“I love you so fucking much it hurts.” I breathe my words against her satin skin.
Her hands hook beneath my arms, pulling me close against her as her hips circle beneath mine. Our lips smash, greedy, insatiable.
And when I look in her eyes, I know she’s mine.
Forever this time.
Nothing can tear us apart. I won’t allow it.
Forty-Four
Royal
* * *
Five minutes after Demi leaves Friday morning, there’s a knock at my door. Glancing out my window, there’s nothing but a set of tire tracks where her car was parked overnight.
Slipping a t-shirt over my head and adjusting my sweats, I answer the door.
“Don’t, don’t, don’t.” Misty holds her hand up, pressing her palm against the door so I can’t slam it in her face. “Hear me out, Royal.”
“What the fuck are you doing here? I told you not to come here.” My jaw clenches tight.
“Let me in, Royal. I want to talk.”
“No.”
I push the door, but she blocks it with the steel toe of her scuffed boot.
“I’m clean. I swear. And I want to talk to you. It’s really important.” Misty fidgets, her fingers twitching as she chews the side of her lip. Her dark eyes are brighter than usual today, and her skin almost appears clearer than it was just a day ago. “Just give me five minutes of your time, and after that, you never have to see me again. I promise.”
“No.”
“It’s about that night.” She sighs, lowering her gaze to my feet. “As part of my addiction treatment, I have to apologize to the people I’ve hurt.”
“What the fuck is an apology going to do, Misty? Is that going to get me off the sex offender registry? Is that going to give me back my family?”
“Your family?” She wrinkles her nose. “You mean, the Rosewoods?”
“Damn right. They were the only family I ever had, and I lost them because of you and your disgusting lies. They’re never going to look at me the same because of what you did. My name is ruined. I’m nothing but trash now. It was never supposed to be this way.”
“I’m sorry, Royal.” She says it like a whining child trying to get out of a punishment, like she resents the fact that she has to apologize.
It’s not good enough.
“You ruined my life.” I punch my fist into the wall beside the door, leaving a knuckled indentation. My sister jumps and leans away. “I should’ve been a lawyer. I should’ve married Demi. I should be a fucking family man by now, living the life I was meant to have.”
Misty tucks yellow strands behind her ear, her chin quivering as she looks up at me with puppy dog eyes.
“I messed up, Royal. I know that. But it’s in the past. I don’t know how to fix it now. We have to move on.”
“You . . . you don’t know . . . you don’t know how to fix it?” A sarcastic laugh originates in my belly. “Seriously? Are you a goddamn moron, Misty?”
Her eyes gloss, filling and spilling over in seconds.
“Tell the fucking truth!” I scream at her. “Go to the police and tell them you lied. Tell them the truth about what really happened.”
She sniffs, wiping away thick tears with the sleeve of her shirt.
“Rick fucking raped you, Misty,” I say. “I drove up there to help you. And you ruined my life.”
“If I tell the truth,” she sobs, “I’ll go to jail.”
“What?” I huff. “You don’t think you deserve to spend a little time behind bars? You think you should walk away from what you did unscathed? Do you have any idea what my life has been like for seven long years? Any at all?”
Misty buries her face in her hands, bawling. Muffled cries are the only response I get.
“Tell the truth, Misty. You can’t change what you and Rick did that night, but you can clear my name. It’s the least you could do, don’t you think?” My fist is balled against my forehead. “I just want my fucking name back. I want everyone to know you lied about that night, and I want my name off the goddamn sex offender registry.”
“I don’t want to go to jail, Royal.” Her lip trembles.
I smirk. “Am I supposed to feel sorry for you now?”
She shakes her head. “I know I fucked up. I know I did. If I could take it back, I would. I just want you to forgive me. And now that Rick died, I’ve never felt more alone. You and Mom are all I have. I don’t even have any friends. Rick never wanted me to. Shit, he barely let me leave the house most days. Kept me high as a kite so I’d stay close to him.”
I lift a brow. “So you’re admitting he was a manipulative piece of shit?”
Misty rolls her eyes. “Yeah. I’ve been seeing a counselor at the addiction center, and she’s helping me to see the bigger picture. Rick used me.”
“Tried telling you that a long time ago.”
“I really thought he loved me.” She wipes another tear. “All I ever wanted was for someone to love me.”
“I loved you.”
“But it wasn’t enough. I wanted someone who wanted to see me every day. Who made me feel special. Loved me in a deeper way. It was never anything you did wrong, Royal. It’s just what I needed at the time, and Rick gave that to me.” Misty shrugs, lifting her eyes to mine. “He threatened me that night. Made up this story. Told me what to say to the police. Said if I didn’t, he’d kill you and make me fuck all his friends while he watched.”
“Jesus, Misty.” My chin tucks against my chest. The tiniest sliver of my heart wants to protect her, but I’ve spent so long hating her that my sympathy chip has become desensitized to her bullshit. She’s a proven liar. This could be just another lie of hers. Another manipulation.
“I love you, Royal. You might not love me, but you’re my brother. The only one I have. And I’ll love you forever.” She wraps her skinny arms around her narrow body, the sleeves of her sweater hanging past her fingers. “This wasn’t easy for me. To come here. To tell you I’m sorry. But I hope someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me. If not for me, for yourself.”
She sounds coached, like she’s repeating the lines her counselor fed her, but at least she’s here. I won’t discount how hard it was for her to darken my doorstep after the last time.
“Misty.” I drag in a slow, intentional breath and let it go. “Just tell the fucking truth. Go to the police. Tell the truth. Make this right.”
With watered eyes, she glances down at my feet again. Her mouth pulls into a bittersweet smile as she looks up at me. Her mouth parts, like she’s about to say something, and then she stops.
My sister walks away like the fucking coward she is.
Forty-Five
Demi
* * *
{one week later}
* * *
“Brooks was transferred to a rehabilitation facility.” Mom pours two cups of coffee Friday morning, one for her and one for Dad. She turns to face me, her face strained. “I know. I know you don’t care, but I thought you might want to know.”