𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 ➳ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬

Chapter 20 ~ Forgiveness is a Virtue

I glanced back to Daryl to find him waiting patiently for me at the mailbox. He must have heard the question because he nodded in response and slowly, I turned back to Carol.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked guardedly, crossing my arms over my chest - my own defense-mechanism I'd picked up along the way, I guess.

"I..." she glanced down at her hands, fidgeting nervously before looking back up at me, "I'm sorry...for what happened,"

I arched an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I shouldn't have shot him...I didn't know you were together...or that you were pregnant. And I didn't know you were Daryl's daughter. It doesn't - doesn't make it better but...I am sorry for it. You have to know that," she told me softly, tears threatening to fall from her blue eyes once more.

I felt the familiar pang in my chest then at her words, the pulsing of that crack in my heart that the loss of Owen had left. Squeezing my eyes shut briefly as I ran a hand across my face, I nodded to her.

"You were protecting your people... It's...it's not like we knew each other then. For all you knew...I really was just another Wolf, another one of them," I said, honesty ringing clear in my voice.

I didn't speak for a moment as a few tears escaped my eyes and I brushed them away immediately.

"If I could take it back, I would," Carol admitted, her own tears trekking down her face again.

I nodded, a slight sob welling up in my throat but I bit it back. She was genuine, I could tell. And even though, the loss of him was still with me...I didn't find myself crippled by it any longer. I didn't feel that same anger I'd had for her anymore. Slowly, I sniffed and wiped my eyes with the back of my sleeve.

"I know you would... I know," I nodded to her, feeling like a weight was being lifted from my heart, "And I forgive you for it, Carol. I really do,"

This time, a sob bubbled up from her lips and before I had time to even react, I was being pulled into her arms into a hug. Carol cried into my shoulder, holding me tight and slowly, I wrapped my own around her.

"You're forgiven now, Carol." I whispered, rubbing her back up and down, "Don't worry about it anymore. Don't you even think on it."

She sobbed once more, nodding to me as she let me go. Her hands held onto my forearms briefly as she gazed down at me and I smiled at her through my tears which she returned. Finally, she let me go then and I stepped off of the porch, trudging over to Daryl. He tilted his head to the side, clearly seeing my tears but I shook my head at him not to ask.

"You ready to go?" he asked and I nodded as he began to lead the way down the old, beat-up road.

"I saw that back there, you know," I said, a hint of playfulness returning to my voice.

Daryl grunted in response, "Saw what?"

I nudged his shoulder, grinning, "You like her,"

He shrugged, "Yeah. She's a friend, course I like her,"

I rolled my eyes, holding back a laugh.

"That's not how I meant it and you know it.... I mean, that was a pretty tight hug you gave her there. And then there was those lingering stares..." I teased him, trailing off as I grinned from ear-to-ear.

All I got back in response was an indignant snort but I could hear him holding back a chuckle at my matchmaker antics as I followed after him, back to the Kingdom.