Walk Me Down by HJ Bellus Read Free Book Online Page B

at Scarlett’s normal conversation with Wes. I know the girl way too well and know beyond any doubt she’d rather have his dick in her mouth than talk about tomorrow’s weather. It’s easy to get lost in their conversation and the idea of a typical relationship.
    “How long are you here for, Scarlett?”
    “Just the summer with Tess. Neither of us are one hundred percent sure what we are going to do with our degrees or where we will go.”
    “And your degree is in?”
    “Accounting.”
     
    “Tessa’s?”
    “Nursing.”
    “I can see that. She seems like a real genuine person from everything Finn has told me.”
    “He talks about her?” Scarlett asks.
    “Since the day he met her in our dad’s office. He says he can’t explain it, but there’s something about her.”
    “Did he tell you about her leg?”
    “I had no idea until tonight. I guarantee you Finn is going batshit crazy right now. As soon as I drop you girls off I’ll go find him.”
    “Why?”
    “Finn is the family member who has a heart of gold. He wouldn’t talk bad about his worst enemy. That’s why Kara is always leeching around him. Call it a good or a bad quality, but that’s him. There’s two things Finn has always wanted: Granddaddy’s farm and the love of a woman. Finn was only six when we lost our momma. Drives Dad nuts because he’s as genuine as her. Not cutthroat like the Evans’ side.”
    The truck comes to a halt and I can tell by the yard lights that we are outside Will and Tommie’s three-car garage.
    “Finn’s an ass,” I mumble and make my way out of the truck not stopping to listening to Wes or Scarlett argue with me.
    Making my way in the house, I notice Scarlett stays behind in the truck. I crack open the door to Tommie’s room. I don’t want to be alone right now.
    “Tommie,” I whisper.
    No reply. I grab a pair of her shorts from her top drawer, slide into them and sit on the edge of the bed removing the piece of metal that reminds me daily of the moment I lost my parents.
    “Tess,” finally a whisper comes from my sister.
    Will bolts straight up in bed. “Everything okay? What’s going on?”
    “I don’t want to be alone anymore,” I say through my tears.
    Both Tommie and Will are now sitting straight up facing me at the bottom of their bed.
    “Are you okay?” Will finally asks.
    I just nod in the darkness. The one stream of moonlight is enough light to show my signal of yes, and then I begin to crawl up to my sister just like I did when I was younger.
    “Come here, Tess,” she whispers.
    I snuggle deep down in between her and Will. The soothing motion of a hand on my hair really makes me lose my self-control and I cry. She undoes my braid and begins to comb my hair out with her fingers and braid it. It’s a nervous habit that Momma passed down.
    Finally, I admit out loud what everyone already knows, “I just want to love Finn and be young and carefree. I gave it a shot tonight and it all blew up in my face.”
    My words silence the room and begin to control my sobs.
    “We love you, Tess, and you will find love one day. Now go to sleep,” Will says.
    I giggle at the picture of me snuggled between my sister and her husband. Any other brother in law would have told me to kick rocks and get over my insecurities. Not Will. His love runs that deep for his wife.
    “But you do know this really affects our baby making skills with you between us, right?”
    We all start to laugh at the comment, and I squeal, “Ewww, TMI.”
     
    The laughter slowly dies out, and I concentrate on Tommie’s hands braiding and unbraiding my hair. In the dark room, I silently wish for a chance of a future with Finn with no drama and insecurities just love, freedom and opportunities to be free.              
     

Chapter 6
You’re Going To Regret This…
    “Get up. We’re going to the river.”
    “C’mon, bouncy bouncy,” I hear and feel the bed shake.
    Pulling the blankets over my head, I hope the two