I grab a book from the row and open it, flipping through the pages as I hear him stand behind me.
“I’m not the only one not too keen on a child running a legacy. You should keep playing with your little boats and understand your limitations, son.”
I snap the book shut and turn around, irritated with his condescension.
“Don’t call me that. Let’s be real. I’m not your son anymore.”
“Well, maybe you never were. She was quite the whore when I met her.”
Fucking asshole. He knows right where to hit. But I won’t let him use the love I have for my mother against me. I may be young, but I’m not stupid.
“It’s a good thing she liked to make gutter runs, or you’d still be wearing fifty-dollar Sears suits. This isn’t about running any company. It’s about the name. My name. Not yours. I’m the legacy. You married in. It must have been emasculating to take your wife’s name. Then again, you’ve always seemed like a pussy.”
His face grows red with anger. A vein in his neck is beginning to protrude just as his fist lands hard against the desk. “I built this company, you little fuck. I built the McCallister name.”
“You built nothing.”
He shoves the papers as his hands push from the surface, and he charges in my direction. “Nothing? It’s solely because of me that you’ll have a goddamn legacy to eventually squander.”
“I’m sure Grandfather would disagree, even from the grave. By proxy doesn’t equal entitlement. But what do I know, I’m just a kid, right, Evan?”
His hands reach for my neck, but I step back, and they land on the collar of my shirt, gripping it and shoving me back against the stacks of books behind me.
“You think that because your poor pathetic drunk mother accidentally ran into a fucking tree, I should forfeit what’s mine? You talk a big game, but this world is full of horrors you can’t even comprehend. And I’m one of them.”
A smile plays against my lips as he shoves me backward again with more force, knocking books off the shelves. He’s lost control, but this Evan is the most predictable and the least scary to me because I know him well.
He brings his face close to mine, spit gathering on the sides of his mouth from his fury. “Do you think you have what it takes? Do you know how to be a man? Men take what they want. I took what I wanted from your mother. From this company. And I’ll fucking take it from you too.”
My eyes close for a moment, giving me a calm that I need, and reopen locked on Evan’s. I lift my hands, covering mine over his, and begin to pry his fingers from my shirt. His eyes widen as I pull easily against his efforts to keep them in place. He flexes the muscle in his jaw with his strain, but it’s of no use. There was a time when Evan was stronger than me, but that’s long since passed.
Gripping both his hands violently, I take a step forward, causing him to step back from me.
“This is the only warning I’ll give, Evan.” I thrust his hands down back toward his body and stare him down. “The next time you put your hands on me, I’ll be the consequence. I’m not ten, or twelve, or even fourteen. There’s a price for challenging me. Make sure you can pay it.”
Fear replaced by rage is all I can see in his eyes before I smooth my shirt and walk out of his office, leaving the door open.
Donovan
Ernie: Where’d you go after practice today?
Straight to hell with all my thoughts.
Me: Homework…how was the rest?
Bert: Open your bedroom door, and we’ll tell you.
What? My feet scramble against my bed to get me to the floor but halt as I start to run. Shit. My head swings around the room, looking for the things I don’t want anyone to see.
No dirty laundry or open journals. Perfect.
I finish my small sprint to my bedroom door and yank it open. “Hi.”
My smile matches theirs, and I can’t help but feel a little swoony. Grey’s leaned against the doorjamb, thumb running across his bottom lip, and Liam’s standing behind, just barely, a hand gripping the back of his neck and his other holding a small white square box.
It should be illegal for them to travel together.
Grey leans down, kissing my cheek, using my waist to push me back into my room. Liam follows, kissing my other cheek, and hands me the box that smells delicious.
“What’s this?” I question, turning around and watching them explore my room.
“You know what it is, Cherry,” Grey answers, pulling my eyes as he makes himself comfortable.
“Hold on. How’d you guys get up without a keycard?”
They look at each other and smirk leaving me without an answer as they invade my space. Whoa, this is weird. The last time Grey and Liam were here, they were twelve. It’s definitely a different vibe now. Friendship isn’t the right word for us, even though it is. We find comfort in each other’s company, in a way we can’t achieve with any others, but it’s the craving we all feel that brought them here tonight. The same craving that had us crossing lines at the lake. The thought gives me pause before I inevitably sink just a bit deeper into us.
Grey toes off his shoes and relaxes back on my bed, grabbing the remote control. My teeth find the inside of my cheek as I quietly remind myself he’s off-limits. He pats the bed, and I nod, but first open the box to see it’s my favorite chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery on Third. I can’t help but breathe it in, squeezing my shoulders upward and letting the memories fill my senses.
“Your room’s the same. It’s a trip, Van,” Liam says, running his hand over the horseback riding awards that still occupy the bookshelves.
“It’s weird to have you in it again. Last memory I have is you letting me paint your nails. Remember that?” I giggle and close the box, more interested in watching Liam look around my room.
He looks like even more of a giant than he usually does, walking alongside the memory of him.
Liam passes me, stopping just as he does, and leans down, whispering in my ear, “I’d let you paint more than my nails now.”
So much for keeping it together. I hold the small box in one hand and rub my other hand on my neck, hoping to rub my blush away as I attempt to change the subject.
“Perv,” I tease. “What are you guys doing here? It’s a Wednesday night. Don’t you have homework?”
“We’re good.” Liam smiles, stepping away.
“Is it a crime to want to hang out with our best friend?” Grey adds.
I smile, shaking my head, and turn around to walk to the bed, climbing on next to Grey. He’s staring at the television, but I don’t think he’s actually watching it. Something’s off. My eyebrows draw together as I scoot closer to him. “You okay?”
Grey keeps his eyes on the cooking show as he lifts his arm for me to cuddle. I don’t even hesitate, molding myself to him, hearing him release a breath.
“I am now.”
I want to push, find out what has all that worry nestled in on his forehead. But his fingers begin to absentmindedly play with the ends of my hair as he lets out a more relaxed breath. So I give him more of what he needs and lay my head on him as I reopen the box.
“You have to share, though,” Liam directs, standing at the side of the bed and looking down at me.