Sweet Little Lies (Dirty Little Lies Duet 2)

Dad comes up behind me, grabbing the box, and kisses me on the cheek. “This the last one? Good. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

I take another moment to memorize the room Violet and I shared. I think about all the good memories we had here. And about the new memories we’ll make next semester. They just won’t be here.

If there was one thing Dad was certain about, aside from Gabriel being an asshole, it was that neither of us was coming back to this school. He blames himself, stating that after what happened with Violet, he should’ve pulled us both then.

“Are you ready, little bird?” Gabriel comes up behind me and pulls my back into his chest.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” I turn in his arms, having to crane my neck for the most perfect view. “The question is, are you ready?” Once we leave this place, things change. My home will now be at Gabriel’s. The simple thought has my heart racing with excitement. It’s unreal to even imagine how we got here, but it didn’t come without a fight.

“Fuck no.”

“Dad, why? Violet lives here with you. What would be the difference if I moved in with Gabriel?”

“Fuck no.”

“Dad! I’m being serious. You can’t keep me locked up here forever. I’ll always be your baby girl, but you don’t need me anymore. You have Violet. Do you really want me to be miserable and resent you for the decisions you’re forcing on me? What happens if I get so depressed, I decide to stop eating or do something crazy like start hating pizza?”

“You’ll never hate pizza. You love Savino’s. It’s our special place. It will always be our thing.”

“Yeah, Daddy, and it’ll always be our thing whether I live here or not.”

“Fuck no.”

“Dad!”

“You come home for dinner four times a week. You leave that asshole at home for two of those four. I can only stand him twice a week.”

I roll my eyes. “Daddy, he’s here three times a week drinking scotch with you.”

“Just because I invite him over to drink with me doesn’t mean I like him.”

Jesus Almighty! “Should I tell him to stop coming over then?”

“Fuck, no!”

I shake my head. “I’m moving in with him.”

His shoulders slump. “I know you are.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I know you do. Love you too, baby girl.”

I’ll always cherish my one-on-one time with my dad. If anything, the last few months have shown us life is precious and can be taken at any second. Gabriel takes my hand and leads me toward the elevators. When the doors open, an unexpected face walks out.

“Oh, hey. I was hoping to catch you before you left.”

Gabriel throws his arm around me, pulling me tightly to his side. “Not a chance, asshole.”

I lightly tap his chest and squirm out of his death grip. “It’s fine. Can you give us a second?”

He hesitates, and I’m shocked he doesn’t leap forward and choke him. Finally, he nods, but the look in his eyes says murder is the only outcome if he pulls anything. “You have two minutes, and I’m not leaving.”

Grayson nods, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I…uh, I just wanted to see how you were doing and tell you again how sorry I am.”

“Grayson, you don’t owe me an apology. Everything that happened was on Evan, not you. I know what you did. Violet testified to that, so you don’t owe me anything. I believe I owe you a thank you.”

Grayson looks tired. I know the signs of someone who hasn’t slept well in ages. I can’t imagine what it feels like to take somebody’s life, whether it’s in self-defense or not.

“I just…if I knew…I would’ve never…I would’ve never let that happen—”

I cut him off and step forward, wrapping my arms around him to give him a tight hug. He’s surprised at my show of affection but then wraps his arms around me, embracing the comfort I believe he so strongly needs.

“Thank you,” I whisper soft enough for only his ears to hear.

“All right. That’s enough,” Gabriel grumbles, and we both laugh as we break apart.

“Heard you’re not coming back.”

“Yeah. Dad thinks it’s for the best, and I kind of agree. A new start for everybody.”

He nods. “I wish you the best. Hope things really do work out for you, Hazel.” He pauses and turns to Gabriel, giving him a nod, then walks off toward the exit sign and disappears down the stairwell. I stare at the door until it fully closes, and Gabriel grabs my waist, snuggling his face against my neckline. “All right, little bird. It’s time to get you back to your cage. All this playing nice has worked me up.”

I turn, wrap my arms around his neck, and press my lips to his. “Playing nice, huh? That’s what you call what you’ve been doing?”