Chapter 10

                                    

                                          
Tim POV: 
                          
Flashback
                          
Faith lies on her stomach, her face smashed up against her pillow as she sleeps soundly. The sun starts to cast an orange light through the opened window, as the sound of waves is a lullaby. She nests her head into her pillow, taking a deep breath as I watch her sleep, gently running my thumb down the bridge of her nose. I smile as I watch the tension in her forehead fade the longer I do it. The more I get to know her, the more I notice how my insignificant actions impact her. 
                          
My phone rings, causing me to grab it and walk into the hall. 
                          
"Hello?" I say quietly, before hearing my mother sobbing on the other end of the phone. 
                          
"Tim?" She questions, as I feel my stomach sink. 
                          
"What's wrong, Mom?" I ask, as she cries harder. 
                          
"Your father... he died last night... Heart attack." She tries to force out, while numbness coats my limbs. I breathe slowly, feeling a knot form in my throat. I try to think of a response, but I have no clue what to say. I shut my eyes, before looking back at the opened bedroom door. "It's time to come home." She says as I lean my head back. 
                          
"Alright." I let out, before starting back toward the bedroom. "Love you." I say to Mom, before hanging up. I crawl back into bed, wrapping my arms around Faith and holding her as I feel my eyes start to well up. She adjusts, wrapping her arms around me, before opening her eyes. The moment she lays eyes on me, I fall apart. She perks up, lifting her head. 
                          
"What's wrong?" She pipes out immediately, resting her hand on my cheek. I feel myself shake against her steady hand, as her eyes reveal worry. 
                          
"My step-father... he..." I start, before shutting my eyes. She curls up closer, holding me tightly as she seems to understand. I cry into her chest, surprising myself with my degree of emotion. She holds me against her, leaving no room between us. 
                          
"God, Tim... I'm so sorry." She croaks out, before kissing the side of my head. "What can I do to help?" She asks, as I pull back to look at her. 
                          
"I just need to come undone for a moment." I admit honestly, watching her nod while smoothing my hair. 
                          
"I understand. I'm right here for you, okay?" She reassures me, before wiping a few of my tears. 
                          
We lie together for hours, holding onto each other tightly. Every once in a while, I look down to check if she's asleep, but her eyes are open. She'll stroke my back every few minutes, and sometimes allow a tear to fall, but she's practically silent. The sound of her breathing helps calm me down. 
                          
"How are you feeling?" She croaks out, looking up at me for a moment. I take a second to think about the range of emotions in my head. 
                          
"I'm angry..." I admit, watching her study me. She nods slowly, wiping away a few stray tears of mine. "I never got the chance to..." I start, before the words burn in my head. I wince, as she remains locked in on me. 
                          
"Tim, you don't have to tell me anything. If you do, I'm not going to judge you for it. You have the right to be mad." She says, taking a deep breath. "When my father died, I was so mad... I lashed out a lot. A lot of my anger was projected toward my mom, which was wrong, but at the time it made sense. I know it's a confusing, painful state to be in." She releases softly, her voice rasping. 
                          
"He hated me." I spit out, watching her wince. Her hand wraps around mine, giving it a tight squeeze. "My mom had an affair with my biological father, and she couldn't bring herself to get an abortion, so he had to put off going to school to work and provide for us. He resented me for that." I elaborate, as Faith listens carefully, her eyes sadder than I've ever seen. 
                          
"I'm sorry." She whispers, before biting her lip. "When was the last time you talked to him?" She asks, sounding like she's about to cry. 
                          
"It was about three years ago, right after I found out Curb was considering dropping me. He uh... He said that I needed to stop chasing a baseless dream and admit that I am nothing but a bastard." I repeat, watching her shut her eyes. She leans her forehead against my chest, clinging tightly to my arm. "I had fallen for this girl in high school, and her parents had pretty much told me that I couldn't be around their daughter because I was a child out of wedlock. So my step-father, Horace... He pretty much made sure I was aware of that brand on my back." I confess, as I notice her wipe away a tear. "I just wanted a chance to prove him wrong. I wanted to prove that I could be more that a goddamn bastard." I admit, laughing a little at myself as the knot in my throat grows tighter. 
                          
"You are." She says, as a tear runs down her cheek. "I think you've already done a great job proving him wrong. I mean, every time I turn on the radio I hear you, so that must be one hell of a baseless dream." She lets out, as I spare her a smile. "I don't give a damn if your parents conceived you in the bathroom of a Waffle House, Tim. That doesn't matter to me." She adds, before I lean over to kiss her. She holds onto the sides of my head, sniffling a little as we pull away. She breathes deeply, her mouth opening as her lips twitch, like she's trying to find the strength to say something. "I..." She starts, before clearing her throat. "I love you." She releases softly, tears starting to stream down steadily. She's been so reluctant to say the words, that she's refrained for months. This is the first time she's ever said them to me...
                          


                          
We sit in the airport terminal, clinging to each others hands as the air hangs heavy between us. She leans her head on my shoulder, before looking down at my ticket. She kisses my shoulder, laying her head down once more. 
                          
"Are you sure you'll be okay? I can cancel the show–" She starts as I shake my head. 
                          
"I'll be fine, Faith." I reassure her, giving her a kiss. "I want you to go back to Nashville and rock their faces off, alright?" I says, feeling her smile. "I love having you as an opener, but I think it'd be pretty freakin' cool to see you headline your own show next summer." I add, as she continues to emanate that gorgeous diamond smile. Over the speaker of the tiny regional airport, a gate employee calls out my flight. I slowly stand, before feeling her stand beside me. She walks with me to the gate, before turning toward me. 
                          
"Call me, alright?" She says with a sad smile, as I smile down at her. She kisses me, holding me tightly for a moment, before reluctantly releasing me. "Fly safe." She adds. 
                          
"You too." I reply, watching them usher me forward to the gate. She stands back as I lug my luggage to the gate attendant. They scan my ticket, handing it back to me as I turn around. Faith stands, watching me closely. I notice a tear slip down her cheek. "I love you." I mouth, watching her smile brightly. 
                          
"I love you too." She mouths back, before I turn around and walk toward the plane. 
                          


                          
At Horace's funeral, there's a surprising turn out. Our house is filled with faces old and new, talking about what a fantastic guy he was. I fake a smile as they talk about memories in which he helped them out. I couldn't honestly recall a time when he helped me by choice. I force my way through a few conversations, before looking around for Mom. I spot her in the kitchen, watching her cry as she tries to mix up lemonade in a pitcher. 
                          
"Mom..." I call out, watching her quickly try to hide her tears. I stagger toward her, wrapping my arms around her as she continues to cry despite her attempts to stop. "Why don't you take a break, and I'll handle the hosting, alright?" I offer, as she nods, blowing her nose into a tissue. She wanders into the living room, as I take a deep breath. It's always been incredibly painful to see Mom cry. I finish mixing the lemonade, walking it out and setting it on the table, before staring at his picture sitting on the mantle. 
                          
"Tim?" I hear someone call, causing me to turn my head. Kristine stands beside me, wearing all black. She starts to smile, seeming to be caught off guard. 
                          
"I'll be damned." I let out, surprised to see her here. We exchange an embrace, both a little flustered by the other's appearance. "You look good. God, it's been like what, ten years?" I say, as she shines a bright smile my way. 
                          
"Yeah, it's been a hot second." She replies, laughing as she takes a deep breath. She looks at Horace's picture on the mantle and turns back toward me. "I'm sorry about your father." She says, sparing a sad smile. I nod, never sure how to respond to that comment. "How long are you in town?"