“I didn’t do what I did to hurt you, Mom. I was protecting you.”
She snorts across the table, and I clench my cup between my hands.
“I have nothing now, Landry.”
“You have a lot more than you would have if you’d gone to prison,” I say, tamping down the anger rising in me. “I think Chester was more than fair, considering you were stealing from him.”
“I was only taking what was mine. That’s not stealing.” She turns, surveying the room, as if she can’t stand the sight of me.
I sigh, feeling tears prick my eyes. I was put in an impossible position, one that I couldn’t win, and this is proof.
“And now, you are on their side. Staying with them, continuing to live off their money, going to their school.”
I was selfish in that choice. I chose to stay with Corbin. But what other choice did I have? My mother wasn’t talking to me, and Dad is still traveling all the time. I didn’t want to go back to that for the last half of my senior year. He still doesn’t know the truth of what happened. He only knows that Mom got divorced again.
“I brought you something,” I say, pulling my purse into my lap.
I can feel her eyes on me. I can tell I’ve got her attention even though she tries to be aloof.
“It’s a down payment on a townhouse,” I say, sliding the papers over toward her. “Chester is helping, as a favor to me. He gives me an allowance of sorts, and I want to assist you with it. So, he signed on it, and it’s yours—as long as you follow our guidelines.”
“What guidelines?” She thumbs through the papers and then looks to me.
“No more stealing, no more shady business, and you get a job to afford the electricity, heating, and cable bills. We aren’t keeping you up, just giving you a place to live. I know that you’ve been at a hotel.”
“I’m between places,” she mutters sarcastically, but I ignore it.
I can’t change the choices that she’s made, but I can be there for her. When it comes down to it, she’s my mom. Blood helps blood.
“I’m offering you something good, Mom. You should take it.”
She finally looks up at me with a quick nod. She swipes the papers and stuffs them into her purse.
“I’m sorry,” she says suddenly.
I’m thrown off-kilter. I didn’t expect this to come from her after she was so openly hostile.
“I’m angry, and I know I’m the one who caused my situation. But I’m sorry for what I asked of you.”
“I forgave you that day, Mom. I know we do what we can, what we believe is best for ourselves and those we love.” I give her a way out, a way to say that she messed up but that it was all in the name of family.
“It will take me some time, but I’m going to therapy. I’m striving to right my wrongs. I never should have done what I did.”
I reach to grab her hand, thrilled with how this is going now after the less than warm greeting she gave me. Part of me wonders if she’s only being nice now that we gave her something, but the other part of me hopes that this is us starting to heal.
“I love you, Mom. Always will,” I say as she squeezes my hand, a thin smile on her lips.
Maybe everything isn’t perfect, but we are on our way to fixing things.
“Okay,” I say with a grin, turning to face Abe and Corbin as they sit inside my spacious room at the Montgomery mansion.
Corbin is smiling back, but Abe looks mildly confused.
“Are we painting?” Abe asks, eyeing the three easels I set up.
“Nope. I’m displaying my final pieces,” I say.
Corbin raises one eyebrow. “You finished?”
“I finished,” I say.
He jumps up, pulling me into a hug, and he spins me around so quickly that my feet lift off the ground.
“Holy shit—shart. Wait. That’s not any better,” Corbin says, glancing at Abe, who isn’t paying us any attention.
I burst out laughing and hug him back. “Yeah, I don’t think shart is any better to teach him.”
“Well, come on. I want to see.” He reluctantly lets me go, sitting back.
I check the time on my phone. “Hold on. We have more people coming,” I say, anxiously bouncing on the balls of my feet.
Finally, the door to my room opens, and Brock and Bodhi file in, looking around. Abe jumps up, fist-bumping both of them.
It has warmed my heart over the last month or two to watch Abe interact with the three guys, the look of admiration in his eyes as he tracks every small thing they do or say. At first, I was worried about their reputation and even the way I’d seen them act, but they’ve been nothing but perfect in Abe’s presence.
“Sit, sit.” I gesture to the chairs I have set up, and I wait as they sit down. I check my phone again and then glance at the door.
“More?” Corbin asks.
I shush him. He gets out of his chair again, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the doorway before I can stop him.
“What—” I start.
But before I can say anything more, he pushes me against the hallway wall, and his lips descend on mine. I melt right into him. His hand fists through my hair, pulling my head back. When his teeth scrape against my neck, my nipples harden.
“How about you don’t ever shush me, dirty girl? Not unless you want this,” he says.
I open my eyes, put my lips together lightly, and shush him again.
“Fuck, you’re sexy.” He lets go of my hair and grabs my legs, lifting me, and I straddle his waist as he pushes me back against the wall.
I can feel how hard he is, pressing into my core, and I arch against him further.
“As much as I’m enjoying the sexual tension permeating the air, I thought I would stop you before dick is whipped out.” Trixie’s sarcastic tone greets us, and we both groan. “Not quite the welcome I was looking for,” she says, a giggle escaping.
I unwrap my legs from around Corbin, who tries to discreetly adjust himself. I wrap Trixie in a hug and give her a hard squeeze.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing both of their hands and pulling them into my room with me. “Okay, now that you are all here, I want to show you my final portfolio pieces that I’m going to submit to the Art Institute of Chicago.”
The room fills with Bodhi’s wolf whistle and clapping from Trixie. The two aren’t sitting beside each other, and they’re doing their best to act like the other isn’t present.
“I’ve titled my pieces Family, and I wanted each of you to know that, in different ways, you’ve all been family to me since I came here. Well, some of you took longer than others.” I eye the guys, and Brock grunts.
I walk to the first easel and pull the fabric off, letting my piece be seen by eyes other than mine for the first time. I painted Trixie, sitting on the rocks high above the creek. The wind tosses her blonde hair across her face, and she’s tilted toward the sun, her eyes closed. She looks beautiful and relaxed, and I can hear her gasp as she sees it.
I quickly walk to the next one before anyone can stop me, grabbing the cover and turning to see Abe’s and Corbin’s reactions. I painted them hunched together, so close that their foreheads are almost touching. You can see the smiles stretching their faces as they play with Abe’s assortment of cars. Abe’s eyes are on the small metal vehicle he’s holding, but Corbin’s are on Abe, the joy of being with his brother evident in his body language.