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When Lilac doesn’t respond, I phone her. She doesn’t pick up. Of course not. She probably doesn’t want to lie about whatever’s happening at Cedar’s house.
Cedar’s a big boy. He can take care of himself. But what if he’s hurt? What if there’s a fire? I clench my chest. I can’t abandon him if he’s in danger no matter how big of a liar he is.
I sprint to my car and break all the speeding laws as I race to Cedar’s house. I notice Beckett’s car parked next to Cedar’s truck when I arrive. Uh oh. Beckett’s presence can only mean one thing. Big Brother Protector has emerged from his winter slumber.
I run down the path until I enter the clearing where Cedar’s tiny house is parked. Rowan, Cedar, and Beckett are all standing there staring each other down. Good news. No one is bleeding.
“Can you get on with it?” Rowan asks.
“No one will be fighting today,” I declare.
“Thank goodness. Nice seeing you, bro. I gotta get home.” Rowan winks at me as he hurries off.
I cross my arms over my chest and glare at Beckett.
“What?” He throws his arms in the air. “I didn’t hit him.”
“Because I arrived in time to stop you.”
His eyes narrow. “How did you manage to arrive on time?”
“Lilac.”
He sighs. “I love the woman to the moon and back, but she needs to stop interfering when it comes to me raising you girls.”
“Youraising usgirls?” I screech.
“Have I not raised you and your sisters since Mom and Dad died?”
“Raised. Past tense. We’re grown now. We don’t need you.” He flinches, and I backtrack. “We don’t need you to protect us. We’ll always need our big brother.”
Except Olivia. The only thing she needs is a swift kick up the ass. My foot is ready and waiting.
“I need to protect you. Dad’s not here to do it.”
My stomach clenches at his words. I know Dad’s not here. Mom either. There’s been a hole in my heart since the moment I found out they were gone. And it will never be filled. Not by booze or drugs or one-night stands. Trust me. I’ve tried them all.
I grasp his hands. “I’m going to tell you what I wish I could tell Dad at this moment. You need to let me and my sisters make our own mistakes.”
“I can’t stand it when you get hurt. It hurts me, too.”
I squeeze his hands. “And I love you for that. I do, but it doesn’t change things. You need to let us be the adults you raised us to be.”
He smirks. “I did do a fantastic job raising the lot of you heathens.”
I shove his shoulder. “Don’t get cocky. Did you forget about Olivia?”
His shoulders hunch. Fuck. Why did I mention the sister who should not be named? We all pretend she doesn’t exist, although I know Beckett wires her money and Elizabeth sends her postcards for all the holidays. Elizabeth’s a sucker for family.
Moving on. I motion between Beckett and Cedar. “Are we done with this now?”
“I’m done,” Cedar says.
I glare at him. “I wasn’t asking you.”
“Duly noted.”
“Well?” I raise my eyebrows at Beckett. “Done?”
