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“Hey, lil sis.” Shoving his phone in his back pocket, he strides to me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me in for a hug. “Will let you drive his beamer today, huh?” Pulling back, he nods toward the window where Will’s car sets in the parking lot.
“Hey, big bro. Of course he lets me drive his car. What’s his is mine and all that.” I wave a dismissive hand, changing the conversation. “How’s life?”
He quirks an eyebrow, his eyes flashing with mischief. “And that’s code for ‘how are things going between Vanessa and me,’ right?” The loud noise of the frozen coffee machine causes him to stop speaking. “First, we order coffee and a pastry, then we’ll gossip about my love life.” His voice lowers, lips dipping into a frown. “Or lack thereof,” he mutters, before turning around and getting in line.
Hmmm… I’m not liking the direction of this conversation.
As I get in line behind him, he gives me a grin, his demeanor changing to typical Darin mode. “You are glowing today. Did Will give you an orgasm before you met me for coffee?”
Laughing, I shake my head. “Something like that.” I haven’t told anyone other than Savannah that I’m pregnant and planned to do so at Thanksgiving dinner, which is one reason why I’d like to get everyone together. “Have you heard back from anyone about Thanksgiving? Is anyone able to join us?”
Amusement is all over Darin’s face as he puts an arm around me, giving me an affectionate squeeze. “Stop fretting. Max and Irelynn are definitely in, as well as her parents and grandparents. Of course, Dad was an immediate yes, which you already know. He said the two of you have established a routine of taking turns calling one another every evening.” Darin pulls away, his smile widening. “I love the relationship the two of you are developing. He’s been happier than I’ve seen him since…” His voice trails off as his gaze drops to his shoes. He runs a hand through his hair, resting it on the back of his neck. Lost in his memories, I squeeze his arm lightly, drawing his attention to me. I haven’t asked him many questions about our sister yet, but the day for a heart-to-heart conversation about her is drawing closer.
“Words can’t describe how much it means to build a relationship with our dad. All those years I spent believing Derrick Morrison was my father…” I heave in a breath, trying to prevent my thoughts from going to a dark place that is all too commonplace when I think of him. “To have you as my brother is icing on the cake.”
The line moves forward, and Darin turns, dropping his hand from his neck, moving behind the guy ordering drinks at the register. Turning to me, his dazzling green eyes sparkle radiantly. “I know it’s rare that I’m serious, but Everleigh…” Pausing, he makes sure the guy in front of us is still ordering, then he continues, “I don’t talk about our sister much, but I’ve missed her so much since she… passed.” He swallows hard. “I’ve thrown myself into my work, hanging with friends, and of course, spending time with Dad. Things have been rocky with Vanessa, but our relationship has been anything but typical.” He gives me a wry grin, shrugging one shoulder in a gesture that indicates things are beyond his control. “But since you and I became friends, it’s as though a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Seeing how much shit you and Will endured, yet persevered, gives me hope for my relationship with Vanessa.” He shifts his weight. “Discovering you are my sister has been the icing on the cake for me. You’ve become one of my best friends.”
His words wrapped around my heart, making it feel lighter. I quickly hug him, noticing the guy in front of us moving away from the register. “You are one of my best friends, too. And one helluva awesome brother. I can’t ask for a better family.” I almost rub my hand over my belly but catch myself. Darin is far too observant and would question me like a detective in an interrogation room.
Darin and I order, then when our food and drinks are ready, we snag a table in the corner. We ease into the conversation by talking about Will’s bid for Sumer Tech Industries, then I fill him in on Savannah’s fears that she saw her stepdad and that he may be stalking her. Darin’s face registers concern when I say, “He regularly abused her, Darin. It was bad. And her brother didn’t do anything to prevent or stop it. He was also threatened and beaten by his father, not that it’s an excuse to look the other way.”
There’s a look I’ve never seen before in Darin’s eyes as he says, “Judging by what you are saying, yet not saying, I’m assuming she was sexually abused.” He takes a sip of his coffee, his eyes roaming over the diner. Leaning forward, he sets his coffee cup on the table. “Did she wind up pregnant?”
I’m taken aback by his astute observation. Sadly, I nod. “She was bullied in school by her peers. That’s how I met her. She was very quiet and withdrawn at first. Like a scared mouse, she kept her head down and her books pressed to her chest as she shrank into herself, trying to appear invisible. Savannah is far too beautiful to be invisible, unfortunately. The bullies taunted her, saying she was probably doing drugs. They delighted in shoving her into locker doors, tripping her as she tried to walk down the hallways or into the classroom. The day I’d had enough was when she came into school, soaking wet from the pouring rain, as though she’d walked there. She didn’t have an umbrella. She’d barely taken two steps into the door when they tripped her and she slid across the floor, her books going everywhere. She burst into tears, which broke my heart. Furious, I went after the two who did it. When they ran their mouths, I punched them.” I grin, remembering that day. “I thought I was going to be suspended. I knew Mrs. Johnston would have my back. I was taken to the principal’s office and Mrs. Johnston was called. She came into the school and listened to the principal, then asked me what had happened. I explained everything—all the bullying episodes I’d witnessed and how everyone had looked away and done nothing about it. By the time Mrs. Johnston was through, I was released to the classroom with no punishment.” I chuckle, remembering Mrs. Johnston effectively and professionally ripping Principal Adams a new asshole.
