Damon ran a hand down his face.“Goddamn.I fucked up.”
“No, you did what you thought best, and I agreed with you at the time.”
“Why didn’t you say anything to me about this?”Damon asked.
“Because you both made it very clear you didn’t want to talk about the other.I knew it hurt to talk about her since you couldn’t be here.”
“She never asked about me?”
Trent sighed but kept his eyes on the road as he drove them home.“The first few months were tense, and I could tell it was hard for her.She came to me one day and said she wanted you out of her mind, and then she made me promise I’d only tell her if anything happened and you got killed.She never asked about you again.”
Hell, that hurt more than he thought it would.“Did she know about the accident?”
“Yes.I told her.She asked if you died, and I said no.She relaxed, nodded, said, ‘Okay,’ then said, ‘thank you,’ and that was it.I could tell the thought of you being killed devastated her, but she’s good at holding her feelings in now.”
At least she cared enough to ask if he was still alive, he thought.
They pulled up outside the house where he’d spent most of his childhood.It had been more of a home to him than his own.His mother died when he was a baby, so his father raised him alone.
His father had grieved so much for his wife that he started drinking to get through the days, and it had only worsened as the years passed.His father hadn’t been abusive, he just hadn’t been present.He worked, came home, and drank, which was his life until he died in a work-related accident.If it hadn’t been for Trent and his family, Damon was afraid he would have ended up in juvenile detention or jail.
He got out of the car and pulled his bag from the back seat before following Trent into the house.Very little had changed over the years.The TV in the family room was bigger and was mounted in a corner so everyone in the room could see it.He could see a group of guys watching a game on it.The furniture was dark leather and more masculine.
“I put you in your regular room.”
Damon nodded.“Anything is good, man.”
Trent opened the door to the room he’d always used when he slept over.The dresser was the same, but the queen-size bed was upgraded to a king.It made the room look smaller, but he didn’t care.He worried more about comfort.He had difficulty getting comfortable because of the broken bones and contusions he’d received overseas.
Damon sighed in relief.He hadn’t been looking forward to sleeping in the bed in which he used to sleep.“Thank you for the bed.”
“I didn’t do it.Emma did.”
Damon’s eyes widened.“Really?When?”
“It was before you left last time.I should have thought of it, but guys don’t think about that shit.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have either.I’ll tell her thank you when I see her,” Damon said.
Trent looked away.He tried to look nonchalant, but Damon could tell something was up.
“What’s going on, Trent?”
“She hasn’t been back home since she left.”
What the fuck was that about?“Did you guys get in a fight?”
Trent shook his head.“No.”
“What changed?”Damon asked.
“I started dating Marley, and she stays over a lot.”
“Would that have upset her?Does she not like Marley?”
“No.They seemed to get along just fine.When she moved out, Marley said she tried to talk her into staying several times, but Emma wouldn’t.”
Everything Trent said wasn’t like Emma, which worried him.He’d do whatever he could to get to the bottom of it.“I’ve got some steaks thawed for grilling later.Do you want to come out and have a beer with me?Marley will be over soon.”