“Kingston—” Tears built in my eyes as I shook my head in disbelief.
“The last boy that came in had light brown eyes that reminded me of honey. The kind my mum would stir into her tea. And he observed me through my father’s explanation. His head tilted toward the sound of my father’s voice, walking us through how he would become my friend. The whole time, he never looked away from me.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of a young Landon Scott being as watchful as he was now.
“When my father’s explanation was done, the boy told him he understood, rose from the table, and waited for me. Ready to leave the room but needing me to order it. I didn’t knowwhy he’d done it, but I gave the command he’d prompted and told him to follow me. We went outside and ran through the yard, up by the lake until we were far enough away. And when I asked him why he’d done it—why he’d stood to leave—he simply asked,Why wouldn’t I?He’d seen that I wanted to get away from my father, but that I hesitated to do it, and he wanted to leave with me. So, he stood up for me.”
Kingston smiled slightly, a brief and sad expression softening his features before he lifted his eyes back to mine.
“If anyone else had seen it, what Landon had noticed that conveyed my discomfort, I would’ve regretted it. I had to take great care to always conceal it. My hatred of the man who raised me. None of the other sons picked up on it, and neither did my father. But Landon had. He’d seen what I fought so hard to hide. And he promised that he’d follow me wherever I needed to go. He’d follow me until I felt safe. Until it didn’t hurt anymore.”
My chest tightened, understanding because Landon had done the same for me.
“Slowly—very slowly—because at that point, my father’s exercise in team building had all but destroyed my willingness to let anyone in, Landon became exactly what my father said. My greatest ally. My partner in crime. And everywhere I went, he followed me. Watching me. Always watching...And always by my side.”
I wanted to wrap those two boys in my arms and run away with them. Far away from here.
“What happened? When your father offered him the items?”
“He refused,” Kingston said simply. “And then he refused again. And again. No matter what they offered him, he never betrayed me. He never picked up the knife and stabbed me in the back. And I knew he never would. Even before he proved it, I knew. Ifeltit.”
He didn’t say it, but I couldn’t help thinking it. Landon had chosen Kingston over everything his father offered, his loyalty unflinching…
Until he’d chosen me.
My heart fell, even as it soared. The surety of beinghis choicebittersweet with what it meant for another piece of my heart.
“I—”
“No, Quinn. To this day, Landon has never betrayed me. Not by falling for you. Not by—” He shook his head. “The problems that have come from what I can’t share with him? The blame for those rests onmyshoulders.”
I clutched his hand, and his thumb stroked over my skin, grounding us both.
“Landon will struggle with guilt over what’s happened with Elaine, but it’s my fault, and my fault alone, that things have gotten to where they are now. Because he has always done what I’ve needed. And…if I’d asked him not to let things progress with you, I don’t believe he would’ve betrayed me, then, either. But a conversation he and I needed to have—one I couldn’t face—would’ve happened sooner, and we might’ve avoided all this. I just…I didn’t handle it well. The thought of losing him.”
Guilt and pain warred over his features, and I touched his cheek, wishing I could ease it for him.
“He’s your best friend, Kingston, and you went through so much to find him. The scars on your back...They prove that. Of course, you didn’t want to lose him. Or react perfectly or do everything right.”
“But I made everything worse. So much harder, in the end.”
I locked eyes with him, hoping he’d hear and believe me. “We will figure all that out. Together. I understand it more now, why you’re all so hard on yourselves, with what I know about your father, but…you’re human. We’ve all made mistakes, andwe’ll keep making them, but we can find our way through those, too.”
When he forced a smile, I tried to reassure him further.
“And you won’t lose him. Not ever. Not because of me.”
Kingston nodded, but his eyes shone with sadness, and the pain of losing something he thought would always be there. I wasn’t sure if he believed me, or if anything I might say could convince him.
“He shouldn’t carry the weight of my mistakes on his shoulders. Neither should you. I don’t—It’s like you said. It’s too much. And I haven’t even shared the worst of it yet.”
I frowned, thinking through what I’d said that led him to that conclusion and realizing it had been at the doctor’s office.
“Kingston,youare not too much. You know that, right? What you’ve had to go through? What your father did to you?Thatwas too much, but that’s on him. That’s whoheis. Not you.” I shifted closer to him on my side, the tops of our thighs brushing. “When you say Landon shouldn’t feel guilty, I know you mean that. But Landon sees how our choice affects you, and he sees the battle you’re fighting. The weight on your shoulders. Just like I do.”
Kingston’s eyes jumped between mine, searching for the truth as I kept going.
“He’s your best friend. And you’re his. He loves you, and he’s loyal to you. When someone cares for you like that, they never want to add to the weight you carry. That guilt…it’s because of how much you mean to him, I’m sure of it. And he might not let it go until he sees you at peace.”
