A Sound Like Hope (Fallen Tuesday #3) (14 page)

When Trent left the house and Emily
was alone, she tried to process everything. Her mind and heart were locked in a
battle over what was right and what was wrong. There was just something about
Trent, if she stripped away all the rockstar stuff, that made him seem so
human, so real, and maybe even vulnerable.

Emily went to the front door and
opened it a little. She wanted to watch Trent and Nick together. Most of all, she
wanted to watch Trent. She wanted to see the way his jeans looked on his body.
The way his t-shirt pulled tight in all the right places, showing off just
enough muscle to keep her mind wondering.

To Emily
’
s surprise, there was no skateboarding going on.
Instead, the skateboard was in the front grass along with the helmet and Nick
sat on the back of Trent
’
s
car. Emily opened the door more and was going to say something to Nick, but
Trent was there and with a quick wave, Nick jumped down. Emily backed up into
the house and heard them talking as they approached the house. They didn
’
t come inside though. They sat
at the bottom step of the porch.

Emily wasn
’
t sure if she should have been listening, but she
figured it was her nephew so she had every right to hear what was going on.

“
So,
the girl at the pizza place...
”
Trent said.

“
Shut
up,
”
Nick snapped.

Emily cringed. Why did he have to
talk like that?

“
Hey,
take it easy,
”
Trent said.
“
You can
’
t just snap like that, man. Not good for anyone
when you do that. I
’
m just
asking about her. She a girl you like?
”

“
Did
you see her?
”
Nick asked.
“
She
’
s pretty, right?
”

“
Yeah,
”
Trent said.
“
I
’
ll
tell you one thing, her face looked excited when she saw you.
”

“
You
think?
”
Nick asked.

“
Definitely.
You should have talked to her.
”

“
No
way. She
’
s too popular.
”

“
So
what?
”

“
I
’
m
…
not.
”

Trent put a hand on Nick
’
s back and patted it for a
second. Emily nibbled on her bottom lip. This was why she despised Nick
’
s father so much. Didn
’
t anyone understand how
important it was for moments like these?

“
Then
what are you?
”
Trent asked.

“
People
call me an orphan,
”
Nick
said.
“
They say that I
’
m scummy and look like a dog
because I have long hair. It really pisses me off.
”

“
It
would piss me off too,
”
Trent said.
“
But you can
’
t let people get to you. I work
in a world, Nick, where there are millions of people waiting for me to mess up.
And you know what? I messed up because I let some guy that was picking on me
get to me.
”

“
Yeah,
”
Nick said.
“
I just don
’
t want her
…
Gina
…
to make fun of me too.
”

“
If
she
’
s worth hanging out
with, she won
’
t make fun of
you.
”

Nick looked at Trent then. He moved
the hair from his eyes.
“
Do
you like my aunt?
”

Trent laughed.
“
What kind of question is that?
”

“
I
don
’
t know. Just a
question. It
’
s kind of cool
that you
’
re famous and hang
around here. Some kids at school asked me if it was true about you being in
town.
”

“
There
you go then,
”
Trent said.
“
You
’
re the coolest kid in school, man. You have a
rockstar to hang out with. They don
’
t.
”

“
Cool.
”

“
Hey,
I
’
m not going to give up on
talking about that fire.
”

“
It
was nothing. I was bored. Annoyed.
”

“
That
’
s all?
”
Trent asked.

“
I
was thinking about leaving, okay?
”

“
Leaving
where?
”

“
Here,
”
Nick said.

“
Emily
’
s house?
”
Trent asked.
“
Why?
It seems like a nice place. A roof. Food. Someone who loves you.
”

“
I
’
m a pain in her ass,
”
Nick said.
“
I hate myself for it. She looks
sad sometimes, like I
’
m in
the way. Like I
’
m stopping
her life. I didn
’
t want to
come here
…”

Emily sucked in a breath and tears
filled her eyes.

Was this how Nick really felt?

“
You
are a pain in the ass, Nick,
”
Trent said,
“
but that doesn
’
t mean you should just up and
leave.
”

“
Well,
whatever. I went to the barn and was going to crash there for the night. It was
cold out, so I tried to light a fire.
”

“
I
’
m guessing you got a fire to
light?
”

“
Yeah.
Then it got out of hand and I ran away.
”

“
Wow,
”
Trent said.

“
I
felt bad. But it was too late to do anything. Now I
’
m here.
”

“
Just
try to keep your head straight.
”

“
Is
that what you do?
”
Nick
asked.