Darin chuckles, respect in his eyes. “I’m glad she had you to defend her. I’m assuming that was the start of your friendship?”
I nod. “It took some time, but Savannah looked me in the eye and whispered a thank you before she hung her head. I invited her to sit with me at lunch and I’ll never forget the look on her face.” I blink back the tears as the memory assaults me. “It was as though I’d told her she’d won the lottery. She’d had no friends that I’d seen at that point.” My shoulders slump from sadness as I fidget with my coffee cup.
Darin’s warm fingers wrapping around mine cause me to look up and meet his sparkling emerald eyes. “You’re an amazing person, Everleigh. Your kindness changed the course of Savannah’s life.”
My eyes fill with tears as I nod. He has no idea how much time I devoted to trying to form a friendship with Savannah. Once that happened, one day I caught her in the bathroom throwing up. She collapsed in my arms and confessed her stepfather had been raping her and she was pregnant with his child. I wanted to get her out of there, but she said it wasn’t that simple. An investigation had started because of a concerned neighbor, who had heard Savannah screaming one night when her stepfather attacked her.
I didn’t know what to do, so I asked Mrs. Johnston for assistance. After a lot of prodding, I convinced Savannah to see a doctor. Before that happened, her stepfather returned from wherever he’d run off to and beat Savannah unconscious. I found her in a pool of blood inside her mobile home and called Mrs. Johnston. Savannah regained consciousness and begged us not to call an ambulance, so we rushed her to the hospital for treatment. She miscarried the child, and I was sick with worry that her stepfather would return and kill her.
Mrs. Johnston was also distraught but had the ability to enact change. Turning to her contacts from her former FBI career, she was able to get Savannah placed with a local wealthy family who was looking to foster. I’m confident the security detail they hired was due to Mrs. Johnston advising them of the violence by Savannah’s stepfather.
One of the perks of living with the wealthy foster family is that they catered to Savannah’s interest in technology. She had a natural inclination for it and ultimately learned how to hack. She found that her stepfather had been on the run for screwing over a well-known drug dealer and after the trail went cold, we believed the drug dealer caught up to him and ended his life.
Now, I’m wondering if we made a huge mistake thinking that.
I let Darin digest those words. Raising my brow, I cock my head, studying him. “That was an astute observation about Savannah being raped and pregnant. Sounds like it came from someone with involvement in a similar situation.”
His face pales as he shifts in the chair, his eyes rapidly flicking around the room at everything and everyone but me.
Finally, he locks his gaze on mine. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Monica, our sister, was sexually assaulted and ended up pregnant. She…” His voice quivers and he stops speaking, his gaze lowering to the table. I can see the struggle on his face as he battles to rein in his emotions.
Once he does, his gaze raises to mine. There’s so much pain and guilt there that it feels like someone stabbed me. Lowering my hand to my stomach, I lightly rub it, as though I’m protecting the life within. The ones who bring so much light to my life already.
Finally, he says, “Monica committed suicide.”
The world stops spinning as I stare at him, unable to form words. And fuck, I want to, so badly. Seeing the utter devastation on Darin’s face, guilt making him grimace as he tugs his shirt collar away from his neck as though it’s choking him.
After shaking off the shock I’m feeling, I wrap my hand around his, squeezing it tightly. “I’m so fucking sorry, Darin. I wish I could have met her.” Seeing the tears forming in his green eyes and watching him blink to prevent them from falling twists the knife in my stomach further. “But you need to know, you aren’t responsible. You couldn’t have saved her.”
Sucking in an audible breath, Darin lowers his head, tipping it to his chin. “Dad has tried to tell me that for so long…” His voice cracks and breaks, his chin quivering. Yet he battles through his pain, not letting his tears fall. I’m not sure if it’s because we are in a coffee shop or if he doesn’t trust me enough to cry around me yet, but I hope it’s because we are in public. “I took it upon myself to be responsible for Monica at a young age. Mom was…” He lifts one shoulder, looking up at me. “It’s hard to describe her. She was physically present yet weak in the sense that she couldn’t handle problems. She wanted life to be a happy bubble and that’s just not realistic.”
“That’s tough, Darin. But still… You couldn’t single-handedly save Monica. Not if she wasn’t willing to save herself.”
