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Moving through the kitchen into the hall, I noted the photos. The Bensons and their perfect family. Except, it wasn’t perfect, was it?
They’d lost a son. Dayna had lost her brother.
These people knew loss. They knew grief and pain and heartache.
I knew loss too, but it wasn’t the same. My sperm donor hadn’t died. He’d chosen a life of easy money and screwing people over instead of his family. Me. Some days, I wished he was dead. It would be a damn sight easier than living in his shadow.
I found the bathroom and quickly took care of business. I needed to get out of here. The Bensons were good people, too good for the likes of me. I didn’t belong here. And I was going to have to tell Carson I wasn’t looking to be adopted by them for the summer, no matter how welcomed they had made me feel.
After washing my hands, I slipped out of the bathroom and headed back down the hall. But Dayna’s raised voice snagged my attention.
Before I could stop myself, I’d followed the sound to the foot of the stairs.
“What the hell, Josh? You didn’t text me all day, and now you’re calling me overemotional. Sorry if I wanted to talk to my boyfriend… What, no, I haven’t been drinking. What kind of question is that?” Her voice grew louder, and I ducked around the corner as she came downstairs. “I know you said we should have some space. I didn’t think— fine. Fine, whatever.” She headed for the kitchen, and I rubbed my jaw. I also needed to go back through the kitchen.
Fuck.
The back door slammed, reverberating through me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. She’d gone straight out back, so I figured the coast was clear. I swiped a bottle of water off the counter and stepped outside, almost walking straight into her.
“Crap, sorry. I didn’t know—”
“Dayna?” I steadied her shoulders, a zap of electricity going through me. Dropping my hands, I stepped back, putting some space between us. “Let me guess. The boyfriend?”
“That’s… none of your busi— wait”—her eyes widened—“were you listening to my conversation?”
“You weren’t exactly quiet.”
“Oh my God, that’s… I don’t even know what to say to that.” She wrapped her arms around herself, glancing down at the ground.
“It wasn’t like I was eavesdropping. I came out of the bathroom, and you were coming downstairs.” The lie rolled off my tongue, but something told me she wouldn’t appreciate the truth. And I wasn’t looking to get my balls handed to me by a hormonal female.
So why couldn’t I walk the fuck away?
“Yeah, well, if you could just stay out of my business, that would be great.” Her eyes flickered to mine, and I realized she was crying. She let out a weary sigh and went to move past me, but I grabbed her arm. “Aiden,” she breathed, her eyes boring into mine.
“He doesn’t deserve your tears.”
What the fuck?
Where the hell had that come from?
Dayna stared at me—through me—and then snatched her arm away. “What are you doing?” she seethed.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, first you tried to kiss me, and now you’re trying to give me relationship advice?”
“Relax, I’m not—”
“Dayna, sweetheart, are you coming to join us?” Mrs. Benson’s voice cut through the air, and the tension swirling around us like a knife.
“Uh, sure, Mom. I’ll be right there.” Pain flickered across her expression.
“Look, Dayna, I wasn’t—”
“Just… stay away from me, Aiden.” She took off down the yard and left me standing there.
Wondering what the fuck had just happened.
