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“Oh, good,” said Nick. “This is a moment I want a record of.”
“You don’t smile enough. That makes them meaningful.” He paused, then turned the phone around so Nick could see. His voice lost any humor. “I should send this to your brother.”
Nick glanced at it. A bruise was already forming on his cheek, more obvious because of the flash in the darkness.
He reached out and pushed the button to make the phone go dark. Gabriel’s mocking voice was a never-ending echo in his head; he didn’t need to see the evidence of physical aggression on top of it. Such a contrast to that moment in the car, when Nick had realized how badly he wanted to share this with his brother.
Or that moment in the woods. Gabriel’s voice, tight with panic. Come on, Nicky. Please. You’re scaring me.
Or the thousand moments before that. A lifetime of memories with his twin brother, undone in an instant.
You don’t have to hold him. Nick will stay down.
“Okay,” said Adam softly. “Okay. Come on.”
It was only then that Nick realized his breath was shaking and his eyes had filled. Adam’s fingers wrapped around his good hand and tugged. Nick allowed himself to be led.
When he was sure his voice wouldn’t break, he said, “Where are we going?”
“Bus stop. My place?”
Nick nodded. He certainly couldn’t go home.
If he was being strictly honest with himself, he was afraid to go home.
God, he was such a wuss.
But when they were on the near-empty bus, sharing a bench at the back of the vehicle, Adam leaned into him and spoke quietly. “When you pushed him away from me—that was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Nick scoffed, but Adam put a finger over his lips. “It was.
For me, it was. Take it or leave it.”
Nick took it.
CHAPTER 26
Quinn hadn’t told Becca everything.
She’d left out Nick’s secret.
She’d left out Tyler.
She’d left out the trophy and the bruise and the fire on the beach.
But she’d cried and talked about how much she missed her best friend, about how much it hurt when Becca treated her like she was overdramatic, how she needed to figure out how to trust her again.
How much Quinn needed Becca to be there when she was ready to tell her everything.
She’d expected Becca to brush her off. If she was being strictly honest with herself, she’d expected Becca to sigh and huff and start talking about Chris.
But Becca had cried with her and told her how much she missed her, too, and Quinn realized that some of her worries about her best friend were exaggerations she’d created in her mind.
Another example of pushing someone away before they had the opportunity to help her.
Becca had begged her to come stay with her, but Quinn had refused. She needed more time to untangle the snarled mess of her thoughts. To decide how much trust she was willing to share.
Now, Quinn was ready for Tyler to come home with Chinese food, to sit across from him and have a real conversation.
