The Princess and The Jester - A.D. McCammon Page 0,58

front of my mother. She apparently knew about us all along.”

Cole coughs, his eyes wide as he takes a drink of water to keep from choking on his food. “No shit? How did she find out? She wasn’t angry?”

“Are you kidding? My mother thinks you hung the damn moon.” I groan, rolling my eyes. “She said we weren’t as sneaky as we thought. That our feelings for each other were obvious or some shit. I don’t know. It was weird. She came into my room the other day trying to have some mother-daughter moment.”

“You shouldn’t be so hard on your mom. I know she doesn’t always do or say the right things…”

I huff. “That’s putting it mildly. The woman makes me feel like shit about myself on a regular basis.”

He frowns, tapping a finger on my forehead. “A lot of that is all in here. You spend so much time thinking the worst of yourself, you automatically assume everyone else is too. Trust me, your mother loves you. I’ve seen what it looks like when a parent doesn’t care about their child.”

“Thatcher?”

Cole told me a couple of horrifying stories about Thatcher’s home life. The poor kid was bullied at school by his peers and treated like dirt at home by his parents. I think that’s why Cole befriended him. He hates to see anyone being mistreated. Not long after the two of them became friends, Thatcher started standing up for himself at school. Though, if the rumors are true, his home life remained the same.

He gives me a solemn nod. “You’re lucky to have two parents who love and support you. Don’t take it for granted.”

Two parents.

Cole’s mother loves him enough for five sets of parents, but it still isn’t the same. He’s been without the love of a father since he was five years old and still bears the pain of losing his dad. He’ll always feel that absence in his life.

How do I tell him the truth about his father, knowing it will change everything he believes and holds dear? How do I live with myself knowing I’ve fractured the few memories he has of him?

My eyes fall to the pick around his neck. He’s been wearing the lucky guitar pick as long as I’ve known him. It belonged to the man who raised him—Cole’s namesake. Nicolas Masterson could’ve been a country legend. If only someone hadn’t taken his life.

That single act changed Cole’s entire world. He’s spent all these years hating the monster that stole so much from him. What happens when he finds out it’s even darker than he imagined?

“Hey.” He nudges my knee, his brow knit with amusement as my stare lifts. “Where did you go, Princess?”

My throat swells, and I look into his beautiful green eyes, tears wetting my face. “Cole, I…there’s something I should—”

“No,” he rushes. “Please don’t.”

My heavy heart sinks when he takes my hand. I despise Shane for everything he’s done to me—to Cole—but most of all, I hate him for discovering the truth and unloading the weight of it on me. This isn’t something I was ever meant to know. It’s not a story I should tell. But knowing and not telling Cole feels wrong.

“Whatever it is you’re about to tell me, I don’t want to know.” His words are more of a plea this time.

I take a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. “You can’t be sure of that.”

“Will it bring me joy or sorrow?” he questions, a sharp edge in his tone.

My lips press, a single tear rolling down my face. This will only bring him pain. It’s the kind of thing that causes a deep scar on a person’s soul.

“Sorrow,” he answers for me. “And…will it ruin this?” He gestures between us. “Will knowing mean losing you? Losing the chance to get back what we had?”

There’s only one way to be sure, but he’s bound to hold some resentment toward me. I’ll be the bearer of bad news. The one who kept something so monumental from him for years. It’s very likely he’ll lash out. First at me, then his mother.

God…his mother. She won’t be happy with me, either.

“I don’t know,” I whisper.

His jaw tics, his head jerking with a curt nod. “All right, those two things alone tell me I don’t want or need this information. But since you seem to think it’s important, I’ll ask you one last question. If you can answer yes with a hundred percent certainty, I’ll listen to what