The only people in the room who seemed surprised by Lou’s interruption was Tyra and me. It was obvious she was protecting more than just Ever, but who? The only people in this town she gave a shit about were standing in this room. Everyone except—
Somehow, our gazes connected across the room, and the guilty shift of Lou’s feet confirmed what I’d already pieced together.
Wren.
She was protecting Wren.
Holy shit.
“Who is he?” Ever demanded, ignoring Lou’s protest. No one in the room spoke, and for the very first time, I witnessed my best friend lose control. Shoving his fist into the wall—told ya—he shouted at his parents. “Tell me!”
“It’s Wren! Wren is your brother,” Four blurted. Ignoring the dirty look Lou gave her, Four rushed across the room. She reached out for him, but the look Ever gave her stopped her in her tracks. It was one of blind hurt and utter betrayal as he took a step back, rejecting the comfort she offered.
“You knew?”
Those two words hit me like a punch to the gut. I could only imagine how Four was feeling.
“Only for a little while,” Four swore. “I-I didn’t know if I should tell you.”
“How long is a little while?” he pressed through gritted teeth.
Four’s gaze darted to the side, and I filled my lungs with as much air as I could. Whatever the answer, Ever wasn’t going to like it, and knowing my best friend, two seconds was too long. Four never stood a chance at doing the right thing. The situation was too delicate. Too murky.
“Lou and I figured it out after Thanksgiving dinner,” she mumbled. “I showed her the picture on the mantle of Thomas, Sean, and Douglas. Lou recognized Sean and told me he was Wren’s father.” Inching closer and closer toward him, Four continued. “The day you showed me that picture after telling me he was your namesake, I—” Four inhaled deeply before letting the air free with a frustrated whimper. “I suspected that he might have been your real father. I just wasn’t sure until Jamie confirmed it a few weeks ago.”
“She wanted to tell you then,” Jamie said, breaking his vow of silence. “I made her promise not to. I wanted to give them,” he added while nodding to Ever’s parents, “the choice to tell you themselves.”
“You didn’t give me a choice,” Mr. McNamara spat. “You gave me an ultimatum.”
Jamie shot his uncle a cruel smile. “It worked, didn’t it?”
Slamming his fist on the desk, Thomas’s face turned purple as he pinned his nephew with his glare. “Get out of my office before I throw you out of my home!”
Jamie looked ready to bait his uncle some more, but then remembering Bee, who was also at his mercy thanks to her reptile of a father, wisely decided against it. Taking his girlfriend’s hand, Jamie strolled from the room as casually as he’d arrived. As far as Jameson Buchanan was concerned, his job was done. And what destruction he’d left in his wake.
At least Ever knows the truth now.
Even if it had been a horrible shit show.
“Is there anything else I should know?” Ever inquired. And then with a heavy dose of sarcasm… “Perhaps you want to tell me next that Four is really my sister,” he said, making everyone in the room cringe. With pursed lips, Four took his hand, and surprisingly, Ever didn’t pull away. He did stare down at her long and hard, though, with a look that promised he’d make her pay dearly for keeping secrets. I knew I would.
“Yes,” Thomas admitted sheepishly, making everyone in the room groan without thinking. How the hell could there possibly be more? “Your father is here in Blackwood Keep. He wants to meet you.”
“Holy shit!” Tyra exclaimed the moment we were alone inside my ride. After Thomas sternly ordered everyone but Ever to leave his office, Tyra and I practically raced for my car. Lou had refused to leave when Four offered her a ride home and instead frantically attempted to get ahold of Wren and warn him. “That was not how I was expecting the afternoon to go. Did you know about any of this?” she asked me with a hint of accusation.
“Not a fucking clue,” I mumbled as I started the car and got the hell out of there. As I drove toward the outskirts of town where Tyra resided alone with her father, I wondered about the mystery man who caused such an uproar. And all without even being present.
If you asked me, he fucking sounded like trouble.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER GRADUATING, I’D BEGGED Terry for as many full-time shifts as I could get this summer, which meant I hadn’t made many plans for anything else. I spent the entire first day after I was suspended, twiddling my thumbs. By the end of day two, cabin fever had already set in. Vaughn was too focused on conditioning his body into shape for college ball to shower me with the attention I required. Four was still somewhere holed up with Ever, probably begging and working overtime for his forgiveness. Knowing how much Ever adored Four, I was willing to bet he’d forgiven her the second he found out. He was simply milking the situation to his advantage as any boy would do—the one time they weren’t in the wrong.
Being in love never made anyone a saint. It just made us better, happier versions of ourselves.
The faint sound of my phone ringing pulled me out of my thoughts and recognizing the tone, I abandoned my food on the stove and rushed up the stairs to answer the call.
“Hey,” I greeted, smiling at the image of a sweaty, shirtless Vaughn with a white towel wrapped around his neck. It was obvious he’d just finished what was probably another grueling workout. He’d barely stopped to catch his breath or wipe the sweat away before calling me. My crazy heart did cartwheels in my chest. That is until Vaughn’s gaze narrowed, seeing me out of breath as well. “What the hell were you doing?”
“I ran up the stairs so I wouldn’t miss your call.” Next time, I’ll just let it go to voicemail, asshole.
His lids lowered, and I rolled my eyes. Vaughn was definitely pleased and turned on by my eagerness. I watched him bite his lower lip as he seemed to contemplate something. “Is your father home?” His tone was suddenly sultry.
“No.”
The warmth traveling up my neck couldn’t be contained. My father had accepted a summer job coaching a youth football camp down in North Carolina and had left this morning. For some reason, though, I’d been a little hesitant to tell Vaughn that I’d be without parental supervision for the next four weeks. Sure, I was eighteen, but to my father, I would always be his little girl. At least now that we’d graduated, Vaughn was no longer one of his players. My father would have never condoned our relationship, as complicated as it were, otherwise. I’d had a hard enough time convincing him to let his quarterback take me to prom. Vaughn had told my father that he simply wanted to repay me for all the “tutoring sessions.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Make it ten, or I won’t bother answering the door,” I challenged before hanging up. I didn’t want to make it too easy for him, after all. I rushed downstairs and turned off the dinner-for-one I’d been preparing before heading back up and straight for the bathroom. I knew exactly what was running through Vaughn’s mind.