I’m utterly speechless as I stare out at the serene water. My emotions are all over the place, and I’m not sure which one I want to land on.Anger at Evelyn for turning our lives upside down, hurt that she can’t love us the way a mother should, or irritation that Jax has never told me this before. But also, I think I hate myself a little bit. Because, despite everything he just said, Istillwant to hold onto the hope that she’ll change.
How pathetic am I?
“Luke, are you okay?”
Jax’s concerned voice sounds far away, and I have to blink to force myself out of my bleak thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” I lie.
Jax changes the subject then, telling me a funny story about a prank one of the guys pulled at the fire department where he volunteers. I laugh when he reaches the punchline, but it sounds wooden. When he asks about my new job, I hear myself answer on autopilot. His eyebrows pull down, eyes soft and swimming with worry, but he doesn’t press me any further. We fall into silence for the rest of the day.
Eventually, despite our thick bundles of clothing and the blanket strewn across my lap, the cold becomes downright miserable. My fingers turn numb and stiff inside my gloves, the hot Thermos cooling as I drain it. The wind picks up, water lapping quietly along the sides of the boat as my eyes begin to burn from the sting of cold air. When Jax asks if I’m ready to call it a day, I nod eagerly.
We wave goodbye as we pull out of the parking lot, heading in different directions. I just can’t get it out of my head that all this time, in his own way, Jax has been trying to protect me from Evelyn. Even though she’s dead—as far he knows, anyway—he still didn’t want me exposed to her toxicity. I can’t help but wonder what he would have done if I had gone to him when I first found out the truth and told him she was alive.
Now I’m stuck with even more questions. Would things be different if I hadn’t kept this monumental secret from him, and what will happen if he finds out? And why did Dad lie to both of us about her death?
As I drive, my phone rings and I see Eve’s name flash across the screen. For the first time since she’s come back into my life, I ignore her.
Luke
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Despite ignoring it, my phone continues to chirp incessantly as I near Alek’s house, Eve’s name flashing across the screen while I grit my teeth. My knuckles turn white as they grip the steering wheel, the car coming to a jerky halt in the driveway. Swiping my thumbacross the red decline button brings me a moment of relief. That is, until I walk into the empty house and it begins to ringagain.
“What?” I bark into the phone.
Eveyln slurs into the speaker, her voice nothing more than an angry hiss. “Where the fuck have you been?”
“I’m staying at a friend’s house,” I murmur, unable to mask my sudden exhaustion.
She scoffs. “Are you staying with that man? The one that came by and took a bunch of your shit?”
“Thanks for that, by the way.”
It may have all worked out in the end—and let’s be real, Alek taking control of the situation and going all protective on me was hot—but I still don’t appreciate Evelyn letting a complete stranger inside the apartment to take my shit. From what Alek told me, she didn’t put up much of a fuss.
She ignores my sarcasm, belching into the phone before continuing on. “You’re letting him fuck you, aren’t you?”
My traitorous stomach chooses that moment to sayadiosand vacate the premises, the freefall sensation making me nauseous. Tension seeps into every facet of my body as I brace myself, knowing the hatred Evelyn is likely to spew. “Since when do you care who I sleep with?”
Her responding laughter is cold and bitter, and it makes me wonder if I’ve ever heard a genuine laugh from her. The kind that’s soft and happy, instead of judgmental and harsh. “You are sleeping with him, aren’t you? After all the shit you gave me about Kevin. I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, does it?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Everybody has a price, Luke. Whatever you’re getting out of it, I hope it’s good.”
My eyes squeeze shut, my fingers pinching the bridge of my nose as everything spins around me. It’s on the tip of my tongue to defend myself—to defend Alek—but I know it won’t do any good. Not when she’s like this.
“When are you coming home?”
I drag in a deep breath. “I’m—I just…need some space.”
“From what?”
