I pushed off the edge of the bar and lifted my hand up over my head, stretching until I heard the tightness in my spine pop. “Run him out of town and make sure he knows if he comes anywhere near Ollie or anyone she cares about in the future, that will be the last bad decision he ever gets to make.”
Vernon leaned back on the barstool and smacked his hand on the bar. “Sounds fun, just like the old days. Better not let Fisher know what we’re up to. We’re supposed to have reformed and turned into decent people looking toward our future. We’re supposed to have outgrown our rough roots. He’d be disappointed if he knew we were still nothing more than the uncivilized street kids he first met.”
I snorted. “It doesn’t matter what we change on the outside; who we are on the inside will always come through. Doesn’t matter if I’m in a thousand-dollar suit or a leather jacket and jeans; I’m always going to stand up for what’s right. I’m not going to let anyone hurt the people I care about regardless of what it takes.”
“Which is exactly why I want to be you when I grow up.” He gave me a grin as I reached out to mess up his hair.
“You don’t want to be me now or then. I have a pretty girl in my bed, and we both know that isn’t who you want to cuddle up to at night, kiddo.” With a chuckle, I turned to count the money drop for the night. “You’re a genius. I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”
Vernon made a strangled sound and followed me out the back door. I shut the lights off and made sure everything was locked up tight behind me.
He swiftly changed the subject.
“So, what happens now? You and Ollie don’t have to worry about your brother anymore, and the thing that goes bump in the night now has a face. Is she going to stay with us indefinitely? Is your relationship going to be the same now that neither one of you has anyone to fear?”
I didn’t want Ollie to go anywhere. I liked having her under the same roof, but I couldn’t make that decision for her.
All she wanted was to live a normal life and make choices for herself without worrying about how they might blow up in her face. If she wanted to stay, I would be overjoyed. If she decided to go, I’d support her, but I wouldn’t love it.
It was strange how far I’d come where she was concerned. When she first showed up, it felt like my well-ordered life had vanished. Now, I was starting to think all the ways I’d grown and adapted over the years had been so I could be the man Ollie needed me to be when she came back into my life. She was still so much a part of who I was and who I wanted to be.
“I’m not sure what happens next. I’ve never not lived life looking over my shoulder because of Sawyer. The same goes for Ollie. We’ll have to figure out what our new normal looks like. Sawyer’s always been like a parasite attached to any relationship she and I have had. With him out of the picture, maybe whatever we have between us can finally breathe.”
“You’ve totally forgiven her for not going with you when you were kids?” Vernon made it sound like the possibility was farfetched. I couldn’t blame him. I’d spent years feeling wounded and angry because I felt that she betrayed and abandoned me. “Did you ever officially accept her apology?”
“I don’t know that I fully forgive her, but I understand where she was coming from now more than I did then. I get her motivations. We were all so young and just doing the best we could in a situation that was so much bigger than all of us.” I hated that she had to lose her mom to find a way out, but that didn’t change the fact she sacrificed me for the little time they had left together.
Vernon clapped a hand on my shoulder as we walked the last block toward our house. “I liked Ollie from the minute she showed up looking like a lost puppy. But I love the way she makes you stop and really look at things. You’re so used to seeing the worst the world has to offer, I wondered for a long