The pain medicine from earlier has long worn off, and a headache teases the confines of my temples. I blink away the tears of frustration as the back of my eyes pulse in sharp irritation. I know the likely culprit is stress, something I’ve become accustomed to here when things don’t go King Kaiden’s way.
I don’t regret telling him.
I regret believing he could handle it.
People like him will never be as strong as people like us. They get a choice in how to feel, live, and think.
We never will.
We’re forced to fight.
And sometimes…we don’t want to.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Strength doesn’t come without a price. If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that you’re forced to fight when you don’t have the energy, and have no chance at surrendering even at your worst. Strength doesn’t have a definition.
We all have it. We just might not all think we do because it’s buried under layers of pain and depression and anxiety. The truth is, you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.
So, I lock my door after going back upstairs and settle under the warm blankets. Only a faint lingering scent of pine and cedar remain on the empty side of the bed, so I turn my back on it and close my eyes.
I rarely lock my door.
I could fall and nobody could get in.
I could struggle getting out of bed.
That’s not the real truth though.
I didn’t want to stop Kaiden, and knowing how he acted makes me hate myself for getting attached to any form of possibility with him. Friend or not, stepbrother or not, I was starting to like him—trust him.
Go figure it was a waste of time.
The tears dry before they fall, giving me one more ounce of strength I didn’t know I could conjure with my chest hurting the same way my head does.
When I wake up in the morning, a familiar scent is kissing my skin from close behind. A nose presses against the back of my neck, with a warm breath tickling my skin and making me hyperaware of who’s spooning me right now like last night was a dream.
I squirm out of his hold, but he tightens his arm around me and drags me back against his chest. “I want you to meet my father.”
Chapter Thirty
Based on the time on the dashboard, there’s a silent understanding between us that we won’t make it to school today. I’d already planned on skipping, hoping by Monday morning nobody remembers my little mishap from Thursday.
I’m not sure why I agreed to come with him, but before my conscience could get me to rethink things, I was bundled in layers and following him outside. Not before noticing my bedroom door was perfectly intact, making me think Kaiden’s skills stretch to picking locks.
Not that it surprises me.
What does surprise me is when Kaiden pulls into the cemetery we’ve spent so much time in. He doesn’t take the normal path that leads to the fenced off clearing, but one that takes us to a huge gathering of stones.
Considering there was a chain covering two of the three entrances to the cemetery, I’m fairly certain we’re not supposed to be here. Snow covers the pavement, but not enough to get stuck. The walkways aren’t cleared off and most of the stones are surrounded by snowdrifts that would make it difficult to get to.
Kaiden shuts the car off and stares out his window without a word.
I blink, glancing at the line of stones he’s staring at. “Your father is buried here?”
He nods once.
Running my tongue across my bottom lip, I study the area around us. “You visit him a lot, don’t you?”