything I needed to say. You should have gotten the point when I refused to see you.”
    Ouch. That hurt. I had convinced myself that he hadn’t written back because he hadn’t gotten my letters—maybe they’d been lost in the mail, or maybe the guards had destroyed them before he had a chance to read them. I’d told myself every lie humanly possible to believe he hadn’t read them and blown me off.
    “Fuck. You.” I put my bottle on the counter, resisting the urge to throw it at his head, and retreated a step.
    He looked down, finding his boots incredibly interesting. I wanted to run away and forget this day ever happened, but this might be my only chance to reach him. Forcing my emotions down, I stood there, refusing to leave until I’d said what I needed to.
    “I came here because I thought maybe, just maybe, we could talk like adults. My son would love to meet his uncle. And I miss the man who used to be my best friend.” His head snapped up, and he opened his mouth to no doubt argue, but I kept talking. “I’m not sorry that I wanted to see you. But I shouldn’t have come here. This is your home, and probably the only safe place you have left. You said you’ve had a long day—I’m sorry I made it worse.” I shrugged because there wasn’t anything else I could do. “I hope one day that we can move on and be friends again. That you’ll come meet my son. And that you’ll forgive me. For everything.”
    I couldn’t even muster the energy to offer a small smile. Instead, I met his eyes one more time, held them a second too long, and hurried back down the hall toward the front door. I heard him swear once, but the blood pounding in my ears drowned out everything else. The cold air was a welcome relief as I burst through the front door.
    Nothing about this