Haven from the Storm (Storms of Life #1) Read Free

I leaned to hug my grandmother briefly. “Hello, Grandma Violet. I saw your car outside and came in to find you.” I looked back to Lily, but I couldn’t decipher the expression on her face. Shock was very apparent, but I couldn’t decide if she was happy to see me or if she wanted to punch me. The look in her eyes made my stomach turn; she looked exactly like I had anticipated, except for her eyes. They were stormy, like they’d seen more miles of heartache than anyone her age should possibly witness.
    “Well, dear, it’s about time you got here. We’ve been waiting for you. Right, Lily?” She gave Lily the biggest smile I’d ever seen.
    Lily looked quickly at me and then back at Grandma Violet. “Um, I...uh, we…what?” she stuttered.
    “Oh, sweetheart, didn’t I tell you Dean would be arriving today?” Lily shook her head. “Well I can’t be expected to remember everything. I am older than dirt.” She waved her hand in the air, effectively dismissing her apparent forgetfulness.
    Lily shot daggers at Grandma Violet with her eyes. “No, Violet, you didn’t. Actually, I can’t remember the last time you even mentioned Dean’s name. I’m pretty sure I would remember it since I’ve spent so much time and energy trying to avoid anything even remotely related to him.” She turned to walk away.
    My heart dropped. My mouth went dry and I didn’t know what to say. “Sunflower?” was the only word I could force out of my mouth.
    She immediately stopped and looked right into my eyes.
    “No. You don’t get to call me that,” was all she said as she pointed her finger at me, then continued to walk away. After about four steps, she stopped and looked at the two packages of candy in her hand. As she passed the clerk she turned and said, “Violet will be paying for these, both of them.” She looked back at us with a grunt and stormed out of the store.
    “Well that went better than I expected,” Grandma Violet laughed.
    I turned to my grandmother with a look of total disbelief. “Excuse me? That went better then you expected? Because I had envisioned something completely different from what just happened here.” I waved my hands in front of me to indicate exactly where Lily had previously been standing.
    “What did you expect, dear? You left her high and dry during the one time in her life she needed you the most and you expected what? To walk into this craphole store and sweep her away like you’re her prince charming?” She rolled her eyes at me.
    I stood there with my mouth hanging open. I knew it would hurt Lily when I left, but I was too focused on my own feelings to truly consider how my leaving would affect her in the future. I should have known how she’d feel since I’d been abandoned from the very start of my life. Had I ruined any chance we might have had?
    “Well, I can tell the prince charming thing was exactly what you thought was going to happen…or you never really thought about it at all,” Grandma Violet said, shaking her head. “Guess you’re in for a bigger surprise then you imagined, dear. That young lady has been in hell these last four years and you, Mr. Dean Haven, played a starring role.”
    I felt a sudden rush of heat.
    I pulled at the collar of my heavy coat and took off my winter hat, allowing the cool air to touch my skin. I could feel the sweat beading on my lip as I reached up to run my hands over my face. I shook my head violently to let my grandmother know my thoughts since words escaped me. She had to be mistaken. I didn’t cause Lily that amount of pain. I would never intentionally hurt her.
    “Dean, I was there. I helped when her battered body was lifted out of that ditch. I have only seen a small portion of what she’s been through and what little I know is enough to change a person completely. So don’t you judge her or what she’s been through until you have cold, hard facts. You hear me, son?”
    “Yeah, I hear you. But I didn’t mean to hurt her.