"I don't understand. They found your body," I shook my head in disbelief as my dad sat on the couch right in front of me.
Rhett left my dad, Sawyer, and I alone in the living room so we could talk in privacy. Even though that was five minutes ago, I finally was able to make myself speak.
My dad let out an audible sigh and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"That wasn't my body. It was a hiker's that happened to have the same color hair. The police didn't even test the DNA. They just assumed it was me."
Then why did he never come home?
I was kind of hurt and angry at my dad now that the initial shock has worn off. If he was never dead, then what was his excuse for never coming back to us? For abandoning his family and letting us grieve?
An angry tear rolled down my cheek, and when my dad tried to wipe it, I smacked his hand away.
"So you just let us believe you were dead then? Do you know what losin' you did to us?" I replied with hurt laced in my voice.
"Rae... I had no choice."
I looked at my dad with a sardonic smile and scoffed at his words.
"No choice? There is always a choice."
"Listen to me," my dad rested his hand on mine in an attempt to calm me down. "If it weren't for that hiker, I would've been dead—for real. That thing that tried to attack you, attacked me. It sunk it's teeth in me before it saw that man. I only survived because it attacked that guy and left me alone. Jason found me on the ground while it ripped the hiker apart. About an hour later, I was no longer human. Jason explained everythin' to me and what it meant to be one of them. I had no choice because I wasn't about to put my family in danger. Stayin' away from you guys was the only choice I had."
I turned my head away from him and looked at my brother, who was looking out the window. It was easy to understand his thinking because it's probably what I would've thought too, but it doesn't lessen how abandoned I feel right now. The past two years I've been grieving him. He's missed out on so much of my life since he's been gone.
"What about Sawyer then? He didn't leave."
It was Sawyer's turn to speak, "They tried to get me to not go home, but I told them that I couldn't do that to you guys. You couldn't go through what we went through with dad again. I didn't think you guys could get through it. So, I compromised and kept my distance to keep everyone safe."
When I didn't speak, my dad cleared his throat and explained, "When I finally got control of myself, I wanted to come back, but the police identified that body as mine. I was declared dead, so there was no way. I couldn't come back after that."
I nodded understandingly at him. We had a funeral two days after the police identified the body. It would've been traumatizing if he would've shown up out of nowhere, and he would have to explain himself, which would be impossible considering his circumstances.
After hearing the truth, I feel like a weight is lifted off of my shoulders. I actually feel content. My brother was never really gone. He was protecting me, and my dad is sitting in front of me. I won't be spending almost every night wishing that I had one more chance to see him to say goodbye and tell him that I love him. He was here, alive.
"I've missed you so much, dad."
He gave me a warm smile and whispered, "I've missed you too."
I wrapped my arms around him again and felt another set of arms around me. Sawyer was hugging us too, which made me let out a small giggle. Everything that has been going on in my life lately was suddenly insignificant in this moment.
We got to catch up for about another hour before Rhett showed up and offered me a ride home, which was a good idea because I didn't realize that it was so late and that I missed a bunch of calls from my mom and grandma. They were probably freaking out. Even though I got to talk with my dad, I still felt a sense of longing when it was time to say bye to him. It was hard to get into the truck and him to not come with me after just getting him back.
The first few minutes of the drive was quiet and tension filled the air in the cab of the truck. The events of everything that happened tonight kept playing in my head, making me wonder if it all really happened. I kept thinking of the black wolf or Vargulf, as they call it, and the look in it's eyes right before it lunged. I also couldn't stop thinking of Rhett's eyes in his wolf form.
Why can't I get them out of my head?
I squeeze my eyes shut in attempt to erase their image from my thoughts, but fail miserably. It doesn't help when Rhett breaks our silence.
"I'm sorry about your dad and brother."
Those were words that I wasn't expecting to come out of his mouth. He has seemed like a cold, guarded person.
"I'm sorry about how the town treats you and your dad."
"Touché," he smirked and kept his eyes trained on the road.
My eyes lingered on his silhouette before I looked down at my hands on my lap. I genuinely did feel sorry about that. That's why I've casually defended him when I would hear gossip. For some reason, I knew that he wasn't involved in what people said he was. I never even said one word to the guy, but something in me felt like I knew him.
The last two weeks I thought that my instinct was wrong about Rhett because of how Sawyer changed when he started hanging out with him. The last two weeks I was like everyone else in town, and I feel ashamed now knowing that I was doing what I was so against. I haven't been myself. My judgement was clouded by anger.
But now I'm not angry anymore. I don't know what I am, but I know that I've changed too. My eyes have been opened up to a whole new reality that I didn't know existed. Now I'm part of it, and I have to embrace it. I have to give Rhett that chance no one else will give him.
"I know it was you that night," I looked up at Rhett to find him eyeing me curiously.
"What was me?" He asked as he down-shifted the truck.
"The wolf. The one that followed me home from Sugar's."
The moonlight showed something in his eyes when he glanced over at me—maybe humor?
"And what makes you think that?"
I absently played with a strand of my hair as I answered him, "Your eyes."
A light chuckle filled the small space between us, "My eyes?"
An embarrassed smile broke out across my face, and I laughed with him.
"Yes, your eyes. I don't know," I shook my head at myself. "I just felt that those glowin', green eyes looked familiar somehow. It wasn't until I saw you tonight that I knew for sure."
Although I expected for him to deny it, he didn't. He just stayed silent and looked forward, so I decided to speak again.
"Why did you...follow me home?"
Rhett licked his lips in a nervous fashion, something I haven't seen from him before. He's usually so void of emotion.
"To make sure you were okay," He confessed, and goosebumps immediately covered my arms. His eyes were bouncing back and forth between the road and me as if he was trying to see my reaction. Something in his voice made my heart speed up and made me want to blush. By why? It's just a nice gesture. "I heard your fight with Sawyer...about me and how upset you were. I wanted to make sure you got home okay since you left by yourself. It's dangerous as you now know—with that Vargulf out there and everythin'."
"You heard?" I said more as a statement than I question.
I remember him being across the room.
"Yeah. Werewolf hearin'," he tapped on his right ear. "Thanks by the way."
I was taken back. What would he need to thank me for? I didn't do anything.
"For what?" My eyebrows furrowed and our eyes locked.
"For not lookin' at me like everyone else when I walked in there that night."
Although it was dark, I could see a small smile tug at his lips. I also saw him—really saw the guy that no one else seems to see. Behind the mysterious, guarded, bad boy of Darling was a real, authentic person. There was a side of him that no one sees or knows. He is a lot like me in that aspect, which is something that I understand completely.
"There's no other way to look at you."
Rhett held his gaze with mine, and a foreign feeling washed over me. His eyelashes fluttered downwards before he turned his attention back on the dirt road. For the rest of the drive, we sat in silence, but the previous tension when we first got into the truck was gone. I looked out my window at the darkness, and all I could think about are the glowing eyes staring back at me from that night and the real face behind them.
•••
A/N
I'm so excited to finally write a Rhett and Rae moment! What did you guys think? Thoughts about her dad? About Rhett? ;)
Thanks for reading! Comment and vote!(: