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“You’re freaking me the fuck out, Cassia.” He takes a step closer, the comforting scent of cinnamon invading my senses. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay. We can figure—”
“My parents are getting divorced.” The hot burn of tears stings my eyes, making me feel like a child.
Holden’s inhale is sharp and sudden. “When did you find out?”
“Tonight. My mom didn’t want me to go back to school without telling me. My dad hasn’t really been around all summer. They said it was because of work. His firm is opening a new office in New Jersey.”
“I’m so sorry, Cas.”
I blink rapidly. “I didn’t see it coming. Twenty-four years of marriage. Six kids.” My fingers dig into my palm, the pain a welcome distraction. “I thought they’d…last.” I exhale, then switch to fiddling with a stray thread on the hem of my t-shirt. “And my siblings… I grew up with two parents. Maggie is in college now too. But Regan, Charlie, Chris? They all live at home. Sally is only eight! More than half her life, she’ll have to deal with shared custody and all the confusion that goes along with that.”
“Cassia…”
“And I feel guilty telling you. My parents are both alive, andhere, even if they’re not together. I know I’m lucky to have that. It’s just—”
“Hey.” He steps closer, grabbing my chin and tilting my face up. Forcing me to meet his gaze. “Never apologize for something you’re upset about. Never, and especially not to me. Okay?”
I nod. “My mom felt terrible and none of my siblings know, so I just came straight here. And I don’t want to go home and know. Don’t want to leave for school and also can’t wait to.” A long sigh leaves my body. “I’m just…a mess, I guess.”
Holden’s hand wraps around my waist, tugging me into the warmth of his body. “You don’t have to explain. I don’t have anywhere else I need to be. And even if I did, I’d still be right here.”
I tilt my head back so I can see his face better. “Thank you,” I whisper.
There’s another secret weighing me down, one I’m not allowed to share with him. Hopefully Sydney isn’t pregnant and he’ll never know. But God, if she is, it’ll affect him. They’re the only immediate family each other has.
Like he’s reading my mind, he asks, “Did you tell Sydney?”
“No. She’s got enough going on.” My guilty conscience speaks without thinking.
“She does, huh?”
I gnaw on my bottom lip, debating what to say.
“And she asked you not to say anything to me?”
“I don’t tell you everything Nova says to me.”
“That’s different, Cas. She’s not my sister.”
I blow out a long breath. “I know. But I…there are boundaries. There are plenty of things I keep between us that I don’t tell Sydney.”
“If she’s upset about something, she should trust me enough to tell me herself.” He sighs. “I’m a shitty brother.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You’re not exactly unbiased.”
“I’m not a liar either,” I reply.
One corner of Holden’s mouth curves up. “Not a good one, at least.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You have tells.”
“Tells? What do you mean?”
“Whenever you lie, your eye twitches.”
