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“He was upset.” Vivian can’t seem to decide between a glare and a pout. “But I called your Uncle Mike. Things would’ve gotten sorted out just fine. If your sister had waited instead of flying off the handle.”
I bark out a laugh. “Of course. How silly of me to be a little pissy about getting abducted and threatened. Should’ve sat like a good little girl duct taped in a locked room.”
“What the hell?” Dash wraps an arm around my shoulder.
“Damn it, Mom!” Leo’s shouting now. “Why didn’t you just let her out?”
“Your father—”
“Is the piece of shit you always chose over us! Fuck that! Fuck this!” Leo turns his back on her and stalks past us to his Mustang, which I didn’t realize was sitting halfway up the curb. “I’m done. He comes near Luna or me or Dash, I’ll fucking kill him. You tell him that.”
Wow. Death threats from two of his kids in one day. Dash should toss one in too just so we can hit the worst-dad-in-the-world trifecta.
“Leo,” my mother whimpers his name, readying the waterworks. Maybe the tears are real, but I have trouble believing any emotion from her other than the mysterious disdain she’s always shown me.
He ignores her. “Come on. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Dash guides me to the car. Like I’m fragile or something.
Despite the bump on the back of my head, I’m physically sound.
Emotionally though, I’m working through some shit.
Only when I’m strapped into the passenger seat can I let my mind sift through the roiling contents of my new realizations.
My brothers showed up for me today, and the support—though unnecessary, because I got my own ass out of that disastor—feels great.
The high is temporary though. This one attempted rescue doesn’t fix the twisted mess of our past.
But it does help me realize something important.
I never expect Charlie to show up.
And he always does.
He’s been there for me more times in these past few months than my family has in thirty years.
Even my grandmother let me down. Not by dying—no way I could blame her for having cancer—but by hiding her decline from me. Not warning me our time was limited.
What I crave more than anything is someone I can rely on. But I can’t seem to let myself believe that type of person exists. Or that they would want to be with me.
But Charlie shows up.
Charlie has only ever given his full self to me. And I know if he says he wants to stay, he will. I just worry he’ll say he won’t. Because no one else has.
Glancing over at my older brother, I consider people’s ability to change. Our relationship has never been a fair exchange. I give more than he does.
He showed up for me today, though, which tells me he can do it again. Maybe we’ll never be a balanced equation. So be it. I still want to buy his freedom.
But I can’t spend an entire year pretending I’m not wildly in love with my husband.
Charlie needs to hear my truth.
The car’s momentum slows, and I realize we’ve pulled into the driveway of a house. A very large house. Bigger than anyone in my family could afford.
“Where are we?” I glance between Leo and Dash.
My younger brother answers.
