“They should be in fucking jail,” she spits in anger. “My god, Nate. Why didn’t you tell Harrison?”
A sardonic laugh slips through my lips. “Because I was a fool. A part of me thought if I was good and didn’t tell anyone, they’d start to love me. What a shit idea that was.”
“You were a child. A little boy,” she says fiercely.
I can’t ignore her tears any longer.
I turn and reach over and swipe as many as I can with my thumbs. “It’s okay, Mads. I’m okay now.”
“How?” she sobs. “How is any of this okay?”
I shrug, showing no emotion. “They don’t deserve my sadness, anger, or my resentment. They don’t deserve the satisfaction that they affect me in any way. They don’t get to have that power over me. Not anymore. My grandparents showed me love. Rosa raised me into the man I am. That’s what matters.”
“What happened to Rosa?” she sniffs.
“When I was eleven, Harrison and Seb had just graduated from high school and left for a European road trip with their friends. Leo, Camila, and I were home; we didn’t want to go to camp that summer. I think we were all bummed that our siblings were leaving. Earlier that day, before I left to spend the day at the Moraleses’, my parents told me I couldn’t sleep over, and I had to be home by five. My grandma was sick, and I remember that because I was begging to sleep there at least. I was old enough now to know that what they were doing was wrong. Especially since that morning, I had overheard my parents discussing a party in the Hamptons and how they were taking a helicopter there. I was a kid, but I knew from going myself the Hamptons were far, helicopter or not.” Maddie scootches over, and she lets me wrap an arm around her. “I don’t remember the details, but I was upset enough that I told Camila that I didn’t want to be alone anymore.”
“And she told Rosa?”
I nod. “But not until later on that night, when Anderson and Caroline were already gone. Rosa was banging on the front door, but of course, I couldn’t answer; I was locked on the other side of the house. Luckily, I was able to pry open the window and yell down to her. It took all my strength; those windows were fucking heavy and double my size. When she found out I was locked inside, sheer anger took over, and she broke into the house.”
“Thank God she did.”
“I am forever grateful for her. Though she triggered the alarm and was arrested for breaking and entering.”
Maddie bolts upright. “You were a minor, alone. Where was CPS in all of this? It was neglect. Rosa was only trying to help.”
“My parents were the ones who called the cops. They lied to cover their ass. And because the Davenport name holds clout and promised funding to the police, they let it go.”
“I-I…I need some air.”
“We’re outside,” I deadpan, and her glare…if looks could kill…
She gets up and starts pacing. “This isn’t funny, Nathaniel.”
“Mads.” I sit forward. “I know it’s not funny. But, to me, this is just a small part of my story. One that does not define me.”
After a small stare-off, she asks, “Whatever happened to Rosa?”
“She never said, and my parents never mentioned it. Rosa sat me down the next day, had me tell her everything, and then we promised never to speak about it again. The only people who know the truth are her, Javier, and Camila. But from the bits and pieces I overheard, there was some threatening?—”
“From Rosa, no doubt.” That gets a smile out of her.
“Oh, I’d bet my life on it. Rosa doesn’t back down. CPS was never called, but from that day on, I spent most of my time with my grandparents or the Morales family. My parents still had legal say but used it more as a means of control than a responsibility. It’s why the day I turned eighteen, Harrison asked me to move in with him and Seb.”
“But I thought Harrison didn’t know?”
“Not everything. But you didn’t need to know every detail to see something was wrong. They didn’t treat him well either. It just wasn’t as bad.”
She lets out a long, defeated breath, then returns to the couch, this time sitting closer than before.
Our legs touch and our arms brush, close enough that I can feel the goose bumps scatter up her arm. And when she doesn’t pull away or tense, I put my arm around her and pull her into my side.
Emotions are high, and I know that if this were any other day, she’d be pulling away. But if this is all I can get, I’m taking it without complaint.
She shocks me when she leans into me and rests her head on my shoulder.“It’s the perfect escape,” she whispers. “You told me that the day I met you, that sailing was your perfect escape.”
I glance down and see her lip wobble, but she pulls it in quickly. I know she’s trying to be strong for me, but it’s the last thing I want.