Trent laughed again.
“
I don
’
t know what I do, Nick. I
’
m not sure I
’
m
the best example in life, but I
’
m
doing what I can here. I just need you to listen to your aunt. Quit getting
into stupid trouble. And don
’
t
let a girl rip your heart apart. I went down that road once and it
’
s not pretty.
”

“
What
does that mean?
”

“
Just
don
’
t fall short of
yourself,
”
Trent said.
“
You
’
re a smart, talented kid. Don
’
t let anyone take that from you.
Even in the face of all this you
’
re
going through. With your mother and father taking off and everything.
”

“
My
mother didn
’
t take off.
”

Emily shook her head.
No
…
please
…
don
’
t, Nick
…

“
Where
is she?
”
Trent asked.

“
She
’
s dead.
”

The silence that followed allowed
Emily to hear her heart pounding in her chest.

“
Oh,
”
Trent managed to say.
“
I
’
m
…
so sorry, Nick.
”

“
I
don
’
t want to talk anymore.
I think I
’
m going to go to
bed. I
’
m kind of tired.
”

“
Sure.
”

Nick stood and turned. Trent looked
back and instead of looking at Nick, his eyes met with Emily
’
s. She knew her eyes were
glistening with tears still. Trent jumped up and ran toward the door. Emily
thought for a second about slamming and locking the door. She was frozen and
couldn
’
t do a thing. Trent
opened the door and reached for her arm.

“
Your
sister passed away?
”
he
whispered.

Emily nodded.

“
And
his father left?
”

“
Yes,
”
Emily
’
s voice cracked.

“
What
the hell
…
? You should have
told me, Emily.
”

“
I
…
it
’
s hard
…”

Emily saw a look of rage and
concern spill across Trent
’
s
face. She never felt so exposed before. Trent reached for her other hand and
gently pulled at her.

“
Come
here,
”
he said.
“
For a second.
”

Emily knew she shouldn
’
t have stepped into Trent, but
she couldn
’
t help it. He
was tall, strong, handsome. He knew a deep secret now and the pain felt very
fresh in Emily
’
s heart.
Plus, it felt so good to have a man
’
s
arms around her, holding her tight and making her feel like it was okay to be
just a little weak.

“
I
’
m so sorry, Emily,
”
Trent said.
“
I didn
’
t know. I
…”

“
There
’
s nothing you can do about it,
”
Emily said.

“
I
want to find a way to do something about it.
”

Emily looked up at Trent.
“
Like what? She
’
s gone. He
’
s gone. Nick is with me. This is
my life
…”

Trent touched her face. One of his
fingers drew a line down her cheek and along her jaw. He stopped at her chin
and Emily seized the moment. She moved to her toes and closed in on Trent
’
s lips. She kissed him first,
but Trent quickly took control. When he slowly parted his mouth, he did the
same to Emily
’
s. Although
her mind begged her not to let him keep kissing her, her heart raced so fast
that she knew it had to be right. Or maybe it was right and wrong colliding
together. Whatever it was, the taste of Trent
’
s
mouth curled Emily
’
s toes
in her shoes. This wasn
’
t
just a kiss, this was
the
kiss.

When she suddenly realized that she
was inside her house and he was technically still outside, she pulled back.

They stared at each other.

“
I
…
uh
…
,
”
Trent looked flustered.

“
Can
I tell you about her?
”
Emily asked.

“
I
would like that.
”

“
After
Nick goes to sleep though, okay?
”

“
Does
that mean I
’
m staying for a
while?
”

Emily nodded.
“
Unless you have something more
important. It
’
s totally
fine.
”

“
Right
now, Emily, nothing is more important than what
’
s
standing in front of me.
”

Emily
’
s
heart skipped a beat and her body warmed over in a way she hadn
’
t felt in a long time. Her mind
was now in agreement with her heart. She wanted Trent.
Bad.
Maybe for a
night, maybe for longer, but she knew she really wanted him.

(12)

Trent licked his lips at least ten
times when Emily wasn
’
t
looking. He wanted to taste her again. He wanted to touch her face, pull her
close, kiss her. He wanted her to open up so that she didn't have to shield her
pain. Trent wanted to take her pain away. It wasn
’
t
fair for Emily to have to endure so much and still take care of Nick. It was a
beautiful wonder how she did it all while keeping a straight face and open
heart. If Trent had been tripping over his own two feet because of Emily, he
was now starting to fall. There was a cut on his elbow from the fall off the
skateboard, but this fall would go straight to his heart.

