“Molly.”
“That you and?—?”
“Archer.”
“Met before they got married. They’ll deal with it.”
I grimace. “You don’t know Dad.”
“Uh, yeah, I do. He’s a real stick in the mud. No offence.”
I wave my hand. “None taken.”
“And he’s half the reason you’re so uptight about keeping up appearances all the time. But where was that mentality when he was screwing Molly behind your mum’s back?”
I pluck a sachet of sugar from the bowl and tap one long edge against the table.
“The way I see it, he’s got fuck all room to talk or judge. The only thing that should matter is whether you and Archer want to be together.”
I drop the sachet and slump my shoulders. “It’s not that simple.”
“Make it that simple. Or don’t, and be miserable. But secrets have a way of coming out sooner or later. I bet your dad thought he’d never get caught.”
True. “It’s just sex.”
He tilts his head. “Is it?”
The plaid pattern on the tablecloth is suddenly very interesting. “Yes.”
It’s what we agreed to. It’s what we do whenever I go to Archer’s. We fuck, and it’s amazing. And then we cuddle and talk and often fall asleep together. And sometimes I wake, and he’s staring at me with the sweetest smile. Other times, I wake first and stroke his hair until he opens his eyes.
“It will come out. Better it comes out in a way you and Archer can control,” Rex says.
“Since when did you give sensible advice?”
He pinches a sausage off my plate. “Since always. Are you going to listen?”
I can’t. My family is already in tatters. Who knows what damage I’ll do if I confess I’m screwing my stepbrother?
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“I can’t.”
“If you say so. But seriously, you’re blowing this situation out of proportion.”
I know, but how do I stop? It’s who I am.
“Are you going to go on holiday?”
“I can’t get out of it without looking like the bad guy.”
“Want a second piece of advice you’re unlikely to follow?”
I nod.
“Be the bad guy. Don’t go.”
“I have to.”
