Forgive Me by Ashley Beale Page A

immediately think about what took place for me to be soaked with water, as well as the bed.
                  I laugh it off though, alongside them. “No, no. I uh-“ In walks Emerson, great. I can’t tell the truth, not without her yelling and screaming in rampage. Okay, maybe not so much, but she would be pissed nonetheless. “I had an anxiety attack, I guess.” I shrug my shoulders looking at Faith.
                  She lifts an eyebrow a quick moment before her eyes widen in understanding. “Oh, right, yeah. Well, um.” She looks over at Magnolia, Rease and Emerson. “Can you ladies give us a moment, please?”
                  They end up shutting the door with soft laughter, leaving me alone with Faith. I feel as though I can trust her, but I’m not sure quite how much I should tell her, with Emerson being her best friend.
                  “Spill.”
                  I take a deep breath as she sits down on vanity chair in the room. She crosses her legs and tilts her head, giving me all her undivided attention. “He figured it out on his own. He started questioning me and I panicked. Next thing I know, I’m having water dumped over my head, then we talk for a minute, and he leaves.” After a very passionate kiss, I think but don’t say.
                  Her lips purse together while she thinks on it, then slowly starts to nod her head. “Makes sense. He walked out of the house all pissed off about something. It didn’t quite click, but he said he had an emergency at ‘Ol Man Jones’ place and took off using Clay’s truck. I assumed that was the truth, I guess Emerson did too.” She looks over at the door, and my gaze immediately follows, hoping that she isn’t on the other side listening.
                  “So,” Faith continues and my attention is back on her. “I take it that it didn’t go so well?”
                  “Um, it went horribly. I don’t know what to do.” I exhale my built-up tension. “He doesn’t think he wants to get to know Justin. At least, that is how he made it sound, but he left before I could really ask more.”
                  “He just got whiplashed into finding out he has a child, a nine year old child at that, with a girl he thought was murdered.” She lifts a brow with a semi-amused smirk. “Please. Of course he isn’t sure about things right now. I know you’re not here long, but you are here for a few weeks, so give him time. You got almost ten years, give him a few hours at least.”
                  I look down to where my hands are wringing together and nod my head at her. “Yeah, you’re right. I just wish I had a way to erase all this time and make things right.”
                  “Well, you can’t erase time, but you’re in the process of making things right.”
                  I shrug my shoulders and look back up to her. “Kind of.”
                  “What is that supposed to mean?”
                  “I uh-“ The door opens and in walks Bray with her arms crossed, just as I’m about to tell Faith that Zander and I kissed. I wonder how much she just heard.
                  “Go on,” she states as the door closes behind her. “Keep talking. What happened in here between you two, now that he knows you got yourself knocked up with his kid then took off?”
                  I close my eyes and will myself to faint. Something. I want to get out here. This is my karma. This is what I get for waiting all these years to make amends with everyone. Since I can’t disappear and this situation isn’t going to fix itself, I do the only thing I can do- I use honesty. “We kissed for a brief moment.”
                  Faith gasps while Bray chuckles. Neither of them say anything, so I open my eyes to look at them. Faith is chewing the side of her thumb