Secrets of a Southern Belle

Chapter 19

"I don't understand. They found your body," I shook my head in disbelief as my dad sat on the couch right in front of me.

Rhett left my dad, Sawyer, and I alone in the living room so we could talk in privacy. Even though that was five minutes ago, I finally was able to make myself speak.

My dad let out an audible sigh and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"That wasn't my body. It was a hiker's that happened to have the same color hair. The police didn't even test the DNA. They just assumed it was me."

Then why did he never come home?

I was kind of hurt and angry at my dad now that the initial shock has worn off. If he was never dead, then what was his excuse for never coming back to us? For abandoning his family and letting us grieve?

An angry tear rolled down my cheek, and when my dad tried to wipe it, I smacked his hand away.

"So you just let us believe you were dead then? Do you know what losin' you did to us?" I replied with hurt laced in my voice.

"Rae... I had no choice."

I looked at my dad with a sardonic smile and scoffed at his words.

"No choice? There is always a choice."

"Listen to me," my dad rested his hand on mine in an attempt to calm me down. "If it weren't for that hiker, I would've been dead—for real. That thing that tried to attack you, attacked me. It sunk it's teeth in me before it saw that man. I only survived because it attacked that guy and left me alone. Jason found me on the ground while it ripped the hiker apart. About an hour later, I was no longer human. Jason explained everythin' to me and what it meant to be one of them. I had no choice because I wasn't about to put my family in danger. Stayin' away from you guys was the only choice I had."

I turned my head away from him and looked at my brother, who was looking out the window. It was easy to understand his thinking because it's probably what I would've thought too, but it doesn't lessen how abandoned I feel right now. The past two years I've been grieving him. He's missed out on so much of my life since he's been gone.

"What about Sawyer then? He didn't leave."

It was Sawyer's turn to speak, "They tried to get me to not go home, but I told them that I couldn't do that to you guys. You couldn't go through what we went through with dad again. I didn't think you guys could get through it. So, I compromised and kept my distance to keep everyone safe."

When I didn't speak, my dad cleared his throat and explained, "When I finally got control of myself, I wanted to come back, but the police identified that body as mine. I was declared dead, so there was no way. I couldn't come back after that."

I nodded understandingly at him. We had a funeral two days after the police identified the body. It would've been traumatizing if he would've shown up out of nowhere, and he would have to explain himself, which would be impossible considering his circumstances.

After hearing the truth, I feel like a weight is lifted off of my shoulders. I actually feel content. My brother was never really gone. He was protecting me, and my dad is sitting in front of me. I won't be spending almost every night wishing that I had one more chance to see him to say goodbye and tell him that I love him. He was here, alive.

"I've missed you so much, dad."

He gave me a warm smile and whispered, "I've missed you too."