Page 7 of Tattered Souls (Whispering Falls #2)

Tatum

I had felt horrible for the way Lance acted at dinner that night. Had I known he was going to act like that, I never would have invited him.

See, I didn’t have anything to compare what a relationship was supposed to look like.

My dad was a piece of crap.

Granger wasn’t in a relationship.

And that was all that I saw.

Until I met Harlee and Carter.

Until I saw Frank and Misty.

Things were starting to piece together in my mind.

Slowly.

But I was getting there.

I had just called Granger and spoke to him before he was scheduled to go underwater.

I wanted to warn him about a storm that was gearing up to be huge.

Like always, he laughed it off.

That was my brother.

***

And now... sitting here in a conference room in Texas by myself... I wished he hadn’t laughed it off like he always did.

Because my heart... it didn’t know what to do.

My tears... they weren’t coming.

Because I had been informed that my brother Granger hadn’t made it.

And he hadn’t made it because he made sure he got his best friend off the tower before it exploded.

See, the storm that had blown in was horrible.

A lightning bolt had struck the main generator.

Sending sparks.

And one of those sparks had hit some oil, and then the Solace , the oil rig that my brother worked at, started to go up in flames.

***

I went to the hospital to see Carter.

I flew my brother’s things back home.

I picked out a casket to be buried... that would be empty.

I picked out his headstone.

And I stood there, at his grave site, trying not to fall apart.

All the while I had done all of this by myself.

Lance’s exact words were, “He wasn’t my brother. Why do I care?”

I saw someone move, and then Lance was shoved out of the way, and I was in someone’s arms.

Someone I had done my very freaking best not to allow myself to be around too much.

Because I was drawn to him.

And I wasn’t good enough for him.

I stood there, watching as the man went on about my brother, and tried like hell to hold it all in.

I could feel it. Could feel my strength waning.

Because there was no one to wrap their arms around me and give me their strength.

But then... Garrick was there... he had me in his arms, and he whispered in my ear, “Lean on me, Tatum. Lean on me. I got you.”

***

I had to move out of the apartment after Granger passed. My name wasn’t on the lease.

Thankfully, Harlee had offered me her old house to stay in while I figured things out, and since she had moved in with Carter.

***

Because of the way Lance had acted at his funeral and the way he had been, I was slowly pulling away from him.

He knew it and didn’t like it.

But frankly, I didn’t give a damn.

He had told me he loved me.

Time and time again.

But if he had, he wouldn’t have let me stand there at Granger’s funeral alone.

No, he would have done what Garrick had done.

However, Lance was making it difficult.

And truthfully, I didn’t know how to end this.

I didn’t know how to end it with my dad either.

Garrick

‘With just one look, everything in my life started to make sense.’

Standing in my black button-down and dark-washed jeans, I tried.

Fuck me.

But I had tried.

Standing there, watching Tatum’s head thrown back in laughter as she danced with my dad at Carter and Harlee’s wedding, I tried.

But... when it came to Tatum Rogers, I couldn’t help myself.

Therefore, I moved in.

Tapped my dad on the shoulder and said, “Cutting in.”

He looked at me, winked, and then stepped to the side.

And this was why I had tried.

Tried like hell.

Because when I had her in my arms at Granger’s funeral, I hadn’t allowed my brain to wander.

Because I knew.

I knew the moment I had Tatum in my arms; nothing would ever feel the same way ever again.

And I had been right.

Because with her tiny body against mine, feeling her heat, I closed my eyes briefly, and savored the touch. And as the scents of caramel and vanilla floated up, I never wanted to smell anything else again.

Except for Tatum Leanne Rogers.

Her head twisted to the side, so it was underneath my chin, and with my arms around her tiny body, her hands gripping my biceps, we danced.

And we kept dancing as one song faded into the next.

Then, when an old song came on, one I knew, and true to the lyrics, From This Moment On .

That was when I knew.

I knew that I had found my person.

Unfortunately, she was claimed by someone else.

But with all things, I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

I’d find a way to get him out of her life, so I could take my shot.

Buckle up, Tatum.

Because when I want something, I’m not afraid to fight dirty.

Tatum

I closed my eyes as the next song came on, and when it did, I had two thoughts.

One, I never wanted to be anywhere else, but right where I was.

And the second thought... if I could trust a man again, it would be this man.

However, those silly wants didn’t factor in for girls like me.

***

I stopped trying to count the ways that Lance had practically bitten down and kept me tethered to him.

Even going so far as to come over and leave some of his stuff at my house.

***

Tears pricked my eyes as the lawyer told me that Granger had left me everything.

“Will anyone be able to touch it if their name isn’t on it?” I asked him.

Thankfully, the lawyer didn’t bat an eye when I asked him that question.

He shook his head, “No. They won’t be able to.”

I couldn’t explain why I did what I did next, but I didn’t regret it. Not one single second.

I put the money Granger had left me into a savings account. One without a debit card at a different bank than the one I used.

The one that Lance knew about.

And when I got home that night, it was to see Lance standing there on my front porch with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You're late.” He said as he stalked toward me.

Thankfully, I had an alibi.

“There was a wreck on forty. It was backed up for miles. It was on the news.”

He nodded, then followed me inside.

After the day I had, I just didn’t have it in me to say anything to him.

I had just sat down and taken my heels off when he came storming from the bathroom.

“How many fucking times do I have to tell you to not let the fucking toilet paper roll go empty?” Lance asked in that tone that told me I wasn’t going to get off easily.

I had to force myself to bite off the words. Then you should have reached behind you, grabbed a new roll from the cabinet, and replaced it yourself.

But I didn’t say that.

I didn’t dare.

Because I knew what happened when I talked back.

The same thing that always happened.

I was getting tired of having my face caked with makeup to hide the fact that my boyfriend was a useless, piece of shit, man-beating woman.

And yeah, I know what you're saying.

Why in the hell do you put up with it? Why don’t you leave him?

Well, the truth is... I can’t.

I can’t for a myriad of reasons.

Ever feel like the entire world is resting on your shoulders, and you would give anything to relieve some of that pressure?

Ever feel like you were raised a certain way, and that’s the only way you know how to live?

That’s how I feel.

So, taking his shit, his hands on me when they shouldn’t be, was a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

At least until I figured things out, and how life was supposed to be lived.

I was working on it.

“I love you,” Lance said as he started to walk out the door.

Say it back, Tatum.

Okay, now, say it.

Tatum, you know what’s going to happen if you don’t.

But I couldn’t.

I couldn’t freaking say it back.

I didn’t feel it.

And then... it happened.

I felt the back of his hand against my cheek. “Fucking bitch. Better have dinner ready when I get back.”

I nodded.

Another woman in my shoes would have called the cops.

But the cops wouldn’t do anything.

I knew it.

From experience.