Chapter 4
Tom had been quiet for most of the drive, other than asking her again if she was sure she was okay.
She had responded with an automatic 'yes' but now, after 10 minutes of an internal war, she decided that she deserved to give an honest reply.
'I'm not okay, Tom.'
He nodded.
'I know, and I'm sorry.' He flicked the indicator on and pulled over before turning to her.
A concerned frown was fixed on his face. It was strange. There were often days where it seemed a smile would never leave his face. Today she wasn't sure he'd smiled except to Jacob after the attack. He hadn't even turned the radio on.
'Tom?'
He glanced at her.
'Are you alright?'
He gave a weak smile.
'I'm sorry Steph. It's just, tonight is going to be a lot. For me, for you, and for the man we're visiting.'
'You mean Mr Abbott.'
He smirked but then it fell and his eyes grew sad.
'Yeah. But that's not important right now. This is about you. Get it all out.'
Steph sank into her seat with relief.
'You've been lying to me.'
He nodded.
'For how long?'
He kept eye contact and didn't even flinch.
'Since we met.'
While she appreciated the honesty, she felt sick to her stomach.
'Why?'
This time he averted his gaze, opting to look outside.
'The simple version is that I wanted to keep you safe. The less people that know about Mr Abbott, the better.'
'Okay… The long version?'
Tom shook his head.
'That's when you find out who Mr Abbott is and what he does. I can't tell you that, only he can.'
Steph nodded solemnly, but an angry spark ignited in her.
'You've been going to family dinners, Tom. You've been lying about what you do during the week, and your job at school- apparently you're in charge of the security detail? How do you even have the qualifications for that? The sergeant who told us about the Abbotts at that staff meeting was the one who came and picked up Jacob and you obviously knew him that night. All this time I thought you couldn't lie at all, that you would combust if you tried, but there's this whole side of you that I don't even know! I just… don't know what to do with that.'
Tom took her hand.
'I know. I'm sorry. It will all make sense when we explain, but I know I've hurt you. Please know I really did do this because I love you, but I know it will take time for you to trust me again and I'm going to do everything I can to earn it back.'
He said it with such earnestness that Steph found herself forgiving him, just a little, already.
This was Tom. He brought her daises whenever he saw them because he said they looked sad and would brighten up in her presence. She knew it was just because they were her favourite flower when she was a teenager. She hadn't had the heart to tell him that she now loved sunflowers because they reminded her of his infectious joy.
Tom was the one who would cook a five-course meal whenever she was sick and take the week off work after each closing night to help around the house and spend time with her because he missed out while he had final rehearsals and performances. He always played her whatever her favourite song was at the time, first on a road trip even though he would be utterly sick of it.
Tom had a heart of gold. If he said he did it to protect her then she was going to believe him, or at least wait until she heard the complete story, but deep down she knew she had forgiven him. After all, love covers a multitude of wrongs.
'Okay,' she said with a small smile as she squeezed his hand.
'Okay.'