Connected by the Tide (20 page)

“Just stop being a brat and open the door.”

She walked across the w
ooden floor then opened it. “What?”

Henry pushed the door open and walked inside. He sat on her bed then patted the spot next to him. Her room was tiny. Her bed
took up most of the room. She had a desk pushed against the wall. There was a small window but no television.

She sighed then sat beside him.

“What’s going on, Jackie?”

She crossed her arms over her chest
and crossed her legs, then averted her gaze. “Nothing.”

He knew she was going to be difficult. She was completely cut off from him, putting up a shield. He decided to go about it in a different way. “I miss you.”

She said nothing.

“Let’s get some dinner together tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean
, why? I want to see you.”

She shifted her weight on the bed then looked at the floor.

“I heard you had a boyfriend.”

“We broke up.”

He nodded. “You’re too good for him anyway. You’ll meet someone better.”

Her responses were still short.

“You’ll find someone who loves you the way I love Ren. They’ll do anything for you just to see you smile. Don’t worry about it.”

“What happened with Sydney? I thought you loved her?”

“I did. I don’t anymore. Now I love Ren.”

“Since when?”

“We’ve been dating for a few months.”

“I would
n’t know, since I haven’t seen you,” she snapped.

He bowed his head, feeling ashamed. “I was just busy, Jackie. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to see you.”

She still didn’t look at him. “I can’t do this by myself. I can’t carry Mom forever. She’s still a mess, crying all the time. I can’t stand it. I want to leave just so I don’t have to deal with it anymore. You’ve totally abandoned us.”

“Hey,” he said, looking into her face. “I’ll never abandon you. I’m always here, Jackie. Don’t ever doubt that for a second.”

“Then why haven’t you even called? The last time you came over, it was three months ago. I fell asleep, and then you were gone.”

“Like I said, I was just busy.”

“Spending time with your girlfriend doesn’t qualify as busy.”

He sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But I won’t make that mistake again.”

She said nothing.

“Jackie, look at me.”

“No.”

“What do you want me to do? I need to move on with my life. You do
, too.”

“And what about
Mom?”

“As much as we both love her, we can’t stop our lives just to make hers better. If you want to move out, you should.
We could work something out. I could be your legal guardian.”

“I feel too guilty.”

“Don’t.”

“And then Bryce just makes it worse.”

“Our brother isn’t our problem, either.”

She sighed. “It just stresses me out.”

He grabbed her hand. “Don’t let this eat you up. If you want to move out, then move out. Mom always has me. We can get an apartment together, and I’ll support you. I’ll take care of everything.”

She sighed loudly.

He squeezed her fingers. “Jackie, we’re a family. We’ll get through this.”

“I just hate seeing her depressed all the time.”

“Dad has been dead for a year. She needs to move on. We can’t rush it. We just have to wait.”

She pulled her hand away and placed it in her lap. “I just get scared.”

“I know. I do, too.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to lose you
, too.”

“That’s impossible, Jackie.”

“First it’s Dad, and then it’s Bryce.”

“But that won’t happen to me, okay?”

Tears started to coat her eyes. “I can’t lose you, too. You’re all I have.”

“Come here.” He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. “We’re family. Families stick together.”

She sniffed. “Ren isn’t going to take you away?”

“Never.”

“She seems really nice.”

“She’s amazing.”

“You really love her?”

“More than I could ever explain.”

“I’m glad you forgot about Sydney. She saw right through you. It was like you weren’t even there.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you still friends?”

“We’ll always be friends.”

She pulled away. “I’m glad you found someone who treats you well.”

“You’ll find it
, too. It’ll fill this void in your heart forever.”

She wiped her tears away. “I hope so.”

“So, dinner tomorrow night?”

She nodded. “You can bring Ren.”

“Thanks. I was planning on it.” He patted her knee. “I’ll see you then.”

“Okay.”

He smiled at her then left her bedroom. When he returned to the kitchen, Ren and his mother were sitting at the kitchen table, still talking. He kissed her on the forehead. “Ready to go, baby?”

“Sure,” she said as she stood. “Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Bruin.”

“Anytime, dear.” She stood up and walked with them to the door.

Henry opened the door and let Ren step out first before he turned to his mother. He pulled out his wallet then handed her
an envelope, her weekly allowance.

“I can’t keep taking this from you, Henry,” she whispered.

“It’s okay, really. I don’t need it.”

With shaky hands, she put it in her pocket. “I don’t deserve such a wonderful son like you.” She grabbed his face and kissed him on the cheek. She looked at him, sadness in her eyes. “Have you see
n Bryce lately? It’s been a year.”

Henry didn’t know what to say. His brother was always a hard subject. “No.”

She nodded. “God, I hope he’s okay.”

“I’m sure he’s fine.”

“I just miss my baby.”

“I miss him too.”

She sighed. “At least my second son is wonderful.”

He smiled. “You raised me well.”

“You remind me of your father.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Sam turned to Ren. “Thank you for making my son so happy.”

Ren blushed then nodded.

Henry hugged her. “’Bye, Mom.”

“
’Bye.”

Henry took Ren’s hand then guided her to the car. After he put her in the passenger seat, he started the car and drove away. He held her hand on his thigh, holding it tightly.
Nothing was said on the drive home. The atmosphere was much different from the way it was when they were driving there. Henry waited for her to ask her questions, wondering about his father, his brother, and his sister’s behavior, but she never asked. He was surprised. He didn’t like discussing his family and their hardships, but he felt different with Renee. He could tell her anything.

