Dad. My sister’s smart, always has been. She also feels the deepest. She’s pure down to her soul, trusting, giving, so much like my mom it scares me. I knew it was a weak excuse, but it was the only thing I had to latch onto. There’s nothing else I could’ve used to warn her off.”
Fucking hell. Even when I didn’t know she was doing it, she was taking my back. Christ. I was still reeling, trying to sort through the knowledge that Adalynn had called her brother and told him she’d cut him out, when Jason continued.
“After Kayla died, my head was so jacked I completely disconnected from my family, and in doing so, I let my sister down. She was hurting after that asshole Belview broke up with her and I missed how much pain she was in. But what’s more, in the years to come, trying to sort myself, finding Mercy, I was so wrapped up in my life I let Addy down in the worst way. I told myself I was giving her her head. Stepping back a little so I wasn’t the overbearing big brother she always accused me of being. But really, I dropped the ball, and because of that Adalynn got hurt.
“So now after years of keeping herself to herself, never dating, not even looking at a man, you show up and she’s gone for you. A man who’s got some serious experience, and I got nothing else, no other objections, since I like you. So I held on to that experience because I’m scared as fuck and determined to make sure that my sister never feels another moment of hurt.”
“I’m not gonna hurt Addy.”
“I know you won’t.”
Fucking hell, that felt good.
“I’m gonna heal those hurts. But, Jason, while I’m doing it, I need you to have my back. She’s locked them down tight. Told me she can’t give me those secrets because she’s afraid once she does they’ll explode all over the place and she won’t be able to take them back. I tried going gentle, knowing what I know about what happened, and she accused me of treating her like she was fragile. So that means the next opening I get, I’m going hard and I’m gonna start digging. Problem with that is, she’s gonna fight me, and when she does, I need all of you to have my back.”
“I’ll have your back.”
Jesus fuck.
There it was.
Fucking finally.
“Guts me to tell you this, but you gotta know and there’s no way to cushion this for you. Keith took his hands to her, brother. Twice, Quinn saw bruises. And we both know any motherfucker who thinks to use his fists on a woman doesn’t suddenly see the light after he fucks her up and just stops. Which means the shit she’s buried is so dark, it’s gonna rock your family. And when it does, Adalynn cannot feel the ground moving under her feet. You gotta use this time to sort your head because when it all comes out, you gotta be solid.”
Jason’s head lulled and his shoulders slumped forward and I waited for him to gather his composure. It took a long while, and during this time, Jason intermittently muttered his anger. On a deep exhale, Jason lifted his chin and I was met head-on with a Jason Walker I’d never seen, though I should’ve expected it the way he loved his sister. The man was undone and whether he meant to hide it, tried his best to do that, and failed, or simply didn’t care if I saw the tears in his eyes, they were there.
“Whatever it takes, we got your back.”
“’Preciate it.”
“Trey—”
“Nothing left to be said, brother,” I cut him off.
It took a moment, but Jason pulled himself together and stood. Once he was on his feet he extended his hand. Christ. That felt good, too. I followed and got to my feet. We shook hands and with no further words needed when we broke apart, I turned to leave his office. Jason called my name, stopping me from exiting.
Before I could turn, he delivered his kill shot.
“Welcome to the family.”
Jesus fuck.
I took a moment and let the golden warmth of his words burn through me. Then I wordlessly left.
25
“Thanks for lunch,” I said to Bass as soon as he pulled into a parking spot.
This was not me being rude, it was self-preservation. Bass had been cool throughout class and lunch because Bass was cool. He’d apologized again for freaking me