“Bobby can take her.”
“Don’t be smart. You know he would if he wasn’t…injured.”
Injured. An interesting way to describe being paralyzed.
Dad continued before I could argue. “Is it really that bad? She’s pretty. Take her out. Fuck her if you want to. Just don’t screw this up for us.”
“How long will this go on for? Will I have to marry her? What if she gets mad because I don’t want to go out with her again? Did you think about any of this before selling me out?”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Kane. It’s hardly a death sentence to spend the evening with a lovely young woman who’s eager to please you.”
Don’t fucking remind me. I shuddered and bolted for the door for the third time.
With my hand clutching the doorknob, I said, “I’ll go out with her one more time, but I’m not fucking her. She’d probably start planning our wedding if I did.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Dad said, dismissing me. I was almost out the door when he yelled. “You should go see your brother.”
I halted again, taking a deep breath. I should go see my brother, but it wasn’t that easy. Bobby lived in another wing of the house, bound to his bed and wheelchair, so it wasn’t like we ran into each other in the hallway. He could barely speak, but his brain was fully alert and aware. I didn’t like visiting him–probably why I hadn’t in months. The guilt I felt was all-consuming…
It was cowardly, but it was difficult for me to see him so useless. Compared to his life prior to the accident, he was a vegetable. A shadow of his former self.
And I was the asshole trying–and failing–to fill his shoes.
I left without saying anything, slamming the door behind me.
Chapter 5
Dani
“Youtoldhim?Howcould you do that?”
Kane was sitting on the couch in his private living room, a scowl planted firmly on his face as I ranted and paced the space in front of him.
“It slipped out,” he shrugged, avoiding eye contact with me.
“It’s none of your business and I told you that last week. You had no right to talk to your dad about me.”
“Is it that big of a deal? I thought I was helping.”
“Don’t. I know it’s hard for you to understand, but I need the money from thesejobs. I’m doing my best to get the fuck out of here someday and you’re messing it all up.” I continued pacing, my arms crossed and my boots wearing a pattern in the over-priced rug. “If you don’t start treating me normal again, I’m never telling you shit.”
Kane huffed and stood up from the couch, going to the refrigerator to get a beer. “Fine. Sorry that I cared enough to say something. Won’t happen again.”
“I swear, Kane. Stay out of it.”
“I will.”
“If my dad hears about this–”
“I said I will!” He yelled, chugging his bottle of beer and smashing it into the sink.
I marched over to the kitchen, stopping short of getting in his face. His chest rose violently like he was trying to collect himself and catch his breath. His eyes narrowed at me and he crossed his arms, accentuating his massive biceps and forearms.
“It’s different for you and me,” I sighed, trying to explain why my business wasmybusiness. “If you fuck up, nothing happens to you. If I fuck up…”
“What?”
“My dad. He’s a fucking asshole, as you are well aware. He’s done things in the past. Punishments. And I can handle a lot, but when he wants to hurt me, he knows how to do it in a way that’s…”