Page 11 of Carson

When I first met Chance, I was scared of him. The only man I really had ever known was my father. I had no reason to believe boys could be any different. He showed me they can be as different as night and day.

Eventually, I realized he was running interference between my father and me. On some of my visits, I would spend the entirety hiding. Chance brought me food and gave me the all-clear for bathroom visits. But when I began to notice the bruises my dad was giving him, I never let Chance cover for me again.

After he ran away from home, my visits there were almost unbearable. Our parents’ drug use got worse, and what had once been a nice place to live fell apart. I started to realize Chance must have been the one holding everything together.

When it got so bad it spilled out onto the front yard, there was no hiding it from my mother. Instead of dropping me off one day, she drove right to the police station, and I never had to go back again.

You’re probably wondering why she never did anything until then? Well, it’s because she didn’t know. I never told her. My mom had been abused by her father, and I didn’t want her to somehow feel responsible for me going through the same thing. So, I carried the burden of my father’s darkness alone.

Do I regret that?

Yes, and no. Adult Luna would absolutely tell her, but the little Luna, well, she was protecting the woman she loved more than life itself. I would have done anything for her. My mother was everything to me, and I know if she knew what my father had done to me, she would never have forgiven herself.

When we slide in front of my brother’s vehicle, I hurry to the back, diving onto my mattress to look out the back window. “They look so happy. I mean, other than Chance being pissed at me,” I whisper, chuckling to myself.

“There’s a rest area ahead. Do you want to pull over, so you can see them?” Carson yells from the front.

“No.”

His brother moves from the front seat, joining me on my bed. “My name is Cole. You’ve probably figured out that I’m Carson’s brother.”

“I never would have guessed,” I say, watching Chance race to catch up to us without going over the speed limit. He would never do anything to put his family at risk. “Can you pick up the pace a little?” I yell up to Carson.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answers.

Cole laughs. “For some reason, I thought you were going to be timid.”

“Why would you think that?” I ask, rolling over onto my back to stare up at the colorful fabric I’ve pinned onto the ceiling. He gives my brother a final glance before sitting up beside me.

“For one, you’ve been hiding in the closet the entire time we were working on your vehicle.”

“Oh, I wasn’t hiding.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Well, what was it then?”

“Not that I owe you an explanation …” I narrow my eyes at him. “But it’s my security blanket.”

Carson chuckles from the front.

“Huh, my brother and I never had one of those.”

“Oh, really?” I roll my eyes, because I already know what their “security blanket” is. It’s each other.

“Nope.” His gaze bounces playfully over my face.

“Not even a favorite toy?”

He shakes his head. “My brother and I don’t get attached to things.” His jaw clenches, worry flickering across his face.

I sit up beside him. “Well, I don’t either,” I say a bit more aggressively than I intend. “I’m sure my brother has mentioned that I don’t stay in one place for very long.”

“Except when you break down.”

“Exactly.”