After we filled up on gas and Sly grabbed a stack of gift cards, Jagger took us through a burger joint drive-thru, then found us a quiet rest stop with picnic tables that sat away from the busier part of the rest stop, giving us a bit of privacy.
I watch Dex unroll his burger wrapper and take a big bite. I follow his action, and my eyes widen in delighted surprise.
“Good?” Pete asks with a smirk when I moan loudly.
I swallow my mouthful before answering him. “Okay, forget pizza. This is my new favorite.”
“Glad you like it.”
Jagger holds out a small bag of ring-shaped fries. “Why are these fries circular?” I ask as I pull one out and inspect it.
“It’s an onion ring,” Pete says, with amusement. “Try it.”
I take a bite then groan again. “Oh my goodness, this is so good!”
I sit at the top of one of the tables beside Dex, happily chewing my food as I eye the open area in front of us,wishing I could kick off my shoes and do a few cartwheels, enjoying the soft grass on my hands and feet.
My eyes dart to Sly sitting nearby, eating while adding the gift cards to his phone. I’m glad I have these guys with me. I had no idea how to do any of that. I’ve never even owned a cell phone before.
When we stop for the night, we can start ordering stuff. I grin, wondering what they’d think if I didn’t order dresses. I couldn’t even picture myself in pants, and the thought makes me excited and nervous. I’m still not entirely sure what rules are fundamental and what Robert made up.
My eyes glance to the men around me, feeling a little nervous about my questions. But if anyone was going to tell me the truth, it was them.
“Can women wear pants?” I blurt out, already knowing the answer, but wanting the confirmation.
Four sets of frowning eyes move my way.
“He told you women can’t wear pants?” Pete asks angrily, obviously already understanding why I’m asking.
I nod once. “I’ve only ever worn dresses,” I say with a shrug that hides my true thoughts on it, as I brush off a piece of imaginary dirt from my skirt.
“You can wear anything you like, baby,” Dex says, his teeth grinding as he tosses his empty wrapper in the nearby trash can.
“I feel like you guys get mad every time I ask you something like that,” I whisper to him quietly when he returns.
He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side. “No, baby. We just hate that piece of shit brother of yours.”
“Wren,” Sly says, getting my attention. “What he did to you isn’t okay.”
“He wasn’t all bad,” I say before I can stop myself. Maybe I just don’t want to admit that the brother who raised me never really existed at all. Not the way I saw him.
“Okay,” Sly says carefully, turning on the bench to face me. “Tell me some of the good things he did for you.”
“Well, he raised me since I was five, when my parents died.”
“I’d argue he was just taking care of someone he saw as property,” he says, making me frown.
“He always made sure I was fed and clothed.”
“But he controlled what you ate and what you wore,” he argues calmly.
“He put a roof over my head and took care of me.”
“He kept you locked up. You weren’t allowed to go to school, to have friends, to do anything normal people can do. He took away your freedom.”
“What about the piano and ballet classes? The language lessons? Teaching me to cook and clean?”
He sighs, stands, and steps directly in front of me, his intense green eyes staring into mine as he grabs my hands. “Wren, he was grooming you.”