Nick went to sleep and Emily invited
Trent to sit out back on a small deck to have a drink. Trent was happy to just
be in Emily
’
s presence. She
opted for a bottle of wine, but only grabbed one glass. She sat down and looked
at Trent, guilt flooding her eyes.

“
What
’
s wrong?
”
he asked.

“
I
would offer you some,
”
she
said,
“
but I
’
m not sure if I should.
”

“
You
think I
’
m a stereotypical
drunken rockstar?
”
Trent
asked.

“
No.
I just
…
don
’
t know.
”

As painful as that was to hear,
Emily had every right to worry about him drinking. The video online sure didn
’
t help his case, but maybe Trent
could tell her the truth.

“
Nick
is asleep?
”
Trent asked.

“
Out
cold,
”
Emily said.
“
I will give him credit, when he
’
s tired, he sleeps. I just hope
every night he stays asleep and doesn
’
t
sneak out and cause trouble. Or cry.
”

“
He
cries?
”

“
I
caught him once,
”
Emily
said.
“
He got really angry
with me over it.
”

“
He
was embarrassed,
”
Trent
said.
“
Manly thing, that
’
s all.
”

Emily drank her wine and before she
could put the glass down, her other hand had the bottle, ready to pour another
one. Trent was going to make a comment about it, but he didn
’
t want to be an ass to Emily
right now. If this was her way of opening the floodgates to her heart, then he
’
d take it any way he could.

“
Just
for the record, I
’
m not a
bad guy,
”
Trent said.
“
At least I don
’
t think so. That video wasn
’
t me at my best moment. I
’
m sure we all have those, right?
”

“
Of
course.
”

“
The
difference is that there
’
s
a lot of people out there interested in seeing someone from Fallen Tuesday do
something stupid. Figures it would be me.
”

Emily smiled.
“
So, tell me about your father.
Since you seem to relate to Nick on that.
”

“
My
father left when I was a kid,
”
Trent said.
“
He would come
back, make some promises, and then disappear again. Over and over. It always
seemed that when I reached my breaking point and wanted to give up, he would
return. It would make me feel so alive, you know? But then he left once and
never came back. That was a hard truth to swallow.
”

“
I
’
m sorry about that,
”
Emily said.
“
My parents are in Florida.
Retired. Happy. They have a simple life and I
’
m
happy for them. Kind of strange how my parents are so normal and I had a normal
childhood, but yet right now it
’
s
all a big mess around me.
”

“
That
’
s not strange,
”
Trent said.
“
That
’
s life. It comes and goes in waves.
”

“
Waves?
”
Emily asked.
“
This is a tidal wave, Trent.
Some giant rogue wave or something.
”

Trent laughed.
“
Yeah, I get the picture.
”

“
I
used to change Nicholas
’
s
…
I
’
m
sorry, Nick
’
s diapers. I
never thought fast forward ten years he
’
d
be under my care.
”

“
That
’
s hard,
”
Trent said. He stood up and carried his chair and
plopped it right next to Emily.
“
Tell
me, Emily. About her.
”

“
Amelia?
My sister?
”

Trent nodded. He spotted Emily
’
s hand clenching the arm of the
chair. Trent put his hand on Emily
’
s.

“
I
’
m listening,
”
he said.
“
Take your time, if you want to
tell me.
”

Emily let out a shaky breath.
“
It
’
s
okay. I
’
ll talk about it
now.
”

“
Good.
”

“
Amelia
was older than me by five years. We really didn
’
t
get to know each other until we were in our twenties. I mean, we loved each
other, and lived with each other growing up obviously, but that five year
difference kept us apart.
”

“
Of
course,
”
Trent said.

“
She
was always kind of wild. Sometimes got into trouble. But when she met Neil,
everything changed. He had the bad boy image and was a jerk from day one. But Amelia
fell for him hard and fast.
”

Bad boy image
…

Trent looked at his hand on Emily
’
s and wondered if Emily was
starting to follow the same footsteps as her sister.

