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“Nate. Listen to me. Gabriel wants you here. He’s going to come back, and then—”
And then I don’t know what. I need to get a plan together and deal with my dad. It makes my chest hurt to think about the possibility that I won’t be able to come home afterward, but…somethinghas to happen. Something that convinces my father to stay away from us forever.
I manage a smile for Nate. “And then everything will be good. You’re staying here.”
He nods, a shimmer in his eyes that he blinks away. “Okay.”
“And so is Lydia.”
Nate sags. “I can’t stay here with a rich girl like her.”
“What makes you think I want to stay here with a bad boy like you?” Lydia grumbles from her chair.
His head snaps toward her, and he barely manages to hide a wince. “Abad boy? Did you seriously just say that, princess?”
“Time out.” I stand up and make a T sign with my hands. My head feels cottony with how tired I am, and being away from Gabriel is killing me slowly, and I have to make this work. “You two don’t have to be friends. You don’t have to like each other. But we’re going to have basic politeness, okay? This is where you both live. For the foreseeable future.”
Lydia sits up. “What?”
“I can’t let you go home, Lyd. It’s not safe. You’re with me until—until we figure all this out.”
She gets to her feet, and Nate perks up on the couch. “I can’t go home?”
“No. Dad…” Lydia is only sixteen. There’s no reason to burden her with everything I know. “I should have found a way to get you away from Dad before. YouandCatherine. I didn’t have a way to protect us. Now I do, so…you’re staying here.
Lydia’s chin dimples.
“I’m sorry, Lydia. I know you probably wanted—”
“I want to stay with you.” She covers her face with both hands and breaks into tears. “I don’t ever want to go back there. I’m so happy. I’m so happy, Elise.”
Nate moves as if to get up, his eyes wide with concern, but he hides the expression away and leans back on the couch. I fold my arms around Lydia and hold her while she cries. The front of my shirt is instantly soaked. It’s all I can do not to cry, too. I wanted the same thing at sixteen.
Lydia gets to have it. Even if Gabriel and his brothers and Charlotte have to be the ones to look after her. They’ll do it, if it comes to that. They won’t send her anywhere that’s not safe.
I drop a kiss to the top of her head. “Do you want anything to eat? Or just bed?”
She takes a deep breath. “Bed.”
Nate doesn’t want anything, either. I take the two of them upstairs with a hand on each of their elbows. Both of them pretend nothing happened before, but they’re wary of each other. Nate feigns exasperation when Lydia brushes her teeth in the guest bathroom. It’s not very convincing.
There are clothes here for Nate, and I borrow the set of Remy’s pajamas for Lydia. Inside fifteen minutes they’re in Gabriel’s guest bedrooms. Their heads are only a few feet apart, separated by one wall with a heating vent near the beds.
I go into Gabriel’s bedroom and change into one of his sweatshirts, then pack a small bag of clean clothes to take to the hospital tomorrow. Mostly, I’m lingering up here in case Nate or Lydia need anything.
It’s quiet when I tiptoe into the hall. It’s been a long day. I’m sure they’re asleep already.
I’m at the top of the stairs when I hear Lydia, her voice low, like she’s not sure Nate can hear her but shehasto say this anyway. “I’m not a princess.”
There’s a pause. He must be able to hear her through the vent, because he answers. “Yeah, you are. You come from money. I can tell just by looking.”
“That’s…that’s very narrow-minded.”
A snort. “What was it you called me? Abad boy? Because I have a bruise on my face?”
“From getting in a fight.”
“I didn’t get in a fight. I got jumped. There’s a difference.”
