"Hell no," he growls, but then his lips twitch, and he shoves away from me. "Asshole."
"Good, because I'm not asking you. No disrespect intended, but it's her choice to make, not yours. She's the one I'll be begging, not you."
"You'd beg?"
"In a fucking heartbeat."
He processes this for a long moment and then softens ever so slightly. "I still want to hit you."
"Still don't blame you." I shrug. "But I think we both know you aren't going to do it because you want what's best for her too, and what's best for her isn't the two of us splashed all over the fucking news because we're at each other's throats. She's happy, man. Let her be happy."
Tye stares at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. I'm not sure if he's going to tell me to fuck off, if he's going to say fuck it and hit me anyway, or if he's going to swear to make my life hell. At this point, any of the three is possible. So I'm shocked when he growls a curse and grabs my arm, yanking me into a hug.
"Don't fuck up with her," he rasps, slapping me on the back. "Protect her like she's the most precious thing in your life. And I swear to God, if you don't love her the way she deserves, failing her will be the last thing you ever do."
"She is the most precious thing in my life," I mutter, my throat tight.
"Yeah, she is." He steps back with a soft sigh. "She deserves a man like you, Sidney. I know I'm an asshole, but…she deserves you."
"Jesus."
"I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. I wasn't trying to disrespect her. You know I'm not that guy," he says. "I was just…" He shakes his head like he doesn't have words. "I swore to my dad that I'd look out for her. Most days, I feel like I'm failing."
"You aren't, brother. She idolizes you for the way you've always stood up for her and tried to protect her. Harlan and Briggs, too."
"It wasn't enough." His jaw pulses, anger glinting in his eyes. It's not directed at me this time, though, but at himself. "You should know that we cut our mother off today. Unless she gets therapy and apologizes to Hattie, we're done with her permanently."
"Good," I growl. "It's about damn time."
"Yeah," he says softly. "It is."
"Hattie will be okay, Tye. I'll make sure of it."
He jerks his head in a nod, giving me a tight smile. "I know."
Chapter Twelve
Hattie
"What the fuck?" Vanessa mutters beside me, peering through the dark when she pulls into my driveway.
I follow her gaze, my heart constricting when I see what she's looking at. My mother is pacing a circuit across my front porch. Great.
"Just wonderful," I mutter, staring at her. She's the last person I want to deal with right now. I already had to do that oncetoday. Shouldn't there be a limit on how many times you have to shovel shit in one day?
"Do you want me to stay?" Vanessa asks softly.
For a split second, I consider saying yes. Mom is always easier to tolerate with someone else around. She's less honest about who she is when someone might see. But…I've spent enough of my life hiding behind any shield that was tossed in front of me, just to avoid being mentally and emotionally flayed raw by this woman.
I'm tired of doing it. I'm tired of feeling like I'm not enough and never will be. For once, I know that's not true. I'm not the problem here. I was never the problem. It is now and has always been her.
"No," I sigh, unlatching my seatbelt. "Thank you for offering, but I can deal with her."
"Are you sure?" Vanessa eyes me, clearly worried. "I don't mind staying."
"I'm sure," I promise, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "But thank you for offering. And thank you for driving me home."
She grins at me, flashing her dimples. "You don't owe me thanks, Hattie. It's what sisters are for, and I'm really, really looking forward to being your sister."
