Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“True.” I laughed, my stomach squeezing tight. “I…really care about him.” Mom smiled, then waited for me to say more. “But Bailey is still mad at him, and the whole thing has been tough.”
Besides the fact that we haven’t really defined what this was between us, except hooking up exclusively. But for me, it was more—way more—and I didn’t know what to do with that. How to make my time with him feel like enough.
“Sibling relationships can be tricky to navigate.” She glanced toward the stairs. “They’ll have to figure it out one way or another. Just…don’t forget about what you need. Your feelings matter too.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
The following morning after breakfast, I headed to the Duval’s, my stomach feeling off-kilter. I was greeted warmly by Mrs. Duval, who was on her way out to do some holiday shopping with her sister. “The boys are in their rooms.”
My skin prickled as I walked up the flight of stairs for the first time since graduating high school. Their bedrooms were across the hall from each other, and since Bailey’s door was cracked open, I called out to him. “Bailey?”
I walked in to find a glowering best friend sitting on his bed with his laptop. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” he replied, though his mouth was turned down at the corners. “Why?”
“I heard your dad didn’t show, so I was making sure—”
“Seriously?” his voice rang out as he glared over my shoulder to Remy’s door across the hall.
I rolled my eyes because I was so over this pettiness. “I was gonna find out anyway, wasn’t I?”
He huffed. “Some things used to be private between us.”
“I’m sorry that recent changes have been hard for you.” Bailey just stared at me without arguing. “Thankfully, you have people in your life who show up consistently.”
He folded his arms. “Like who?”
“How about me?” I scoffed. “How about your mom and Remy? How many times have they been to our swim meets this year?”
“Remy only comes for you and to hang with Mom. He doesn’t care about me.”
“Of course I do.” Remy was standing in the doorway, and my pulse beat erratically as I glanced over my shoulder to find him in gym shorts and a tee, his expression as weary as mine.
“If you actually cared, you would’ve tried to keep our family together.”
Remy stepped into the room, his fists clenched. “So it was okay with our parents’ marriage being based on a lie as long as it didn’t disrupt your stupid fairy-tale life?”
I bristled at his tone, though he was right. Suddenly, I felt out of place in the room, the prickly air swirling around us making my chest tight.
“Dad made a mistake,” Bailey bit out. “Maybe they could’ve worked it out.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Bailey? I know you’re not this naive. You can’t be. It wasn’t only one mistake.” Remy paced the room, swearing under his breath. “Dad has been cheating for years, and…you…you don’t even know the half of it. The fucking golden child has been shielded from everything!”
Bailey’s face turned beet red. “You’re lying!”
“No, I’m not.” Remy gritted his teeth. “You’re old enough now to know all of it. Why do I have to carry this fucking burden alone?”
My gaze snapped to Remy, but his eyes were narrowed at his brother like he was about to erupt like a volcano.
I stepped toward Bailey, who looked completely ruined—his hair disheveled, his eyes shiny and red.
“Okay, turn it down a notch, Remy. Don’t go so hard.”
“You knew about this?” Bailey accused, shrugging my hand off his shoulder.
“Of course, I didn’t!” I replied. “I’m only trying to…be here for you.”
Remy gripped his hair in aggravation. “Sure, everyone rush to poor Bailey, who thinks our father hung the moon. I am so fucking sick of being the fall guy.”
“You’re right, and I’m sorry. I know it’s been just as hard for you,” I said, trying to temper my voice when I wanted to scream. “But you know damned well that I support you both.”
“I know you do.” His shoulders slumped. “And I’m sorry you’ve had to put up with all this bullshit between us.” He glanced at Bailey, who still looked thunderstruck over the idea of his dad being a serial cheater. “I know you’re hurting, Bailey, and I probably just loaded more on you. Fuck. But don’t let it ruin all the stuff you still believe in, like love and relationships.”
Frustration flared inside me, hot and prickly. “Damn it, Remy. I know you’re skeptical about that stuff. Skeptical that someone can love you and want a relationship with you and have it last. But what if it can? What if you’ll never know unless you take a chance on someone?” On me. When I placed my hand against my heart, his eyes widened, and I wondered if I’d said the words aloud. Ah, fuck it. Guess I was going balls to the wall. “Sometimes, a leap of faith is all we have.”