“God!” I rasped, tears streaming down my face.
“My mom screamed for help as he bled out on the pavement, and I bolted. Just pedaled as fast as I could back home. Angelica didn’t even realize I’d left. And of course, that began the guilt of everything I wish I could have done, should have done.”
“You were achild.”
“I know, but back then, with a child’s brain, I just kept everything to myself and slowly went crazy. Until I met Connor. He saved my life. But I have... issues. Some I haven’t fully dealt with. And it comes out when I least expect it, and unfortunately, the people I care the most about get the brunt of it.”
“Well, I think you need to tell your mom all of this, and I certainly think you need to tell Katie. But your mom deserves to know the truth first.”
He sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“I’m so sorry you went through all of that.”
“It was a long time ago, I just wanted you to understand why this”—he pointed to his cheek—“happened for a reason. It wasn’t out of the blue and it was deserved.”
“What could you have possibly done to deserve that?”
“Baby, if someone made you cry, for any reason, I’d have done the same thing. And believe me, I wasn’t nice to Kate. I was a dick. I’ve been takin’ her for granted, and she’s been drivin’ me around, being sweet and takin’ time out of her day to do it, and I was not giving her the same kindness, so I fuckin’ deserved it. Probably more.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line, then let out a deep breath. “Well, then maybe you should buy hera spa weekend retreat.”
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
“Let me finish working your shoulder because Connor’s going to be back soon.”
He nodded, and we went back to his therapy.
* * *
Razor
The next day, Angelica was the one driving me to my x-ray, and she was all kinds of amped up.
“Thanks for doing this,cucciolotta,” I said once I was buckled in.
“Happy to help,fratellino,” she said, then raised an eyebrow. “Wait, why are you being sweet?”
“It has been brought to my attention that I haven’t been treating my family kindly of late, and I’m trying to make amends.”
“Oh yeah? Who told you that?”
“Maisie.”
“Oh my god, really?” she breathed out as she drove toward the clinic. “You got chewed out by sweet, delicate, gentle Maisie?”
“I got punched in the face by Flea,thenchewed out by sweet, delicate, gentle Maisie.”
She gasped. “Flea punched you?”
“He did.”
“Why?”
“If you must know, I made Katie cry.”
She reached over and shoved her fingers into the bruise on my jaw.
“Ow! What the fuck?”
