Rhett let out a slow breath, sat back like the truth weighed more than he expected. “He was around. For me. For my mom. But I didn’t know about you. Not until I saw…” He winced. “Anyway. When I found out, I confronted him. Asked who you were. Asked why I was just now hearing I had a sister.” Rhett went on, voice tight. “That’s when he told me.”
I braced myself.
“He said he had an affair. One-night stand in Vegas. Said some woman showed up months later, saying she was pregnant. Your mom. He asked her to get an abortion. She said no.” He looked up at me, something pained and hesitant in his expression. “He told me she cut off contact after that. Never asked for money. Never came back. But he kept tabs. Quietly. From a distance.”
I couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe. It was aconfirmation I didn’t know I needed. And somehow still a fresh wound.
God, I wished Mom were here. Just for one second. To see this.
“So he knew,” I said. “Healwaysknew.”
“Yeah.” Rhett’s voice was a whisper now. “He knew.”
I swallowed hard. “And you tracked me down.”
“I had to. You were out here living a life, and I’d been walking around like you didn’t exist. I couldn’t let that sit.” Rhett leaned forward, elbows on knees. “I don’t want anything from you. I’m not here with some big motive or expectation. I just…” His voice cracked, and he took a second to recover. “I just thought you deserved to know you weren’t alone.”
I blinked back the burn in my eyes.
For a long moment, all I could do was nod. And then I whispered, “Thank you.”
We sat there in silence. Not comfortable, not yet. But something softer than before.
Not quite family.
But maybe something close.
Maybe something new.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
CHASE
Then, September 2024
“Wake up.”
I groaned as the basement lights flicked on and pulled the blanket over my head. Good fucking god, my skull hurt.
The blanket was ripped off my body, and I shivered, curling up in the fetal position.
“Jeff called,” my dad said. He was pissed; I could tell by the calm menace in his voice. Jay Everton was usually a happy-go-lucky guy, but when I cracked an eye open,thatversion of my dad was nowhere you be found. “You didn’t show up for your third shift in a row. Told me to tell ya not to bother coming back.”
“Thanks for the message,” I croaked. “Turn the lights off on your way out.”
I rolled away, giving him my back. I heard his deep sigh before his boots thudded back up the stairs.
Ah, so he wasn’t pissed; he was disappointed.Might actually be worse.
And now I was awake and my head was throbbing and I needed a cheeseburger. I pulled myself together enough to roll out of bed, throw on some basketball shorts and a hoodie, and head upstairs. No one was around, thankfully. I didn’t need more looks of disgust from my family members; I was disgusted enough with myself for the whole Everton clan.
When I stepped outside, the sunshine fucking blinded me and I made the decision to walk off my hangover instead of get behind the wheel of my truck.
The walk into town from the house wasn’t rough, but my ass was dragging and Rosie’s was on the far end of Main Street. By the time I hit the main drag, I was sweating toxins out from every pore.
When I finally pushed through Rosie’s door, the bell jingling overhead made my headache spike. The diner was half full with the usual lunch crowd—a mix of farmers and tourists passing through.
“You look like death warmed over.” Rosie planted her hands on her hips, giving me the same disapproving look my dad had earlier.
