Page 85 of Carson

“He sees me as a leech.”

My brother laughs. “Right now, he does, but only because he’s afraid. Once that dissipates, he’ll be able to see clearly again.”

“You should get back to Mila and Serenity. I’m going to head out to the van and get some shut-eye myself.”

He looks toward the window. “I’ll do that, but only if you sleep in here tonight. I’ll feel better knowing you’re behind a locked door.”

“My van door locks, you know?”

The big brother I remember hasn’t changed. He takes the blanket on the back of the couch and hands it to me. “Here, you’ll be nice and cozy right here.” He pats the couch.

“Fine, but only because I’m too tired to argue.”

“As long as I win, I don’t care how it happens.” He kisses me on the forehead. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

“Yeah, okay.”

He double-checks the door after I lock it and I roll my eyes, but secretly I’ve missed it.

I go back to the couch and lie down, holding the picture of Cole and Carson above my face.

“I don’t know how to get through to you, Cole, but I’m going to figure it out,” I say quietly. “I’ve got to, because there is no way I’ll ever be able to leave Carson … or your parents.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Carson

Oh my god. I hold my head in my hands as everything comes rushing back to me. Cole. The fight. My dad …

I fall backward onto the mattress, the pain from what he told us last night hasn’t eased.

There’s only one way around it, and that’s with a bottle of Jack.

I stumble to the kitchen to see if we still have a bottle stashed in the cupboard over the refrigerator.

As I’m reaching for it, I hear a soft snore coming from the living room.

Cole must have crashed on the couch last night. I’m surprised he even came home.

Bingo. One bottle of liquid magic mind eraser.

I grab it, glancing over at the couch as I head back to my room.

My feet instantly stop, and I sway in place, sloshing the brown liquid in the bottle I’m carrying. It’s Luna.

She’s in my house.

Our house.

Guilt hits me until I notice what she’s holding. One of my favorite photos of Cole and me. It was taken at the Sunflower Festival last year. We were so fucking happy. We were back living in Nevada. Our cabin was finished and life was fucking perfect … or so I thought.

Then I notice her lips.

There, now it’s perfect.

I didn’t know what I was missing until the universe thrust it in front of my face.

God, she’s beautiful.