“
Nobody
really liked that they were together, but we all thought it would come to an
end. And it did, about eight times. Break up, get back together. Break up, get
back together. Over and over. And each time it happened, Amelia would say that
her heart actually hurt. I never read anything into it, but it turned out she
was right. She had a problem with her heart.
”

“
What
was wrong?
”

“
I
’
ll get there,
”
Emily said.
“
She got back together with Neil
and within a couple months she was pregnant with Nick. It was a complete shock
to everyone, and as mad as we wanted to be, we knew it wasn
’
t fair to the baby. To Nick. How
could any of us want to punish him for something his mother and father did? You
’
ve seen Nick. He
’
s amazing. A beautiful little
boy. His father wasn
’
t
there when he was born, or for the first six months. Then the same cycle
started again. Neil would come around with some money and want to have a
family. When the family thing wore on him, he would leave. Back and forth, in
and out of Nick
’
s life. Meanwhile,
Amelia started to complain of aches and pains. Then one night she collapsed. It
was right after she found out Neil had left to live with another woman. There
was a rumor that this woman was pregnant with his baby, but I don
’
t know if that was ever true or
not.
”

Trent watched Emily wipe her eyes
with her free hand. He squeezed her other hand and Emily slowly turned her
hand. Their fingers interlocked and Trent smiled. He wasn
’
t sure when the last time he
held a woman
’
s hand like
this was. It was nice. It was peaceful. Damn, it turned him on. He let her
continue, not wanting to interrupt her for fear she would stop sharing her
story with him.

“
That
’
s when we found out she had
something wrong with her heart,
”
Emily said.
“
I don
’
t remember the medical term for
it all, but basically, doctors needed to operate on her right on the spot. Nick
was young. Thankfully, my parents were able to help with Nick. I had my own
life. I regret not being there more for Amelia, but it was hard to see her like
that. To see her weak and sick. You know?
”

“
I
know,
”
Trent said.

“
She
started to get better and then Neil came back. They got settled again and Neil
actually stayed for almost a year. I thought for a second things were finally
going to work out for everyone. My parents announced they were moving to
Florida. I moved here and started working with a close friend at her fitness
center. And Amelia and Nick and Neil seemed to have their little family. All
was well.
”

“
Yeah,
that
’
s usually when things
go wrong.
”

“
Very
wrong,
”
Emily said.
“
Amelia and Neil got into an
argument over money. She found drugs in one of his drawers and I guess he had
been using their money to get his fixes. I don
’
t
know what exactly happened that night, but the stress and strain of it all was
too much for Amelia
’
s poor
heart. Neil left that night and Amelia called one of her friend
’
s to come over. By the time her
friend Jessica got there, Amelia was on the bed, just
…
gone
…”

“
Christ,
”
Trent said. Trent took his hand
from Emily
’
s and put his
arm around her shoulder. He used his other hand to hold Emily
’
s hand again. She was shaking
from crying.

“
Her
heart gave out,
”
Emily
said.
“
That
’
s all there was to it.
Everything became a tragic blur and there was Nick in the background of it all.
He had been having some hard times in school and getting into trouble, partly
because Amelia felt guilty and never disciplined him.
”

“
She
was probably just trying to do what felt right,
”
Trent said.
“
That
’
s a hard road to be on.
”

“
The
one I
’
m on now,
”
Emily said.
“
Because Nick
’
s father wanted nothing to do
with being a single parent. My parents were settled in Florida. And just like
that, all eyes were upon me. If I hadn
’
t
taken Nick in, he would have been sent away
…”

“
My
gosh, Emily,
”
Trent said.
“
You are the bravest person I
’
ve ever met for all this. You
need to give yourself more credit for what you
’
ve
done. You saved that kid upstairs. I hope you know that."

“
Saved?
”
Emily asked.
“
Tell that to my neighbor and the
ashes of his barn in his backyard. The police know me by name. Lawyers love
seeing my name on their caller ID. I
’
m
pretty sure I
’
m on speed
dial on the school
’
s phone.
”

“
That
’
ll end,
”
Trent said.
“
Nick
is hurting. Just like you. He doesn
’
t
know how to control it. I know you were listening to us before. You heard what
he said about feeling like a pain in the ass, right?
”

“
I
heard,
”
Emily said.
“
And that hurt me.
”
Emily looked at Trent.
“
A lot.
”

The sun had pretty much set. There
wasn
’
t much light left, but
there was just enough around Emily
’
s
beautiful face.

“
It
will be okay,
”
Trent said.
“
It has to be. Someday.
”

Trent moved closer and Emily moved
at him. Their foreheads touched but nothing else happened. Trent wasn
’
t sure if it was the right
moment or not. He wasn
’
t
sure if Emily wanted to really kiss him again or if she was just losing herself
to her emotions.

“
I
need a drink,
”
Emily said.

“
I
’
m sure you do,
”
Trent said.

He moved away and watched Emily
pour another glass of wine. He slowly took his hand from Emily
’
s shoulder and she quickly
grabbed his hand and kept it in place. She squeezed his hand and let out a
whimper.