His eyes scan over me, lingering on my mouth before the muscle in his jaw twitches and he takes a sip from his cup.
Emmett’s has moved onto one of the barstools, chewing a bite of bacon with a smug little smirk, not even trying to hide it.
Great.Glad this is so amusing for him.
I scoff, turning my attention back to Heath, who’s still eating breakfast and reading his newspaper.
Nobody says anything.
“Well…is someone going to fix it?” My jaw clenches as I cross my arms, the thin fabric brushing against my skin and doing very little to hide my braless situation.
Heath finally looks up at me, narrowing his eyes and twisting his mouth to the side.
“It’s not going anywhere. Sit down. Eat. It’s not a request.”
Huffing, I turn around, ready to storm back upstairs, when Wesley’s deep voice chimes in. I freeze on the threshold.
“Aw, chin up, buttercup.” He tosses back the remainder of his mug and sets it in the sink. “There are worse things than getting an all-inclusive free stay for the entire summer.”
A humorless laugh catches in my throat as I spin around, leveling Wesley with a glare.
“Free?”I choke on the word. “This summer will cost meeverything, you vapid dick.”
My entire body feels like I’ve been lit on fire. A single tear slides down in silent betrayal. I swipe it away before anyone can see.
Seconds feel like minutes and no one utters a single word as all three of them gape at me. But I stare back, refusing to cower. Tired of making myself smaller. Tired of everything.
I’m an angry crier—and I fuckinghateit. People always mistake me for being sensitive or a crybaby when in reality, hot rage is bubbling over and I am on the verge of a catastrophic detonation.
“Ho-ly shit,” Emmett murmurs under his breath, eyes flicking between all of us.
I shrug, a bitter laugh slipping out as more tears rim my eyes, blurring everything. Wesley slowly raises his hands in surrender, a stunned expression falling over his face.
Heath clears his throat, breaking the tension.
“Sadie.” He glances at his sons before looking back at me. “I would really like it if you would have breakfast with us.”
My gaze clings to Wesley as he drops his hands to the edge of the island behind him. His eyes flicker with something unspoken, like a silent dare.
If this were poker, I’d fold.
“I’m not hungry.”
The words come out in a choked whisper as I turn and disappear into my room, locking the door behind me.
CHAPTER FOUR
SADIE
Once,whenIwasyounger, my mother planned a trip for us to all go camping.
She always had a way of making the little things feel special. It was one of my favorite things about her. She always saw the best in everything.
The entire week leading up to the trip, she grew more and more excited. We went shopping for more than we could possibly need, and when Friday came, her hatchback was packed to the brim.
I was in the back seat, getting buckled and situated for the long drive, when Warren came out waving his phone at my mother.
Her shoulders deflated and her mouth twisted up to the side in an attempt to hide her disappointment from me. But I was no stranger to being let down by my father.
