I should probably be worried about how easily she reads me, but it’s the same for me with her.
“Yeah. Being out on the water is like instant therapy.” She stays quiet, letting me continue at my own pace. “There was this older man who lived next door when I was a kid. He mostly talked nonsense. He had dementia, and it was sad, but every single day, without fail, he would talk about his time at an ashram in India. He said it healed him in ways nothing else ever could.Tranquility. He repeated that word constantly, like it was the answer to everything.” I pause, bracing myself against my terrible childhood memories. “There was one particular day when my parents were worse than usual. Harrison wasn’t there, and both my grandparents and the Moraleses were on vacation, so I left home and walked further than I ever had. I found a flyer for a sailing school, it was downtown on the west side. Nowhere near where I lived, but I begged my grandma to sign me up, and she didn’t hesitate. The flyer read,‘Set sail and set yourself free on the open, tranquil waters.’That afternoon, I found out my neighbor had passed away. I think maybe it was a sign from him.”
Maddie lets out a soft, broken sound, her body trembling in my arms. I press a kiss to the top of her head, hating that her tears are for me.
“What was his name? Your neighbor,” she gets out between hiccups.
“Mr. Patel…Parth Patel.”
She nods, acknowledging the man who gave me something special that I’ll never forget.
When her tears don’t stop, I prompt her gently. “What was your second question, Mads?”
She hesitates, then shakes her head. “It’s okay.”
“Take a breath. I want to know.”
A few moments pass before she speaks. “Your brother mentioned you moving in with him. If your parents don’t care…why haven’t you? Or at least with Rosa?”
I huff a humorless laugh. “My parents force me to stay so people don’t talk. If I moved out officially, the press would have a field day. The headlines would read something like,‘Anderson and Caroline Davenport’s Son Moves in with Hotel Mogul Family.’It’d be a scandal, and even though I don’t care, I wouldn’t drag Rosa and Javier into that mess. But I have a bed there. Leo and I share a room, so I’ve always had a place to stay.”
“Ugh. They disgust me.” She immediately clamps a hand over her mouth like she hadn’t meant to say the words out loud. “I’m sorry. People idolize the rich and famous, but they never see their greedy, nasty side. And I hate your parents, Nate. I really do.”
“You and me both.”
“Lord, are all the upper class like that?” She pauses. “Well, no, they can’t be because look at Rosa and Javier. They’re incredible.”
“Jackson and Sadie, friends we grew up with, unfortunately, had a similar upbringing as Harrison and I, so they spent a lot of time after school at the Moraleses’ house, avoiding their own home. But besides them, most of my friends had normal, loving families. And you’re right, Rosa and Javier are incredible. Not only because they were there for me, but also because they gave me three siblings I love deeply and would do anything for.”
That’s all I’m willing to share for now, or maybe forever.
She doesn’t need to know what happened when Harrison got older and wasn’t around to shield me anymore.
She doesn’t need to know the extent of what my parents did to me, how they almost rewired my whole damn existence, or how I’m only who I am today because of the one night Rosa broke into my family’s home to save me.
8
Nate
“Nathaniel.”
Shit.
I turn to see Ms. Meyers heading my way, her expression unreadable.
I just finished some team-building shit Leo made me do, so now I’m relaxing in a lounge chair, watching Maddie play kickball.
She’s giving it her all, trying to get Mason out.
Even though she doesn’t stand a chance, it’s still amusing to watch.
Mase moves like he was built for this—precision in his throws and light on his feet like a damn ballerina.
It’s why all of his dream schools practically threw full-ride scholarships at him.
But as Ms. Meyers approaches, my amusement dims.
Maddie and I have been sneaking off to our secret meadow every night, and I’ve been waiting for the day we get caught.
