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“It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does. I want a name.”
I clench my fist tighter. Try to swallow around the lump in my throat. How am I supposed to say this to him?
“Tell me it wasn’t Dad,” Cam whispers.
I don’t want to lie to him, so I don’t answer.
“Fuck. Christ, Parker, why didn’t you tell me?”
“What was I supposed to say? How was I supposed to tell you something like that?”
“With your fucking words!” Cameron rakes a hand through his hair. “We could’ve talked to the police. They could’ve locked him away.”
“Maybe. All I had was my word against his. And nothing even happened. You came in and stopped him.”
“If I had known what I was really walking in on, I would’ve killed him.” Cameron’s voice is low and deadly. Letting me know he means every word.
I loosen my fingers enough to get the cap to stop digging into my palm. “I didn’t want to talk about it, Cam. It was…” My voice trails off because I’m not really sure what it was. It was surreal and frightening and embarrassing. I hadn’t wanted Cameron to know about it.
Cam takes a breath and lets it out slowly. “Was that the first time? That night I took you away?”
My silence is enough of an answer for him. Sadness fills his eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks. “I would’ve gotten you sooner.”
“He only did it a couple times when he was drunk. It wasn’t a big deal.” The last part is a lie. The first time he tried it, I barely got away. I spent the night out of the house, and when I went back in the morning, Dad acted as though it had never happened. I was too embarrassed to say anything.
“We can still get him on it,” Camron says. “The statute of limitations for that is like—”
“I don’t want to,” I interrupt before he gets too far. “As long as he stays away from us, I just want to leave it alone. I’ve put it behind me.”
“Have you? Or is it part of why you want to help Rhys so badly?”
“He needs help,” I say. “He doesn’t have a Cameron to show up and save him. He is the older brother, and he’s suffering because he’s trying to keep his little brother safe. I can’t stand the thought of him living like that.”
I stop there even though I have more burning in my chest. The truth is, I’m falling in love with Rhys. I’ve been falling in love with him since the night we met at the New Year’s party. He’s so strong but underneath his tough exterior, he’s soft and kind. He’s so good, and Tony’s spent the last five years trying to convince him that he’s not.
“Okay,” Cameron says. “All right. I’ll help you figure something out.”
The tension in my muscles relaxes a little. “Thank you.”
He nods but doesn’t make a move to finish making lunch. “What you told me about Dad,” he says quietly, “it’s okay. It doesn’t change anything between us.”
I don’t want to talk anymore, so I just give him a nod. I feel both exhausted and wired with energy at the same time. Telling Cam about what happened with Dad was awful, but I feel a little better. He didn’t know it until today, but Cam gave me freedom. And all I want to do is give that same thing to Rhys.
Fifteen
Rhys
When I get to Tony’s place, I take the money out of my pocket before I even open the door. I just want to give it to him and get out of here. I miss Parker. And I hate that I miss him.
Tony waves me forward as soon as I step inside the house. It smells like beer and cigarettes. Five guys are crowded around the dirty kitchen table. They look up at me as I make my way to Tony.
I avoid their gazes, even when I feel them lingering on me. When I hand Tony the envelope, he takes it slowly, watching me.
“Where were you yesterday?”
