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“He told everyone I attacked him. That he didn’t do anything. They all believed him,” she said sullenly.
“Even your dad?”
She snorted. “Especially my dad. He thought Teddy could do no wrong. He was everything that he could ever want in a son.”
“A bully and a liar? Great qualities to have in a son.”
She grinned before the amusement faded from her face. “Teddy could be very persuasive. He was an excellent liar.”
Fucking little shit.
“So Loki taught you to punch properly.”
She bit her lip, clearly hiding another smile. “He told me that he couldn’t be my best friend if I was gonna punch like a girl. I told him that Iwasa girl and he said that he didn’t want to listen to my excuses.” She let out a laugh. “So I learned to punch. And then I asked him how he thought I punched now since I was still a girl.”
“What did he say?” he asked.
“He said I punched like a fighter. A warrior.”
He could see them. The tiny blonde warrior and her protector. But fuck, they’d just been kids. He hated that they’d had to defend themselves.
“Your father never did anything?” he asked.
“My dad would’ve rather forgotten that I ever existed. And that’s what he did after my first brother was born.”
Fuck. Him.
“First brother? How many do you have?”
“Three. They’re all horrid.” She was smiling as she said that. “Awful, snotty, whiny brats.”
“How old are they?” he asked.
“Um, let’s see. Rusty is twenty-eight, Simon is twenty-six, and Bryant is the baby at twenty-three. He’s my favorite, but don’t tell the others. Trust me, they know how to sulk.”
“Your secret is safe with me. So, I take it they’re none of those things.”
“Oh, they used to be. And now . . . they’re all successful, smart, funny men. Some people might think they’re handsome. But I remember wiping their snotty noses, so, you know. Gross.”
“They don’t live here?”
“My dad and Judy, my stepmom, moved away from here about fifteen years ago. When B was just eight. That’s probably why he’s my favorite. Because I spent less time with him.” She tried to joke, but there was pain in her face.
“You didn’t want to go with them?” he asked.
“I wasn’t asked.”
Fuck.
Remy clenched his hands into fists. If he ever met her dad or stepmom . . . he wouldn’t be responsible for his reaction.
“Those assholes.”
She snorted. “I probably wouldn’t have gone with them. I had another year of college to go. Loki was here. My friends were here. I was better off in Wishingbone.”
“Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”
Slowly, she nodded, staring over his shoulder.
