Glancing up at me, he tucks the paper back in his jacket. “Name’s Oliver. Oliver Reeves.”
Oliver Reeves.
The name niggles in the back of my brain. Why does it sound so familiar? Then it hits me. He’s a hockey player. I never really thought much of his last name. Never thought I needed to pay attention to something so…menial.
“We done here?” he grumbles.
“How?” I whisper. “How did…how did it happen? When? Where?—”
“Nah, I think I’ll save that information for the next time I need something?—”
I close the door, cutting off my father’s asshole remark before he has the satisfaction of delivering it. Besides, he’s already taken enough from me tonight. He has the house, and I have…a name. With my back pressed to the door, I slide to the ground, pull out my phone, and search up Oliver Reeves. Mybrother.
Within seconds, a handsome man’s face shines back at me from the screen. Dark brown eyes, just like mine. Same nose,too, but his hair is a little more on the brown side, while mine stayed a sandy blonde. It’s the smile I can’t stop staring at, though. I feel like we have the same teeth. Is it normal? To share the same smile? Or maybe I’m imagining the similarities. Maybe my dad’s an even a bigger ass than I gave him credit for and is making this up just to screw with me. I wouldn’t put it past him. I wouldn’t put anything past him. Except…I zoom in on the photo, searching the stranger’s gaze for any familiarity. I wonder if…is it possible? My dad didn’t live in Harden Heights for decades. He didn’t live in The Drift, either. He would pop in and out of my mom’s life here and there until he was kicked off the force and made it his life’s mission to ruin my existence.
What if…what if he had a family somewhere? I search for Oliver Reeves’ hometown, my lips parting when I read about the small college town a few states away. Lockwood Heights. I’ve never been. To be fair, I’ve never been anywhere, so it doesn’t mean much, but still.
I have a brother.
“Violet?” June murmurs. She peeks into the hallway. “You okay?”
Her words yank me back to the present. Pulling my knees to my chest, I rest my back against the door even more and tear my vision from my phone’s screen. Am I okay? It’s a pretty simple question, but after everything that unfolded in the last ten minutes, I have no idea. I have a brother. I don’t have a house. Apparently, I don’t know Ethan Morgan as well as I thought I did. I do know my dad, though, and he’s still an ass. I’m also really tired, and super overwhelmed, and…
“Vi?” June prods.
My attention snaps back to her. “I, uh, I don’t even know at this point,” I admit. “If I’m okay, or…”
“What can I do?” She walks toward me and plants her ass right beside mine on the ground. “Want me to call Lexie?”
I shake my head. “It’s okay.”
“You sure?”
“I have a brother.” The words come out hushed and quiet, like I’m talking about some big secret, and in a way, I guess I am. I don’t know how to feel. I don’t know what to think. I don’t know anything but a name. I have a brother.
“Oh?” June asks.
“One I didn’t know about,” I clarify. “One I didn’t know about until my dad blackmailed me into signing over my house for the information.”
“So you really went through with it?” she asks.
I rest my head against the door. “Don’t make me say it again,” I beg.
“Sorry, it’s just…” She whistles. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” I breathe out with a pathetic laugh.Wowis right. Talk about a crazy turn of events. I don’t even know how to wrap my brain around it all. Leaning my head against her shoulder, I sigh. “I mean, I know I always wanted a sibling, but…what a way to find out, you know?”
“I can imagine.” She hesitates. “I always wanted a sibling, too.”
“You did?”
“Mm-hmm. Being an only child kind of sucks.”
“Preaching to the choir,” I joke. “I just…I can’t believe I had to give up my house for it.”
“Yeah.” She sighs, and I know how awkward she must feel right now. I mean, we’re friends, but even if we’d known each other our entire lives, I’m pretty sure she’d be speechless considering everything I’m telling her. “I can only imagine,” she murmurs.
A swell of regret coats my insides. “Did I make a mistake, June?” I whisper.
