“I’m the reason your dad was shot,” Brenna said, yelling back at me. It startled me so much that I slid off the stool to my feet and backed up a step. The room was silent for a beat.
“I’m the reason my parents died,” Aunt Callie said. “Your grandparents.”
“I knew the man that was responsible for the shooting that killed our family,” Trix said quietly. “The guys tried to keep it a secret, but I know.”
“I almost got my children killed when I got into the car with a man I knew wasn’t right and my son bore the scars of that for years,” my mom said, her eyes pained as she watched me. “My daughter was shot, and I didn’t even notice.”
“I kept it a secret when I knew my best friend was being hurt,” Hawk said, pushing her blue hair away from her face. “And he died before I ever stood up for him.”
“Not your fault,” Aunt Callie said, shaking her head.
“I left my dad behind, knowing that the moment I did—he was dead,” Molly said, all signs of drunkenness gone. “I still left.”
“Shit, I dated a guy that betrayed the club, and when I was finally shot of him, he hired skinheads to torture and kill us,” Rose spat, looking at Mack. “And because of that, Kara almost lost her dad.”
“I made you do that,” Mack said quietly. “You didn’t have a choice.”
“I had a choice,” Rose replied guiltily.
Everything was silent as I took in the different guilty and regret-filled expressions in the room.
“Don’t look at me. I’m an angel,” Lily muttered, lightening the mood slightly. “I need a drink.” She got up and headed toward the end of the bar.
“Bottom line,” Rose said, looking at me. “All of us have been through some shit—and most of us know that we were at least partly responsible. You’re not the only one, or even the most tragic. So stop lurking around the clubhouse and hiding in your room. The only person blaming you, is you.”
“That’s not true—”
Rose lifted her hand and made a flicking motion that irritated the shit out of me. “Emotions were high,” she said in dismissal.
“Maybe if you weren’t such a bitch all the time, I wouldn’t have to hide out,” I said flatly, surprising myself. I’d been so careful with my words since we’d come to Eugene. I should’ve known I’d blow it eventually.
Aunt Callie started to laugh. “Pot,” she said to me, then swung her arm toward Rose with a flourish. “Meet Kettle.”
Almost everyone laughed at that.
“Boys are home,” Lily said from behind the bar. “I can hear them.”
“Why do you still have bionic hearing?” I asked, spinning toward her. “Your eyesight is back, your hearing should go back to normal.”
“I’m just more observant,” she shot back, wiggling her head as she took a drink of her water. “And Olive’s fine, by the way. I haven’t heard her, even after your little shouting match with Brenna. Brave of you.”
I looked over to see Brenna striding toward the front door. “It was an accident,” I admitted.
“They’re right, you know,” Lily said. “All of us have done things we weren’t proud of, or felt responsible for shit that happened. You don’t hold the record on that.”
“Fine,” I mumbled. “I get it.”
“I mean, you were still an asshole to me when we were younger. Remember when you threw that pen at my face?”
“When Leo was over?”
“Yeah,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“I got into so much shit for that,” I said. I thought back to that moment. I had been an asshole. I’d also been a stupid kid and so desperate for Lily to get better that I’d thought that if I could make her angry or startle her badly enough, her eyesight would instantly come back. She’d been so scared that she went blind, it made sense that the opposite could happen, right? My stomach burned at the memory. Explaining my motivation seemed pointless, I’d still been a jerk.
“Hey, baby,” Mark said, finding me as the men funneled into the room. “Why are you still awake?”
“It’s loud as hell here,” I said, leaning into him as he wrapped his arms around my waist.
“You ready for bed now?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Lily said, shooing me. “I’m going to get a couple hours of sleep before I head back to the hospital, but I’ll see you at some point.”
“He’s really okay?” I asked, almost embarrassed to ask.
“He’s going to be okay,” she said, smiling softly as she reached out to squeeze my hand. “Just a few more scars to add to his collection.”
I knew it was a massive understatement, but I was thankful for her reassurance anyway. I’d never wanted anything bad to happen to Leo, but it would’ve been so much worse now, when he held my baby sister’s happiness in his hands. I smiled before turning to kiss Mark hello.