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“Yeah,” I offer him a sad smile, “you have.”
Running after Ace, I catch up with him just as he’s about to leave the house.
“Ace, wait,” I cry.
He stalls, his hands gripping the door jamb. I can feel the pain and anger rippling off him. Slowly, he turns around but barely meets my gaze. “I need space, Remi.”
“I know... I do. And I want to give it to you.” I take a cautious step forward. “But I’m worried about you. You just found out something huge, and I don’t want to lose you.”
He tips his face to the ceiling and sucks in a harsh breath. When his eyes settle on me again, tears burn my throat. “He’s our… father.” He barely manages to get the word out. “I thought it was bad having a father like Charlie… but this is worse. James knew. He knew we were his and what our lives were like, and he did nothing.”
Without thinking, I run to Ace, throwing my arms around his neck. “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry.”
At first, I think he’s not going to react, but then his arms slide around me, crushing me to his chest. “What the fuck am I supposed to tell my brothers?”
I hold him tighter, my heart breaking for the boy who has carried the weight of the world for far too long.
“I’m here,” I whisper. “I’m right here.”
Ace eases back, and I’m sure I see moisture clinging to his dark eyelashes. “I promise I’m not going do anything stupid, but I can’t be here right now.”
“Let me come with you.”
Indecision flickers in his icy gaze, but then a mask slides over his face and I know I’ve lost this battle.
“I need some space, I need... fuck, I don’t know what I need, but I know I need to go.” He starts to pull away, but I snag his arm.
“Ace, please...”
“Just trust me, Remi. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Ace presses a kiss to my head, and then he’s gone.
Taking a piece of my heart with him.
I find James right where I left him. He’s hunched over his glass, his head hung low. I don’t need to see his expression to know he’s filled with guilt and shame. It lingers around him like a bad smell.
“He left?” He finally meets my gaze.
“Yes.” I take the seat opposite him. “But he seemed, I don’t know... sad.”
“You expected him to lose it?”
“Didn’t you?”
“I think that’s partly why I didn’t tell him right away. I was worried what it would do to him. Ace is such an angry young man.”
“Were you ever going to tell them?”
“Eventually. I’ve spent a long time waiting for this moment, and then I got the call that Maria was dead and it was like I didn’t know what to do.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” The words fly out. Maria’s death is something none of them seem to have dealt with. Ace barely talks about her, and I’ve never heard the twins so much as mention their mom.
“That’s very kind of you to say.” His lips curve slightly. “But my feelings for Maria faded a long time ago.”
“What really happened, James?”
“Me and Charlie were like apples and oranges. I was groomed for greatness. My father was a formidable man. He constantly came down on Charlie. Nothing he said or did was ever good enough. In some ways, he pitted us against each other. But it was never an issue. Until Maria.
