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“It’s understandable why you would,” Scarlett says, heated.
“That’s what I want to talk to you about. Ishouldn’thave assumed the worst.”
I take a long swig of water, mainly to pace myself.
“Before Sofie fell asleep, she said she wanted you all to know everything. She didn’t want you to doubt her love for me and also wanted you to know that she’s here for keeps. Her words.” I chuckle, but I already have a lump in my throat and shake my head. “I’m just going to put it out there right now that I’m a wreck. I have been for a while…so I’ll try to keep it together long enough to get it out.”
“Take your time, honey.” Grinny reaches over and squeezes my hand.
“I wouldn’t have ever talked about this if Sofie hadn’t said I could, because it’s her story to tell. And I want what I tell you to stay between us. I don’t want it leaving this room.”
“You have our word,” Sutton says.
The rest of them chime in with the same thing, and I take a deep breath.
“It’s been a while now that I found out Sofie’s dad was abusive with her and her mom.”
There are gasps from my sister and Grinny, and my brothers’ eyes take on hard, steely edges.
“Not just once or twice, but pretty much as far back as Sofie can remember. There are accidents I remember Sofie having that she blamed on being clumsy, falling off her bike or a horse or running into the wall. Sometimes I saw her flinch and she’d wave it off. Other times I saw the actual bruises,” my voice breaks. “Never once did I consider it was her dad doing that to her.”
Tears fall down Grinny’s cheeks and she grabs a tissue from the box next to her, dabbing her face.
“I knew she still hadn’t told me everything, but I thought maybe she left because she had built-up resentment about me being so oblivious. I blamed myself, so I thought she must too. And I’ve been such an idiot about it, letting my own resentment over the way she left keep me from asking the real question, which iswhat finally drove her to leave?”
“Gil Copewell was never my favorite person, but I would have never thought him capable of that. I can’t believe I didn’t see it,” Grinny says, her voice shaky. “With Sofie, I thought it was odd how much she always preferred to be with us over her own family, and there were times, I told you…that last year before she left…that I wondered if she was trying to tell me something.” Her shoulders shake. “Oh, how I wish I’d known.”
“She doesn’t blame any of us. She’s the first to say that she and her mom both worked so hard to hide it.”
“I’d love to put my fists in that man’s face,” Callum mutters.
“You’re not the only one,” I admit. “And it gets worse. This is the part I just found out, right before she left for Texas. That Fourth of July, you know the one…after the parade and after Sofie spent the day with us, she went home to her parents fighting. It was out of control. She tried to intervene, and Morgan told her to leave, to go back to our house. Sofie said she was going to call the police and her dad said if she did, I’d be dead.”
I start crying then, but I try to talk through it.
“Morgan tried to get away and turned when she heard Gil punch Sofie. She went down and Morgan was already hurt pretty bad too, but then he started suffocating her with a pillow right there next to Sofie.”
I’m quiet for a minute as I envision what she told me.
“I think he killed Morgan then on the floor upstairs. Sofie tried to fight him off, but he backhanded her, and she passed out for a few minutes.”
“My God,” Sutton says, running his hands through his hair.
Callum curses under his breath and gets up to start pacing.
“She found them outside in the field beyond the stables. Gil had Morgan up on her horse and when she fell off of it, everyone thought all her injuries were from the fall. Gil told Sofie to leave and that if she ever breathed a word about what he’d done, he’d kill me. She had no doubt he’d go after all of us. She’d seen him get away with it her whole life.”
“And she came back as soon as she knew he was dead, that motherfucker,” Wyatt says. He rubs his fingers over his eyes. “I can’t believe what all that girl has been through. She left to protect you when she was so young, had just lost her mom, and then the threat of Gil killing you…I can’t imagine the grief she experienced.” His eyes are bloodshot when he drops his hands. “I get why you’ve been so scared she’d leave again, especially not knowing the whole story, but I think it’s safe to say that woman would do anything for you, Theo. And I hope she knows we’ll do anything forher.”
I bury my face in my hands and Grinny puts her arm around me, comforting me through her own tears. Scarlett moves to the other side of me, and her voice is full of tears when she speaks.
“I’m sorry to say that as thrilled as I’ve been that she’s here, a small part of me was holding back too. Scared that she’d hurt you again, that she’d hurt all of us.” She wipes her face when I turn to look at her. “I’m all in now.” Her voice cracks. “She’s going to be sick of us and how much we adore her.”
“Thank you for trusting us with this,” Sutton says. “I’m with Wyatt and Scarlett. I can’t imagine anyone loving you any more than Sofie does, and for that, she’ll have a brother in me for life.”
“Forlife,” Callum repeats.
It’s possible I cry all the way home, but it’s a cleansing cry, one I think needed to happen. When I walk into our bedroom and see that she hasn’t budged from where I left her, I smile and climb in next to her. She shifts and I pull her closer to me. She nestles into the crook of my neck, her leg looping over my thigh, and I lie there for a long time, so thankful to have her by my side.
