August’s jaw tightened and his eyes went dark. “So that’s it. After all I’ve done for you, you’re just going to leave?”
“Done for her?” Jude growled. He looked at Maya and took a breath like he was reigning in his anger. “You’ve kept her under your thumb. You’ve made her dependent on you—”
“Jude.” I put my hand on his arm. I needed to prove to August and Jude that I was strong enough to make my own decisions. Maybe before I’d been a wimp, but now I’d prove to them, to Maya and to myself that I was a capable woman. “You took on a lot when mom and dad died. But you also took from me. You took my dreams. You took someone I love. I can’t let you do that anymore.”
“He wasn’t good enough—”
“He’s a good man. You know that August. He was always there for you.”
“He betrayed me.” August’s eyes glared at Jude.
Jude put Maya down. “Did you get the cheese out?”
“Yes,” she said looking up at him, and then glancing at me and August like she knew something wasn’t right but wasn’t sure what to think about it.
“Why don’t we make the pizzas so your mom and August can talk,” Jude said.
“Okay. He’ll win. He always does,” Maya said, as she headed to the kitchen.
“Oh?” Jude said casting a glance back at me and August.
My heart dropped.
“He doesn’t listen and she gives up trying.” Maya disappeared around the corner.
I looked at August. “You can choose not to listen, and maybe I’ll give up trying to talk to you, but this situation, with me and Jude, that’s not going away. Nothing you can do will make it go away this time. And if you’re successful at ruining him, which I’m not sure you really could do, we’ll just leave.”
For the first time since our parents died, I saw August look stricken. I didn’t like that I’d done that to him, but if it made him understand that I was done with his controlling ways, and that he’d lose me and Maya if he didn’t stop trying to interfere in my life, maybe he would listen.
“If you leave, I’ll have no one,” he said.
I studied him, trying to understand what he meant.
“Mom and dad died, and all I had was you,” he said.
“That’s not true,” Jude said.
I turned to where Jude was watching us from the kitchen. In the background I saw Maya putting toppings on the pizza.
“You had me, August. I was there when your parents died. I was there for both of you,” Jude said.
I turned to August to see his reaction.
“All you cared about was fu—my sister,” August seethed. “Was that why you were my friend. So you could get into my sister’s pants?”
“Jesus, August.” Jude entered the room, moving closer to us and talking in a lower tone. “You really believe that? April was a kid when we became friends. No. Jesus, that wasn’t why I was your friend.”
“Then it was the money, right?” August charged.
Jude had a baffled expression on his face. “What are you talking about?”
“You saw a rich kid no one liked that thought if you befriended me you could get some of what I had. And when that wasn’t working, you decided to get it from April. You want her trust.”
Jude gaped. “Do you really believe that?”
August simply stared at him defiantly.
“If I wanted April’s trust, I would have convinced her to elope with me eight years ago. Instead, I