They arrived at Ren’s house then walked inside. Without speaking, Ren went into the bedroom. She fed Perry and patted him on the head before she walked up to Henry, looking at him. She still didn’t say anything.

He met her gaze, unsure of what she was thinking. They stood there awkwardly. “I’m surprised you haven’t asked me anything,” he whispered.

“I’m here to listen when you’re ready to talk. I won’t interrogate you.”

He grabbed her waist and dug his fingers into the fabric of her dress. It was soft and light. His fingertips moved across the surface, feeling the slight tickle. She met his gaze with a stoic expression, but her eyes shone with understanding and compassion. He didn’t realize how much he’d wanted to open up until now. Ren made him feel safe and comfortable without even trying. For some reason he didn’t feel judged by her, that she accepted him no matter what his circumstance in life. Her love was unconditional and powerful, stronger than a concrete wall.

He pulled her closer
. “My father passed away a year ago. It hasn’t been the same since.”

With her gaze glued to his, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it from his body. Her hands ran up
his chest and then to his shoulders, digging her fingers into his sore muscles.

He felt his emotion catch in h
is throat. “It’s been awhile, but none of us have moved past it—especially my mom.”

Her hands continued to glide across his body, comforting him in a silent way.

“My sister gets upset when I’m not around. She feels like I’m abandoning her. It’s hard for her to handle Mom on her own, help her through the grieving process. And my brother is another heartache. After Dad died, he went down the wrong path, choosing to do drugs and drink all day. He’s nothing like he used to be. He doesn’t come around anymore. I visit him sometimes just to check on him, but he doesn’t visit my sister or my mom.”

She kissed his neck, her lips caressing him. The feel of her body next to his made his walls crumble even more.

“The life insurance isn’t much. My mom gets by, but she needs more money. She works but doesn’t get paid much. That’s why I stay at the apartment with Mitch and the guys. I hate living there, but it’s the cheapest place I could find. The extra cash I get goes to my mom.”

Her fingers ran through his hair, feeling each strand with her fingertips. She pulled away, moving her lips away from his neck. Her eyes looked into his, seeing every emotion and heartbreak he
’d ever felt.

He felt his breathing increase. “I don’t know what else to do. I’ve done everything I can to make things better. I would move back in
, but I can’t share a room with my sister anymore. It’s just too uncomfortable. I’ve asked Bryce to come back to the house, but he refuses to.” He sighed, overcome by his stress. “It’s just bad. I don’t know how to fix it.”

She grabbed his face and looked him in the eye. “Henry, it isn’t your job to fix it. There’s nothing to fix.”

“I have to try.”

“You’re so sweet, Henry. But your mom’s misery isn’t something that can just be erased or removed. She has to deal with it on her own. I know you want to take care of everyone, but you can’t take your father’s place.”

“But if I can get my brother back, it could make everything easier on my mom. She didn’t just lose my dad, but her son as well.”

“Why is your brother acting like this?”

Henry sighed, not wanting to speak of it. “My mom was cheating on my dad before he was diagnosed with cancer. Bryce caught her. After she found out my dad was dying, she ended the affair, and no one spoke of it again in light of what was happening. My father never knew about it. My brother never forgave her for that. They were really close. I think losing his faith in Mom and losing Dad to cancer just sent him over the edge. He hasn’t been the same person since.”

“That’s understandable. Are you still close?”

“Not really. I stop by and see him, but I feel the distance between us. He’s completely alienated himself from our family. Sometimes I don’t feel like he’s even my brother anymore. And when he’s smoking or drinking, I can’t even talk to him.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. “Henry, I know you want to make everything better
, but you can’t. I admire you for being so selfless and caring, but it isn’t worth it if it hurts you so much.”

He said nothing, knowing he couldn’t just give up. It ate at him every day, consuming his thoughts and weighing on his shoulders.

“What did Sydney say?”

“About what?”

“About all of this.”

“She doesn’t know.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she flinched. A moment of silence passed. “You never told her?”

“No.”

“Why?”

He sh
rugged. “She doesn’t even know I have a brother.”

Her eyes softened. “I’m the only person you
’ve told?”

“Yeah.”

She held him tighter. “I’m very honored with the information.”

“I trust you more than anyone, Ren.”

“But Sydney is your best friend.”

“No
, she isn’t. You are.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “So I’m everything to you?”

“More than everything.”

“I love you, Henry.”

He pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you, too.”

“You
aren’t alone in this anymore. We split the load.”

That meant everything to him. It was a relief not to be alone, not to pretend everything was okay when it wasn’t. When he loved Sydney, he wanted to be with her to feel safe, to reveal ever
y pain he ever had. But when she rejected him, it hurt even worse. Ren’s presence erased everything, giving him a new start. “Thank you.”

He felt the t
ears bubble under his eyes. He’d never felt this way before. It was like a gate had opened for the first time. He didn’t feel the need to be strong, act like everything was okay when he was dying inside. “My brother drinks himself to death, then has me pick him up. I’ve tried to get him to stop, but he won’t. I don’t know what to do. Then I have Jacklyn to take care of. I just can’t—can’t do it anymore.” He felt his chest constrict with pain as he felt everything crash, the sobs coming from his body.