Page 84 of Road to Redemption

From the look on her face, I knew it was serious. Even in the time I’d been in the house, Spencer had been reluctant to talk about her sister. I knew she had overdosed, lost in the demons of her past. But Spencer didn’t like talking about it.

As understandable as it was, I also understood Caleb wanting to understand what happened to his mother. Especially as he stepped into adulthood.

I’d tried asking my own mom about my dad’s death. But she would just start to cry and then go to a party — leaving me alone to deal with all my questions.

If only I’d known then…

He had never wanted to leave me. His biggest demon wasn’t himself, it was the best friend he’d sworn allegiance to.

“How am I supposed to tell him everything?” Spencer looked up at the ceiling, her eyes following the crown moulding along the edge of the room. “The things I’ve learned about my own mom, the things Dom’s father did… it changes everything I thought about Jess.”

Leo extended her hand to Spencer’s back, resting her palm there. “It won’t be easy.”

Leaning forward, I met Spencer’s dark brown eyes. “How would it have helped you to know what happened to your mom when you were younger?”

A scoff and a laugh brought a smile to Spencer’s face. “I probably would have been a mess.”

“But maybe more healed now?” I pressed.

Spence nods. “It’ll break his heart.”

Leo clenched her jaw, fighting her own demons. “So will the lie.”

All I wanted to do was help her, to make this easier for her. Nothing about this was going to be simple.

I shrugged. “Maybe you can just get a coffee or something and talk it over. He’s a mature kid, he might understand it more than you expect.”

There was a moment of silence before Spencer let out another groan. “What the fuck am I supposed to say about Dom?”

“Whatever you want. The truth?”

The reality was that Dom had nothing to do with what happened to Christina Moore. If anything, Dom had committed her life to writing every disturbing thing her father had ever done. And as angry as Spencer was about Dom’s connection to Zeus, there was a chance that this conversation with her nephew could force her to see Dom’s perspective.

On the other side of this confrontation, there might be hope at easing the tension that still lingered in their relationship.

“Yeah, maybe. I’m kind of understanding why Dom hid it. This shit is hard.”

A figure appeared in the living room doorway, drawing all of our glares.

There, Dom raised an eyebrow. “Take it from me: tell him the truth. It’ll hurt but he can handle it. And I don’t need you to protect my relationship with him. I’ll fix it.”

We all tried to hide the surprise on our faces. Dom was saying all the right things, self-assured and confident in her ability to handle any ire that Caleb could have for her in connection with Zeus.

Spencer nodded. “Noted. Thanks.” Behind her stern face, I could see that Spencer was realizing the same thing I was: Dom was learning and growing. For the better.

45

KIERA

That night, I found myself tucked away in Leo’s bedroom with her and Spencer. We didn’t hang out up there often, but I always loved when we did. The whole room smelled like Leo: smokey, rich sandalwood and patchouli.

And her decor was simple, masculine, and incredibly clean. Simple metal bookshelves lined one wall, a mix of books and trinkets.

Laundry day was the perfect excuse to spend some time soaking all of it in. I walked around the room, helping her as she ferried neatly folded bundles of clothes back into their correct drawers.

Spencer was less interested in helping and more interested in watching me — as she laid across the bed kicking her feet, I’d caught her gaze lingering on my ass more than a few times.

But even as I rolled my eyes, I couldn’t help smirking. She never let me out of her sight if she could help it, and while it was a bit absurd, I also couldn’t help but find it endearing. Leo, though, didn’t think it was nearly as cute as I did.