Her Name Was Annie by Beth Rinyu (the little red hen read aloud txt) 📕

“You are such a hypocrite!” Kara shouted.

“Kara,” I coaxed, breaking my pledge of silence, trying to calm her down.

“No, Mom. I can’t believe you’re going to stand there and let him go on and on like he’s the moral police.” Tears rolled down her face, and she narrowed her eyes at Jack. “Well, I guess the thing Ian has going for him that you didn’t—at least he’s not married and cheating on his wife with me.”

“Kara!” I scolded.

“I’m out of here. I’m staying at Mackenzie’s tonight!” She directed the conversation to me, then stormed out. Jack stood there speechless, the only sound being Kara’s car backing out of the driveway, then heading down the street with a screech of her tires.

“She didn’t mean that. She’s just angry.” I raked my hand through my hair, trying to smooth things over.

He let out a defeated breath, then gazed at me with expressive eyes. This was all so new to him. He and Kara were rarely at odds. It was normally her and me who would butt heads. “She was right, and I can say I’m sorry for what I did a million times, but you’ll never forgive me, and apparently she won’t either.”

“Jack, I do forgive you.”

“No, you don’t! You bring it up every chance you can. Every single time we get in an argument, you pull that card out in your defense. Don’t you think if I could go back and change the past, I would? I would change so many things.” His voice cracked with emotion. “But the one thing I wouldn’t change would be marrying you. You were the best part of me, and I blew it because I tried to become that person I told Kara Ian should be. I put all my blood, sweat, and tears into a thankless job, instead of being there for my wife and daughter. Then when the pressure got to be too much, I caved and became that person Kara now sees me as.”

I took a step closer and placed my hand on his shoulder. “That’s not true. Kara loves you very much, you know that,” I whispered.

“I just don’t want to see her get hurt. I know firsthand what the rest of his life is going to be like if she pursues a future with him—and you know firsthand what her life will be like.”

“I do.” I nodded. “But we have to accept it. We can’t control how she’s feeling for someone. As much as we want to protect her, we have to let her go and just be there if she needs us.”

“I’m so sorry for letting you down, letting her down, and letting him down.”

My heart felt like it was being pulled from my chest when Jack’s eyes filled with tears. I threw my arms around him and pulled him closer, feeling his body clench with each sob that escaped him.

I thought back to the day in the coffee shop with Francesca, and how all those feelings for Jack came to the surface. Feelings I was never able to express to him until now. “You didn’t let us down, Jack. You were there for us during the worst of it. Living at that hospital for days, rushing from your daughter’s bedside to mine, not knowing what was going to happen, all while mourning the loss of your son. I realize how agonizing that must’ve been for you, and I’m sorry I was never able to tell you that until now. Thank you for being strong for me, strong for Kara—strong for us, when I couldn’t be. The only thing I could do was just add more grief to how you were feeling by blaming you for it. It was a cross I made you bear for too many years, and you carried it without ever once complaining. So I’m the one who’s sorry.”

He composed himself the best he could, then cleared his throat. “I’ll call Kara in the morning and make this right,” he muttered. “I’m sorry for coming here tonight and acting like such a dick.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. You acted the way any concerned—”

“I really have to get going.”

I was a little baffled by his abruptness, but I didn’t question it. “Jack,” I whispered once he reached the front door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob as I took a few steps toward him until we were only inches apart. “Please don’t shut me out. I really enjoyed getting to know you again over this past month. Now that the circumstances have changed, I feel like maybe we’re headed back to being strangers again. I forgot how much I enjoyed your company, and I was hoping maybe we could have that again—a friendship, like when we first met.”

He removed his hand from the doorknob and placed it on my cheek. “That was a long time ago. Before life changed us into who we are now. I wish I could go back and be that goofy boy you first met. The one who made you happy. The one who made you laugh all the time, but I can’t. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what you need.” He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. “But I don’t think I could honestly ever be just your friend again because I know I’ll always want so much more from us, something that we once had and still could’ve had.” He dropped his gaze to the ground and shook his head. “If things didn’t happen the way they did.”

I was speechless, not knowing how to reply or if I even should. The whole situation was so complicated and all the memories that had been conjured up from years ago were just adding to the mix. I always knew, even through the worst of times, that I still loved Jack. It wasn’t until recently that I was finally able to admit that I had never stopped being in love with him. That was my