“Yeah.” I pull my phone from my pocket and bring up the most recent picture, the two of us at midnight on Nathan’s birthday.
Levi leans over her shoulder to see it when I turn the phone to her. “He looks just like you.”
“Yeah, we get that a lot.”
“It’s admirable,” Levi says. “That you put your life on hold for him. You’ve given up a lot for him.”
“Everything is for Nathan.” I don’t regret a single minute of it. I’d do it all over again if I were given the choice.
“I wouldn’t have put my life on hold like that,” Arnie says, his voice thick with arrogance.
“That’s because you don’t have siblings,” Sophia replies. There’s a bite in her tone, and I don’t miss the way she casts a disbelieving look at Dalton.
Grady nods beside her. “I would’ve dropped everything to help my sister if she needed it. It’s just what you do.”
Arnie’s eyes narrow; he doesn’t like that they’re disagreeing with him. Out of all the people I’ve met today, counting the tension between Dalton and his dad, Arnie’s the only one I don’t like. I hate the way he watches me. A part of me wonders if he wants to be with Dalton.
“Well, I’m so glad you two found each other,” Ronnie says. “You guys have only been here a few hours, and I can already see the effect you have on him. Thank you for making him so happy.”
My face warms, and I lower my gaze back to my plate.
“Mom, you’re embarrassing him,” Dalton says. “Harass Sohpia and Grady for a while.”
Ronnie laughs but does as he asks, turning her attention to her daughter.
Dalton keeps his hand on my thigh, and I’m thankful for how grounded it makes me feel. I don’t like talking about my dad or remembering how bad things got before I finally ran with Nathan. I didn’t have enough money saved from the odd jobs I’d been doing, and it was nothing short of a miracle that I managed to secure that shitty apartment.
For months after we left, I barely slept. I was so scared Dad would find us, or he’d send the police after us. I didn’t want to be separated from Nathan. I knew no one would take care of him the way I was willing to. And I had no idea what would happen to us if we were sent back to live with Dad.
While my worry slowly eased the longer we were away from him, I didn’t feel like I took my first full breath until the day Nathan turned eighteen.
I did a lot of stuff to survive, to make sure Nathan survived. Working for Vinnie was the one I hated the most, but it was necessary.
“You okay?” Dalton whispers.
I nod because I don’t trust myself to speak. I don’t want my voice to shake. It’s why I don’t like talking about my dad. I don’t like how vulnerable it all makes me feel.
So I do my best to push it all back where it belongs. I focus instead on the feel of Dalton’s warm hand on my thigh, thesubtle way he leans slightly closer to me. I’ve done a lot of things to keep money flowing in, and this is my favorite by far.
Nine
Dalton
I knew my family was going to like Sam, but I’m a little blown away by how quickly they fall in love with him. I knew he had Mom that first night during dinner when he talked about his brother, but Sophia and Dad are both tougher on people.
The day after they meet, Sophia pulls me aside to ask why we’re not living together yet. Dad even has a short conversation with me about how glad he is to see I’m happy.
I know he wants me to be happy, but it’s been a while since we’ve had a conversation about anything. We usually just text each other. I miss the closeness I used to have with him, but that was before, back when Colt was alive. He’s never actually said it, but I know he blames me for my brother’s death. How could he not?
I could feel him watching me at dinner, when Sam was talking about Nathan. He was probably thinking the same thing I was—Colt would’ve done the same thing for me had we been in that position.
I miss my brother every day, but it’s more intense this Christmas. I wish he could’ve been here to meet Sam.
“I seriously can’t believe you two aren’t living together yet,” Sophia says, blowing on her hot cholate. We’re watching Sam ice skate with Kelly on the frozen pond on the other side of the street in front of the house, and I can’t help smiling at how fucking adorable Sam is.
I was attracted to him the day we met, but after spending a few days with him, that attraction seems to be growing into something else. Something bigger.
To anyone watching, it probably does seem strange we’re not living together. I told them all we’d been together for about six months. Anyone lucky enough to date Sam would definitely have suggested moving in at some point.
