CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
BRENDA

I’d wanted to protest when Stacey ran into my classroom to drag me to the staff break room. I didn’t want to listen to Cash, or hear his apology. I wanted to be angry at him and never let go of this anger. So I could get through my day. But she’d put her foot down and had even enlisted the help of one of the substitute teachers that happened to be walking by to stand in for me in my classroom.

By the time the interview was over I was a wreck. I couldn’t believe that he did something like sing a song for me, that he wrote for me, on the radio and he’d paid off the medical bills from my cancer treatment. And that he’d so publicly apologized. On live radio.

“Oh my God. I might have to stop hating him,” Stacey sobbed as she pulled out another swatch of paper towel to wipe her nose with from the dispenser. “I can’t believe he did that.”

“I know,” I answered, pulling out my own swatch. “It’s so sweet. And that song! It was so amazing.”

“So, you forgive him?” Stacey asked, and I saw the hope in her eyes. I wanted to second-guess myself, I wanted to say no, but I deserved a real chance at love didn’t I? “Come on, Bren. You deserve this. I know that’s what you’re questioning behind those secretive little eyes of yours. I’ve never heard my brother apologize for anything, but he just did. I was kind of against this from the start but now? Seeing how you affect him? How does he affects you? You deserve this chance, Bren, you really do. So, girl, take it.”

“I have to finish the day out, I can’t just leave in the middle of the day. But yeah, I think I’ll go by your parents’ house later and talk to him. I can’t believe he did that.” I wiped gently at my eyes one last time and then stood up. “Do I look like I’ve been crying?”

“You do, but like it was from a good cry. Not the bad cry kind.” Stacey dabbed at my left eye to clean up some eyeliner and then nodded. “Okay, let’s finish this day and try not to lose our minds.”

My instinct was to run to him now, to go to him now. To make the wait end, but I couldn’t just abandon the kids. I’d lose my teaching license, so I waited it out, watching the clock slowly tick by, certain that time had suddenly stood still.

Something twisted for me in that moment when he sang that song. I realized how much I love him and probably always would. And that I’d been just as afraid of love as he was. This was real love, the kind that would last a lifetime. I’d been afraid of so many things, but with that song, he told me to stop being afraid, to take a chance on him.

He deserved one more chance, as far as I was concerned.

Still, I had to be an adult and wait until the end of the day before I made a move. But once that moment came, once I was in my car and the engine was running, I sped over to his parents’ house. I get there just as he’s putting a suitcase in his Dad’s car. Cash went completely still as he spotted me.

We just stood there, the late afternoon sun catching the colors of his hair, my heart pounding with all that I wanted to say but could not find the words for. Then he looked into my eyes and all else was forgotten. He dropped his suitcase and rushed to me, pulling me into an embrace so tight I could feel it through every part of my body. I’d wanted to run into his arms, but my feet were rooted in place, the moment suspended in time as we both savored it.

He held me until I finally let go of a long breath and nestled against him. His lips were soft on mine, gentle at first as if he was afraid to break the spell, then more passionate as we both felt our love burst free from its bubble prison.

When he pulled back he smiled at me, his face open with love and hope for us both. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry for everything that happened between us and for the way I acted. It was wrong of me and I know that now.”

I shook my head, tears welling in my eyes. “No, you don’t have to apologize. You paid for my medical bills, Cash. That’s so…so generous.” I felt guilty being mad when he’d done something so kind and selfless for me.

He smiled gently, cupping my face in his hands. I almost sobbed in joy, tears spilling from my eyes.

“I’d pay it over and over again if it made your life easier,” he said solemnly. His gaze softened as he looked into my eyes, seeing all of me with a single glance.

“I’m going to love you through it all, Bren. Through the good times and the bad…but especially if your cancer ever comes back.” He took a deep breath before continuing, his voice gentle but resolute. “Whatever happens between us or whatever may come our way, I want to love you through it all. And I mean, it’s not going to be easy to love me. I’ll be on the road a lot, but not as much as I used to be. You’re so important to me, more important than record sales.”

I felt my heart swell with emotion, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I love you too Cash,” I whispered, before kissing him once again.

As we continued to embrace, I realized that forgiving Cash and giving him another chance was the best decision I could have made. Being with him filled me with an inexplicable joy that I hadn’t felt in years. I knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but I was willing to fight for our love. I was willing to love him through it all.

And as we stood there, lost in each other’s eyes, I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, this was the start of something beautiful.