Pulling his hand to my mouth, I press my lips to his knuckles, then keep hold of his fingers as I grab my keys while he grabs his cane, and then we head out the door. He’s stillslower than usual, his limp more pronounced and his feet still healing.
Part of me wants to lift him and carry him, but I don’t think he’ll appreciate that. Nothing upset him more than when his brother implied that he was delicate, though I know that wasn’t the word Easton meant to use.
He meant breakable.
He meant unable to take care of his own fragility.
I’m pissed at Easton for the way he handled seeing us, though I knew he’d be mad if he found out without one of us telling him first. He was going to be pissed either way, but nothing upsets him more than being left out. It’s something I’m not sure Leo understands.
But it’s something I have to handle later because my brain can only take one crisis at a time, and my mom has to be a priority right now. I don’t know what the fuck is going on with her, but her voice sounded different tonight, and I have two missed calls from Westin and one from Henry, which can’t be good.
I attempted to call them both back, and then I tried Starr and Meadow, but no one was picking up, which means it’s bad. God, every time it feels like I’ve outrun the pain of my past, something like this happens.
As I buckle up, a warm hand touches the side of my neck, and I look over to find Leo staring at me.
“You’re crying.”
“What? No, I’m no—” I feel a tear slide down my nose. Shit, Iam. “Uh…just ignore that.”
“No.” Leo’s voice is firm. “You’re allowed to cry, North. You’re allowed to feel things.”
I grimace. “Sorry. Old habits.”
“Old habits?” he presses. “What does that mean?”
I choke on the words for a moment, but I realize that maybe I don’t need to. Maybe I can just say things, and Leo will get it.
I take a slow breath before starting the car and pulling out onto the street. That gives me just enough time to find the words I want to say.
“When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to show emotion at home. My stepdad…God, nothing pissed him off more than when I emoted in the house—whether I was sad or angry or happy. It didn’t matter. If I was anything but stone-faced, it was like he was forced to remember I was a human child, and he hated that.”
“Ihatehim,” Leo growls.
I snort and glance over at him. He looks furious. “Don’t worry, you’ll never meet him. If he ever gets out of prison after all his reoffending, he can’t come near anyone in my family. My mom was granted a lifetime protective order for all of us.”
“Good,” Leo says with a small snarl.
Snagging his hand off my neck, I kiss his palm, then hold my breath as I turn the corner. My mom’s complex comes into view, and I feel a punch of relief when I don’t see any emergency lights anywhere.
Her apartment is at the very back of the complex, right on the corner, and I swerve to avoid the speed bumps as I make my way down. It’s the dead of night, and I don’t see signs of life anywhere, until I see two figures huddling on the curb.
I recognize one as Westin, and the person holding her is Henry.
Fuck.
“Hey, I know her,” Leo murmurs as I pull into an empty spot beside Henry’s car. “She works at the café.”
“Uh. That’s my sister.”
His gaze snaps up to mine. “Your…oh my god. I should have known. North. West…”
“That was a coincidence,” I tell him. My smile is only a little forced. “My other sisters are Meadow and Starr.”
The corner of Leo’s mouth twitches.
“You can laugh about it later,” I say, then lean in to snag a quick peck before turning the car off and undoing my seatbelt.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Leo asks, his voice soft and unsure.
