after all, and our lives were already beyond messed up, but I was crushed when she picked Sawyer over me. It didn’t matter to me that she felt responsible and guilty for the fact my half brother could no longer walk. All I could focus on was that she told the authorities I was responsible, and it made me feel like I was suddenly her second choice when I’d always come first. I intended to get rid of her for my own peace of mind, but I would be lying if I didn’t acknowledge there was a pretty big piece of me that wanted her to hurt in the exact same way that she’d hurt me.
When she agreed that I caused the accident on purpose, that I tried to hurt her when all I’d ever done was protect her, it crushed me and made me question everything I thought I knew. That uncertainty followed me for a long time and forced me to keep nearly everyone I encountered at bay. I didn’t let anyone get close enough to hurt me like that, so I was very much alone for most of my life. It wasn’t until the boys came along and I realized they needed someone as much as I did that I finally lowered my guard enough to let them in.
After I got home from a shift that felt like it would never end, I was getting ready for bed when I heard the stairs from the attic creak and groan. Whenever we ran a special at the bar where ladies drank for free, it was a madhouse. If they weren’t shifts that were guaranteed to make such good money, I would’ve asked for the night off. It was well past midnight and the skies were clear, so there wasn’t a reason for Ollie to be creeping around the house so late. But whatever her reason was, it gave me a good opportunity to bump into her and finally start to throw some of my well-practiced game her way. It was rare for a woman to turn me down when I put my mind to getting to know her, and Ollie was already predisposed to appreciate some of my finer qualities. She already knew the kind of guy I was deep down inside, even if I kept telling her how much I’d changed. She was the opposite of most girls. I needed her to fall for what I had to offer on the outside now that I was no longer a clumsy, chubby kid. I needed her to be superficial and shallow, like most of the girls I picked up at the bar for a one-night stand.
I stripped off my shirt, kicked off my shoes, tugged the waistband of my jeans down so that they were hanging precariously low on my hips, and dragged my hands through my hair so it was an attractive mess. I looked like I had just crawled out of someone’s bed after a round of very rowdy sex, which was exactly what I was going for.
Let’s see if Ollie could blatantly walk away from me now.
When I entered the kitchen, where I followed the faint sounds Ollie was making, the only light in the room came from the open fridge. Ollie’s curly blonde head was bent inside as she rummaged through one of the drawers. I’d yet to see her eat a meal at the house, and I hadn’t seen her bring groceries in, but that didn’t mean much since I really hadn’t seen her at all in several days. And if I knew Vernon, there was no way the kid would let our new housemate starve. I could almost bet on the fact he asked Ollie what she liked and stocked up when he went to the store. He was a good kid with a soft heart, and he knew all too well what it was like to go hungry. He would never let that happen to someone else on his watch. Especially someone he was fond of. Despite all my warnings, there was no missing that our youngest really liked the unwelcome blast from my past.
Since I was barefoot, I barely made a sound as I moved behind her. When she turned around, she had an apple in her mouth and a bottle of water in her hand. With the faint hint of light behind her, and her wild and unruly hair practically glowing, she reminded me of an old Renaissance painting.
She