Page 60 of My One

I smiled warmly at him and slapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

Our women came back and told us what they wanted before going to grab a table under the covered patio area.

“So, give me all the details,” Easton prodded.

I did. While we waited in the line, I told him about the wills and what Edna had told us about my mother wanting to come to my wedding. I told him about the stark white house, the guest bedrooms that I was never offered a chance to stay in, and I told him how all of it made me hate my father. I’d never hated my dad before now, and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because I just wanted his love. Most kids want that from their parents, and I was no different. I thought neither one loved me, but it appeared it was only my father who didn’t love me back.

“I’m sorry,” Easton said when I was done. “I can’t imagine what you’re feeling.”

We stepped up to the window and ordered our food. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was feeling. It seemed as though every emotion was coursing through my veins—even happiness. I was happy my friends were there to help, and I was also happy my father was dead and not controlling my mother any longer. Hopefully,shewas up in heaven living her best afterlife, and my father was burning in hell.

After we ordered, Easton and I went to the girls and gave them their beers. “Can we read one?” Nic asked.

I took a big gulp of my beer. It was time to see what was on the folded papers. “Yeah.”

She reached into her purse and pulled out one of the folded pieces of white paper. She handed it to me, and I took a deep breath and then opened it.

Dee Dee,

When I think of you, my heart hurts.

When I think of you, my heart breaks.

When I think of you, my heart bleeds.

You’re all I think about.

All my love,

Avery

I dropped the paper,my eyes going wide.

“What is it?” Nicole asked.

I couldn’t get any words out. It wasn’t the words of the letter that left me speechless, but the name of the person who signed the handwritten note.

Nic grabbed the paper from my hands and gasped. “It’s a—”

“A what?” Brooke reached for it, and she and Easton read it at the same time as Easton leaned over her shoulder.

“Holy shit,” Easton muttered.

“You’re named after someone,” Nic stated, looking over at me with meaningful eyes.

I didn’t respond. Instead, I finished my beer in one gulp then stood and went to the machine to get tokens for an open cage. I wasn’t hungry any longer.

The guys went to the batting cage while Brooke and I continued to read the love letters.

Dee Dee,

When I think of you, I think about the day we met.

When I think of you, I think about the day I fell in love with you.

When I think of you, I think about the day you told me you loved me.

When I think of you, I think about the day you left me.