“Harper, betrayal is the only thing I can’t help you with.”
“It’s not?”
“No, if you betray us, this, it’s over. I can’t protect you from that. You have to understand.”
“I’m not going to betray you.”
“You’re not?”
“I won’t.”
“You’re going to see a lot of shit you’re not comfortable with.”
She shrugged. “I know this sounds crazy, but I’m ready. Whatever it is you’re going to throw at me, I’m ready. I just, I’m only getting used to this, but I’d never betray you, or the others.”
“I’m not going to throw anything at you. I only hope you’re truly ready when the time is right.” He pulled away from the curb, and they were driving once again.
“Are you going to tell me who wrote all that nasty stuff on my locker?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Consider it a test for when the time comes.”
“Okay.”
She sat back and stared out of the window at the passing scenery. It was getting dark, and there was a time when being alone with Draven would have made her really uncomfortable. In the past couple of months, he’d been sleeping in her bed, and now her life was bound to his.
She found more comfort in his presence than she did in her own father’s. Running fingers through her hair, she expelled a breath.
“What are the guys doing tonight?”
“Some work. Nothing you need to worry yourself about.”
“And you decided to take me on a date.”
“Yes. I thought you’d been such a good girl, you deserved to be rewarded.”
The pain hit her head. “Please, don’t call me that.”
“What?”
“A good girl.”
“You don’t like being a good girl?”
“It’s not that. It’s complicated.”
“I’m here. I’m the king of complicated.”
He was the only person she could trust and the others, Axel, Buck, and Jett. They were her strength.
“Okay, fine. My mom always told me that no one likes a bad girl. I always had to be good. Always had to do as I was told. I was never to make waves. No one likes a woman that made waves, or a girl. I was always to do the right thing. To make her proud.”
“Wow,” he said.
“That’s what I had to be. When Ian did what he did, it was like he shattered her, only she didn’t show it. I felt that because he’d been bad and so had Hannah, I needed to continue being good. So even though I wanted to do other things, I didn’t.”
“You were always good.”
“Yes. Then one day, I went to school. I thought everything was fine. I got good grades. I always answered the teachers’ questions. Putting my hand up, getting the answers either right or wrong. Giving it a go. Being a good girl so when parent-teacher night happened, they were happy with me. I was a bright student. Then I came home one day, and there was silence.” She rubbed her hands down her palms. “Even when there was only two of us, there was always noise in the house. Mom loved to clean. She loved to have a well-kept house. I guess that was her thing, you know, a well-kept house makes for a happy husband.”
“He left anyway.”
“Bingo. It didn’t matter what my mom did. He’d have never been happy. Anyway, the house was so silent. No television. No music. Mom used to love watching the cooking channel. She’d watch the shows and try to replicate the meals on offer. It was a thing with her. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. I remember calling to her. You know, ‘Mom, I’m home.’ Nothing.”
Draven grabbed her hand, and she thanked him for the support.
“I went upstairs to my bedroom. My room was so tidy. So neat. I went to her room. It was all so pristine. Nothing out of place. I started to get freaked. Mom was always home. Then I needed to pee really bad. I went to her bathroom. We shared a bathroom in my old place. I opened the door, and there she was. When I saw her, it didn’t register in my head exactly what I was seeing. It was my mom. My beautiful mom, and then I saw the water. I saw how pale she was. How her eyes were still open, staring at the ceiling. Lifeless.”
She squeezed his hand a little tighter.
“I’m here.”
“I panicked. I rushed to that bath, and I tried to pull her out of the water. There was no more blood coming from her. It had already filled the tub. There was nothing more to her. She was gone. I stayed at the hospital until Ian finally decided to come to me,” she said. “This is a really morbid conversation.”
“Your dad never deserved her or you. He wasn’t worth the time or the effort. He’s a fucking loser for leaving the two of you.”
“I’m biased. My mom though, she loved him with every single fiber of her being. She lived and breathed for him.” She covered his hand with her own. “Let’s talk about something else.”