Dylan lifts my face up with his thumb and looks into my eyes. His eyes hold so much pain that I want to look away. “Not here, not now,” he pleads.
I give a small nod and then stand to my feet, brushing myself off. Dylan and Thomas stand too, and the three of us head toward the trucks. We’ve barely made it halfway down the driveway when my mother’s sobs ring out in the silence. “Thomas, baby, wait. Don’t go. I can’t lose you too. Please!”
My heart breaks even more, something I didn’t think was possible. Hearing my mother’s cries for my brother and the love and fear in her voice is too much. My knees buckle, and I start to fall, but Thomas catches me, holding me up.Why couldn’t she have cared for me like that? How could her heart be so full of love for her son and hold nothing for her daughter? And why?
“We’re done,” Thomas yells back, holding me tightly.
I shake my head furiously. “Thomas, no.”
“Thomas!” Mom yells again, stopping me from saying more. “Please, just come back. Thomas!” She continues to call his name as we walk farther away. When we’re almost at the trucks, her desperate tone changes into one of anger.
“Summer, this is all your fault. I hope you know what you’ve done.”
Thomas’s strong arms wrap around me as I start to shake. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers. “They will never hurt you again.”
Turning me around, Thomas pulls me into a hug, and it’s then that I notice Dylan standing right behind us, his expression doing nothing to hide his emotions. I never thought this mess would affect others so badly. All I ever wanted to do was forget that chapter in my life and move on. I can’t be the reason for Dylan’s hurt, or for Thomas to lose his family.
“Thomas, I appreciate all you’ve done tonight, but you can’t cut ties with them. They’ve been good to you—”
“The hell I can’t.” Thomas cuts me off with an angry glare. “They’re both dead to me.”
“Thomas—”
“No, Summer, I know I’ve got a long way to go before I earn back your trust, butI need you to know…I would never condone this. Despite the fact that it could have just as easily been me, they hurt my baby sister. Their lies mademehurt my baby sister. I will never forgive them for that. I will never forgive myself for that either.”
He pulls me into another hug and then moves to open the passenger door of his truck, not letting me respond. “Let’s get you home.”
“Mind if I have a word with Summer first?” Dylan asks, speaking for the first time since we got up off the ground.
Thomas’s eyes find mine in question, and I give him a small nod. “Okay, but we’re going to have a chat about the ‘no dating my sister’ rule,” he jokes, and I flinch, not sure where Dylan and I stand.
Dylan smiles, but it’s missing its usual warmth. My heart clenches at the sight of it.
Without noticing the tension in the air, Thomas gives me a kiss on the cheek and then heads to the driver’s side. “I’ll be in the truck.”
I step away, out of earshot, and wait for Dylan to follow. He takes a deep breath when he reaches me and then speaks. “I’m so sorry for everything youwent through. For my part in it, for your shitty parents, and the even shittier hand you were dealt.”
Instead of highlighting that he had nothing to be sorry for, I simply say, “thank you,” and nod.
“I want you to know that I’ll always care for you, Summer. I’ll always be your best friend.”
Oh God!
My heart beats rapidly in my chest, and I can’t bring myself to look at him. I knew that something was seriously wrong when he stopped my earlier confession. This feels like goodbye, and I’m not at all ready for that.
“I’m sorry, Summer. I—”
“It’s okay. I get it.”
“I just need time. That’s all.”
“I understand.” I pause and take a breath. “Friends until we both work things out,” I say, and I mean it. He’s given me so much time in the past that I need to return the favor. I could say something more or try to change his mind. I could even ask him how much time he thought he might need. But I don’t do any of that. Instead, I do what Ido best, what he expects me to always do—I walk away.
“I’ll see you around,” I say as I move to get in Thomas’s truck. “Thanks for…everything, I guess.” I shrug and then slam the door shut. When I look back through the windows, I catch Dylan running his hands down his face before violently pulling on his hair.
Thomas and I are silent on the way home, leaving me to my thoughts. The farther we drive away from the place I grew up, and from Dylan, the more my heart breaks, and by the time I’ve made it to my apartment building, I’m not sure I have anything left.
When we pull up, Thomas offers to come inside but I decline. I need to be alone. I move to leave, but he stops me with a gentle touch to my arm. “I love you, Summer. I’m sorry that I haven’t acted like it for a while. I was angry. I wanted to hate you, but I always loved you.”