“Before this summer, I was wondering the exact same thing. We always got along as kids, and then when I started high school, I moved on.” He glances at me. “I had other priorities back then.”
“Uh-huh. Priorities with a C cup, by any chance?” I look at him meaningfully.
“Something like that…” His voice trails off as he gazes out the window.
I wave a hand in front of his face. “Earth to Donovan?”
He pulls a knee up to his chest. “Stop looking at me like that! It’s throwing me off.”
“Just keep talking, for fuck’s sake.”
I’m giving him attitude, but the truth is I’m pushing because I can see how hard this is for him—how much it costs him to open up.
“Our parents divorced the summer before I started college,” he continues. “Dad had literally just got the Cardinals coaching job, so he and I hit the road, and Amelia stayed back in Washington with my mom. That meant we saw each other even less.”
His parents are divorced?I’m kind of triggered, but I’m scared that if I interrupt him, he’ll clam back up.
“I don’t know if you heard, but my dad had a heart attack just before summer break. It happened at our last game.”
My cheeks flush. I can’t believe I forgot about that. “Is he doing okay?”
“He’s pulling through… All this to say, my mom came over to look after him for a month—”
“I thought you said they were divorced?”Damn it.
“Yeah, but they get along great—almost better than when they were together.”
Wow. I bite back on my jealousy. He hasnoidea how lucky he is. I wish things had worked out that way with my parents. It would have saved me all the heartache I’ve had to deal with since Dad left.
“Got it. But what does that have to do with your sister?”
“She came to spend a few days with us in July, too. And the vibe was super frosty, except this time, I forced the truth out of her.” He shrugs. “I felt like she had spent years stewing over something I did, and I was done with the attitude. I wanted to hear why exactly she was so mad at me, and I was expecting some childish bullshit—but it turned out to be a pretty big deal.”
“What happened?”
Donovan tells me everything, the words spilling out of him like he’s scared to stop. His face darkens the further into the story he gets. There’s a bitterness flooding my mouth, and I’m just praying this doesn’t end the way I think it will. I lean across the table.
“Did Cooper…?”
“No.” His answer is sharp, immediate. “Luckily, he headed off for college the same year as me. If he hadn’t, who knows how things might have ended.”
He slams a fist on the table, clenching his jaw. I jump, my body inexplicably drawn toward his. I lace my fingers together under the table so I don’t reach for his.
“I had no idea, but I was, like, an enabler. Amelia started shutting down, and I headed off to SHU. I didn’t even try to figure out what was up with her—I just checked out. She was my annoying little sister, you know? I was her older brother, the basketball star.” He shakes his head sadly. “I didn’t give two craps about her life, and I thought that was normal. Now when I look back, I realize she tried to talk to me about it all—shetoldme she thought the guy was weird. She actively reached out to me, but I was just too fucking blind to see. I was selfish, and I let her down. Now, she sees me as—”
“Guilty by association?”
“Exactly.” He runs a hand over his tired face.
“She could’ve spoken to your parents about it all.”
“That’s what I said, but she just laughed at me, like I’d made the dumbest suggestion ever.” He sighs. “I mean, it’s true—my dad was all about his career at that point, and my mom was working day and night at the hospital. Plus, they were on the brink of splitting up. It was mostly on me to look out for her, and I fucked up.” He shakes his head. “She always put me on this pedestal, too. I didn’t watch out for her. And honestly, I hate myself for it.”
My chest tightens, then rage kicks in. “What happened to that sick fuck Cooper?”
“He actually got hit by a car in San Diego in his sophomore year. He died on impact.”
“Karma’s a bitch.”
