“You’re not going anywhere until—” Mom’s grip closed on my biceps and her nails bit in as she yanked me around. The urge to punch her filled me with a kind of purpose and raw fury I had never experienced before.
I whirled and met her furious gaze. “Try and stop me.” I wanted her to try and hit me again. Do it, I practically dared as we glared at each other.
“Maddy,”Eddiesaid in a gentle voice. “Maybe we should…”
It was bizarre to watch the emotions that danced over her face, blazing rage to something far more sly to something softerand thentearspooled into her eyes. There was the barest flicker of a joyless smile turning up her lips.
She let out a choked sob, releasing me as she turned intoEddieand he wrapped his arms around her almost automatically. Not once did Eddie look away from me. His eyes wereArchie’slooking at me from a face that would be Archie’s when he reached that age.
My stomach bottomed out and bile burned in the back of my throat. But Eddie didn’t try to stop me. He just watched me, his expression soft and hollow, like he already knew he couldn’t fix it.
Good. Because he couldn’t.
Neither of them could.
And at that moment, all I could think was this:If Archie is my brother...
I wanted to throw up. Archie was attracted to me. He made that clear. He was?—
Don’t go there. I ordered myself tonotdo it but I couldn’t help it. Had I been dancing arounddatingmy brother? What if we had…?
“Frankie,” Eddie said finally, like saying my name caused him actual pain. He was still holding my mother, but his attention remained fixed on me. “I know this is a lot. Don’t—don’t go.”
Don’t?
Was heinsane?
“Frankie,” Eddie tried again, “I want to get to know you. Really. That’s why I’m here.”
His voice was gentle, almost pleading. That made itso much worse.
Because for one, awful moment—Iwantedto believe him.
I wanted to believe I had a dad who wanted me. Whochoseto show up, even if it was late. Who was excited to get to know me.
Yet, none of it erased the fact that my mom had lied. Foryears. That she'd stolen any chance I might have had toknowhim.
It didn't erase the fact that I could have kissed Archie.
Or how he used to wink when I walked into a room. Or how he’d held me when we played mini-golf that last time. Or how he’d insisted that“this is a date…” Or the voice in the back of my head that had started to askwhat if?
That voice was screaming now. Dying.
Everything tilted sideways.
“What if I’d kissed Archie?” I demanded, too stunned to keep it in. “What if I’d kissed mybrother?”
Eddie paled. Mom went rigid.
“Oh my god,” I whispered, clutching my stomach.
“No, sweetheart—Archie doesn’t know,” Eddie said quickly. “Neither of you knew.”
“Butyouknew,” I said to my mother. “You’vealwaysknown. And you let me. You didn’t say anything?—”
“It’s not like that?—”
“It isexactlylike that.”
