Heartless Savage (Angels Halo MC Next Gen 7)

“No, you two eat and just leave the tray. I’ll come get it later,” I promised. “And then tonight, we’ll all go to dinner.”

“Really?” Mom asked excitedly, her eyes on Garret. “When do you have to get back?”

“I have a flight out first thing in the morning.” Mom’s smile dimmed. “But I’ll be back for Nova’s graduation.”

I opened the door and pulled him through it. “Take your time. Go back to sleep if you want to.”

Downstairs, I finally got to eat, the two of us sitting down for the meal together. Aunt Raven had gone out for breakfast earlier, while I was still making the bacon, spending the morning with Lexa and Delaney. I knew Lexa and Max had something special planned for their mom later, so I wasn’t expecting her back all day.

“Tavia had planned on coming out,” Garret commented when we were cleaning up. I’d nearly fallen over in shock when he’d started helping me with the dishes, but I had to admit it was nice. “But Rai caught a stomach bug.”

“Yeah, I heard Aunt Raven on the phone with her last night.” I rinsed the last plate, and he took it from me to dry. The dishwasher had abruptly quit working earlier in the week, and we were still waiting for Reid to put in a new one. It had been annoying doing all the dishes by hand, but right then, I was almost thankful for the inconvenience. “Lexa has the present they are giving her, though. Tavia and Theo stopped in for a few hours last month without telling anyone, and they did a huge photo session. Max, Delaney, Lexa, Ben, Tavia, Theo, and the four kids in one portrait. I’m sure they will do it again next year so Ronan will be in the picture.”

He frowned. “Maybe we should do that for Mom next year. You and Ryan with me and…” He broke off, and I bit the inside of my cheek, waiting to see if he brought up the girl in his life.

When he didn’t go on, I nudged him with my foot. “You and…who?”

He grunted and tossed the dish towel on the counter. “All right, I guess you’ll find out about her soon enough since you’ll be in New York starting next month. Her name is Lis.”

“Lis?” I repeated, brows raised. “And where did you meet this Lis?”

“She’s a waitress at a club,” he said with a shrug, and I had to bite my cheek harder to keep from laughing. I knew exactly who “Lis” was and where she worked. I preferred to call her Cali, but I could see how “Lis” was a shortened version of Calista. “I haven’t introduced her to Ryan yet, but Ciana has met her. I was thinking of bringing her out for your graduation, but she’s a bit nervous and I don’t want to overwhelm her with all of our family drama. So, I guess I’ll wait to introduce the two of you when you get to New York, and then when she’s not so skittish, I’ll bring her out to meet Mom and Dad.”

“Why is she skittish?”

He grimaced. “She grew up in an abusive household. Her mom got sick when she was young and was in and out of hospitals. Between taking care of her mom and work, her stepdad was gone a lot. She was left with her stepbrother to watch out for her.” His jaw popped, and I could feel the anger rolling through him suddenly. “Let’s just say she didn’t have the childhood we did.”

Cautiously, I touched his arm. “I’m sorry. Is she okay now?”

He covered my hand with a nod. “Yeah, she’s tough. Strong and beautiful.” His face softened. “I think I love her.”

“I’m really happy for you, Garret,” I told him softly.

His fingers tightened around mine still on his arm. “Look, I know I’ve been an asshole the past few years. I have no excuse other than I was into a lot of drugs back then and bored out of my mind in this town. I hated it here…” He shrugged again. “I still hate it here. The only good thing about this place is Mom and Dad. I would say you are too, but you aren’t going to be here much longer.”

“I get it,” I said, watching him closely.

“See, in the past, the way you were so understanding and sweet…” He laughed humorlessly and shook his head. “It was fucking annoying, Nova. I hated it so damn much because I knew you didn’t want to be here any more than I did. But you were always smiling and making the best of it. I guess I expected you to be as miserable as I was, and part of me hated you because you weren’t. I was…jealous. That you could be happy when this was the last place either of us was meant to be happy.”

I pulled my hand free and hugged him around the waist. My heart melted a little when he wrapped his arms around me without hesitation. Closing my eyes, I whispered another mental thank you to Cali. “I know Creswell Springs isn’t for you, but for me, it wasn’t all bad. I mean, if it weren’t for Ryan, I could probably stay here for the rest of my life and be content. Not exactly happy, but not miserable. I knew you loved me, but there were times when you were cruel, Garret, and it made me wonder why you hated me so much.”

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, kissing the top of my head. “Forgive me?”

“This time,” I said with a huff as I looked up at him. “But I swear, if you ever turn back into a jerk, I’m going to kick your ass.”

He smirked. “Yeah, okay, shrimp.”

Rolling my eyes, I stepped back from him. “Better be nice to me, mister, or I’ll tell your Lis how big of a nerd you were in middle school.”

My brother snorted. “She knows.”

I gasped in surprise, sure that if there was anything he would take to the grave about his childhood, it would be his one-time obsession with all things Pokémon. “You told her about the Pokémon GO phase?”

He winced, his ears turning red. “I might have mentioned it. But only after I saw the app on her phone. She said she’s been playing since she was a little girl.”

“That is adorable!” I exclaimed with a giggle. “You two are two nerds made in heaven.”

“You’re pushing your luck, shrimp,” he growled, taking a threatening step toward me. But even though I could see his embarrassment, he couldn’t hide the amusement shining out of his green eyes.