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My heart breaks each time I relive the way Dad talked to me. One of the two people in the world I would ever look to for comfort and he didn’t even talk to me like I was his daughter. It was all so confusing. I drop my face into my hands.
Everett shuffles over, the couch cushions sinking under him, tipping me towards him. He puts his arm around me and curls me into his shoulder. His other hand rests on my knee and gently squeezes, his warm gesture giving me silent permission to go ahead and let myself weep.
I cry hard, turning into a chest-wracking sobbing mess at the lostness of it all. I’m adrift in the wake of sadness and anger that’s been roiled up by seeing Dad.
I push into Everett as I let the pain out and he remains steadfast, never shying away from me.
“I’m so sorry, Laina,” he whispers.
It’ll be okay. Dad will come back and he’ll be different. Once this task is out of the way, the stress of his quest for justice will be gone and he’ll be his usual self again. It’ll be okay. That was a necessary, good, ugly cry, now I need to pull myself together.
Everett passes me a tissue and I take it with what I’m sure is the puffiest-eyed smile. “What are you thinking?” I ask as I mop my face.
Everett starts to say something, but shakes his head, unable to get the words out. Seconds pass by and he’s speechless.
“What is it?” I ask, laying a hand on his shoulder.
He lets go of me and stands, pressing a hand to his chest and shaking his head, like he still can’t believe what I’ve just told him.
“Do you know about my family?” he asks facing me, his expression vulnerable, his eyes sad.
A pang of guilt hits me as I rack my brain and come up with nothing. “I…I don’t think so.”
“Did you know I was adopted?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You swear?” he asks, his eyebrows pinching together.
“I swear,” I reply. “How old were you when you were adopted?”
“I was a baby when the Lourdens adopted me.”
“The Lourdens,” I piece it together and gasp. Everett is studying his shoes. “Your parents were-” another thought hits me, totally out of place, “You’re the heir to the Lourden fortune and you’re a bodyguard? You must be rich, you-”
Everett cuts into my thoughts with a piercing look. “I didn’t have a good relationship with my parents, at the end. I refuse to bear their name. I haven’t heard someone say it directly to me in over a year. It’s not the happiest moment for me.”
I bite my cheek as shame makes me flush hot.
“I’m so sorry, Everett. I had no idea.”
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”
He exhales heavily, and in a few strides he crosses the living room, heading for the hallway. “You want me to cook you something?” he asks, hooking one hand behind his neck, lingering in the doorway. One look at his pleading expression tells me it’s not about me at all.
“Sure, whatever you want.”
He tilts his head towards the kitchen and I accept his silent invitation to come with him. It’s an honor to be asked to witness Everett in the kitchen. He’s a wonder with food, but after close observation over the years, I’ve learned he works his thoughts out through cooking. This is about him processing, not about culinary delight.
I sit on the barstool at the island as Everett moves around gathering dishes, utensils, ingredients, and spices. I wait until he’s cracking eggs to ask the question that’s worrying me.
“Did you know? About what he did for the Vidovic Group?” I say quietly. “I wasn’t the first one to tell you that, right?”
“No, no, I knew.” he replies, reassuring me. “I found out he was laundering money when I was in high school. It’s what led to me leaving home for good as soon as I graduated. Never spoke to them again.”
My shoulders sag with relief, but also more shared sadness. “How did you find out?”
He huffs with disgust, shaking his head. “A few of Vanya’s mercenaries broke in one night and kept us at gunpoint for hours while they beat up my dad.” Everett whips the eggs with excessive force, pausing only to add a splash of milk. “I’ll never forget hearing my mom cry that way. We were incredibly vulnerable and I hated it. And then to learn it was all because of my dad’s greed.”
