This, right here, was the reason I hadn’t volunteered the full truth before now. It would kill me to hurt my baby sister.
“Help ushow?” Ashford demanded.
“He said he’d make sure you and Callum had good assignments anytime you had a change of station. He could help your military careers. Put a thumb on the scale in your favor.”
Callum dropped his face into his hand.
“And Grace…” I met my sister’s sweet, open gaze. “He offered to give you a full ride to college. He set it up as an anonymous scholarship through the high school.”
The color drained from her face. “No,” she whispered.
“I’m so sorry, Gracie.” My voice broke.
“I didn’t earn my scholarship? That was…blood money?”
“I wish you didn’t ever have to know. I don’t want to hurt you or make you feel?—”
Grace got up and ran from the room. Piper squeezed my shoulder and then went after her.
Okay, I’d known this would suck. But itreallyfucking sucked.
Grace and Piper had great memories of their college days together. Grace was proud of her degree. And I’d just tainted those memories.
“Is that all of it?” Ashford asked. He was staring at the carpet. “Every last thing?”
“Yes,” I spit out. “It’s enough, don’t you think?” Enough for them to second-guess the idea of ever forgiving me. But at least it was done now.
Teller blew out a breath. “And I thought I had some baggage in my past. I have nothing on you, Gray.”
His use of my old nickname gave me a glimmer of hope. He’d used to call me that when we were friends. He wouldn’t be using that name if he was disgusted by my story, right?
But what about my brothers?
Callum spoke first. “I hate everything you just told us. It’s all so wrong. But I’m upset foryouand what those people did to you. This can’t be the end of it. There’s no way this Silas Drummond guy and his son can get away with it.”
I shrugged. “It’s been so many years. I just care about you guys. I’ve never wanted to make excuses, but I hope you can understand the choices I made. And forgive them.”
“Anything that needs forgiveness,” Callum said firmly, “you already have mine.”
Teller put his hand on my shoulder, his expression saying everything I needed from him. Maybe we weren’t friends again just yet, but I saw understanding. He nodded once.
All three of us looked to Ashford.
His face was hard as stone. He walked toward me. I saw every ounce of pain I’d felt reflected back at me.
Looking at Ashford had always been like looking into a mirror of my past. A better version of myself.
Instead of saying anything, he opened his arms.
Choking back tears, I stood up and hugged him. He clapped me on the back, pulling me tighter. We had years to catch up on, probably some more difficult conversations ahead. But the wall between us was gone, crumbled at our feet.
A moment later, the door opened again, and Grace was there. Her pretty face was tear-streaked, but she hugged me next, burying her face against my chest.
“I didn’t know where that money came from,” she sobbed. “If I knew…”
“Please don’t feel guilty. If you hadn’t gotten that money, everything else would have turned out the same.” At least one tinygood thing had come from it, though I knew Grace wouldn’t see it that way right now.
I caught Piper’s eye in the doorway. She’d been out there comforting my sister. Her best friend. Once again, I saw no judgment from her. Only a bittersweet, encouraging smile.
