21
JED
Another week dragged by while I considered a second step from the cement and the conversation Aiden and I had before I’d left him after the hottest night of my life.
He didn’t mind remaining my secret.
No one needed to know.
Whenever, he’d promised. Whatever I wanted.
His words buoyed my spirits, kept me from being pulled beneath the surface over all I faced—my future, my family, and my job.
I skipped service on Sunday, leaving Welker a voicemail that I wouldn’t be there. I just couldn’t sit on stage and listen to his lies. A text to Mom assured me she’d be stopping by with some soup later that afternoon.
Not attending church brought on the phone call I expected.
“I’m worried about you, Jed,” my brother stated sternly. “You never miss church, never shut yourself off from th
