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I nodded, but I knew the truth. Ididn’thave that option. Not because the people in this house wouldn’t give me an out if I needed it, but because this was the only way to ensure that no one else got caught in the crossfire while my rapists tried to cover their tracks.
Ian tilted my chin up and gave me a soft, sweet kiss. “I love you. So much it scares me sometimes.”
“I know the feeling,” I mumbled, cracking half a smile. “I’ve gotten pretty well acquainted with it the past few months.”
“Come on, baby. Let’s go get this over with.”
We went downstairs, and everyone else was already digging into their sandwiches and salads from Panera.
“Damn, guys. Did you save any for us?” Ian teased.
“I think there’s a green tea with Ky’s name on it,” Izzie chuckled. “But I’m stealing your bread. You shouldn’t be eating the empty carbs anyway, Mr. Jock.”
“Iwillfight you,” he said, mock glaring at her. “It’s not football season anymore.”
“Children, play nice,” Gary snickered. “Kyler, come sit. I can promise you this isn’t going to be as bad as you think it is.”
I sat in the vacant chair next to Gary, and Ian took the chair next to me. Bile was churning in my stomach, and as much as I appreciated the effort to make this as conversation as low-key as possible by doing it over lunch, I couldn’t even bring myself to take a drink of my iced green tea, let alone try to eat my sandwich.
“Wait. I almost forgot,” Gary said. “Do either of you have a dollar?”
Ian pulled his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out a dollar, handing it to his father like he wasn’t the least bit surprised by this request.
I quirked a brow, beyond confused. “What’s that for?”
“Legal fee,” Gary explained. “I’m now bound by attorney/client privilege. That means I legally can’t repeat anything either of you say to me. So, Kyler, take as long as you need to collect your thoughts, eat your lunch, and when you’re ready, tell me what’s going on. You have my word it won’t leave this room.”
I took a few sips of my iced tea and opened my bag of chips, nibbling at a couple of them, before taking a deep breath and starting to talk.
I told them everything. Not in as much detail as I’d told Ian, but in way more detail than I’d told anyone else. I told him what Max, Tucker, and Drew had done to me. I told him about the constant bullying and everything that had happened since I’d trusted Ian with my story. And I told him about what had happened when I talked to my mom about it yesterday and why I needed a place to stay now. Ian interjected in a few spots about things that the guys had done to him that I wasn’t present for, but for the most part, he let me do the talking.
There was dead silence at the table by the time we were done, and Gary and Maya looked absolutely heartbroken. So did Izzie and Hillary, but they’d at least had some idea of what I was going to say. Gary and Maya hadn’t had any clue what to expect from this conversation, and I was sure they weren’t expecting to hearthat.
“I’m going to go out of lawyer mode and be your boyfriend’s dad for just a minute,” Gary finally said.
He got out of his chair and folded his arms around me in a fatherly embrace that made me ache for my own dad. Because I knew without a doubt that if I’d had the same conversation with my father that I’d had with my mother yesterday, I would have been met with support and compassion, not accusations and hostility.
When Maya got up and joined in, giving me a warmer hug than I’devergotten from my own mother, that did it. I’d managed to keep my tears at bay for the entire time I was talking, but this hug broke the dam and let the floodgates loose.
“Thank you for trusting us with that, sweetheart,” Maya whispered. “We love you so much.”
“I…I love you guys too,” I blubbered.
With one final squeeze, Gary went back to his chair, but Maya stayed where she was and kept holding me. Much to my surprise, Ian didn’t try to fight her on it, and I appreciated that. As much as I loved being in his arms and as safe as I felt with him, what I really needed right now was a mother’s love, and it seemed like Maya knew that.
“Still being your boyfriend’s dad,” Gary murmured. “I am so sorry for what you went through, Kyler. No one should ever have to go through something like what you did, and especially not a fifteen-year-old. If your mother can’t see that and can’t support you, then she doesn’t deserve a daughter as strong and brave as you. You’re welcome to stay with us for as long as you need.”
“Thanks,” I sniffled.
Ian rubbed comforting circles on my back and leaned over to plant a kiss on my shoulder before scooting his chair closer to me. I let go of Maya to rest my head on his shoulder, and he quickly wrapped his arms around me while Maya gave my shoulder one last squeeze and then went back to her chair.
“Okay, now I’m back in lawyer mode,” Gary sighed. “First of all, do not say another word to Drew Harrison. What he was doing is called witness tampering, and it’s illegal. Second, your first step is going to be filing a police report. It’s not too late to charge them for what they did to you. With what you and Ian just told me, we have probable cause to search for that video and try to find out who filmed it. Making and distributing child pornography, or even just possession of it, is a federal offense, with mandatory prison time. Statutory rape, which is what this was since you were under sixteen, also carries a mandatory prison sentence, as does aggravated sexual assault. And we can tack on a felony assault charge for what they did to Ian yesterday too. These boyswillgo to jail, Kyler. For a very long time.”
I nodded, but didn’t say anything. I didn’t know whattosay.
“I don’t care about charging them with assault as long as we can bury them for what they did to Ky,” Ian chimed in.
“That’s one hundred percent your decision, Ian, and I understand where you’re coming from. As your father, obviously I want to see them punished for hurting you, but if you don’t want to press charges, I can’t force you to. And since Ican’ttry this case for the DA’s office because I’m too close to it, it’s not my call.
