Page 111 of Something Forever

“Marriage? Yeah, right,” she scoffs. “You mean that pretend scam you’re pulling? If you had any sense, you’d be divorced by now.”

“He loves me,” I nearly shout. “He told me he loves me, and I didn’t say it back, but I’m going to. We’re in love.”

Her gaze turns pitiful. “Oh, peanut?—”

“I’ll get you the money, okay? Just give me a couple of days to move some things around.” I press the backs of my hands to my eyes, the pressure building. “I feel awful.”

“Is it a migraine?” she asks, her expression concerned.

I open my eyes, meeting her gaze warily. “Yeah,” I reply. “I think so.”

“You should go lie down.”

Not bothering to protest, I drag myself to my room and collapse onto my bed, light flashing behind my eyes. I hear a rustling and manage to open one eye to see my mom bringing me a glass of water and a damp cloth.

“Thanks,” I rasp as she presses the cloth to my forehead.

“I’ll see myself out,” she says, her voice a low murmur. “We can talk later. We have a lot to discuss.”

I can’t parse through what she’s saying or decipher her tone, too overwhelmed by the throbbing in my skull. I roll over, squeezing my eyes closed, hardly noticing when my mom slips from the room. Reaching into my nightstand, I grab my sleep mask and curl into a ball, willing the pain to subside.

40

LIAM

Adrenaline courses through my veins as Darius and Jackson stare at me with twin expressions of bewilderment. I practically ran here to meet them, forcing myself not to think about what just happened. Thrusting the memory of Whitney’s gutting silence out of my mind.

“What did you just say?” Darius asks, even though I’m pretty sure he heard me the first time.

“I want to pay for Jackson’s college tuition,” I repeat. “I want to give him a scholarship. The Luke Monroe STEM Scholarship.”

“Did you just make that up?” Darius asks.

I shrug, smirking slightly. “Yeah, but it sounds legit, right?”

Jackson hasn’t said a word. He’s just sitting on the bench beside Darius, his expression thoughtful.

“What do you think?” I ask him.

He shifts. “I don’t even know if I’m going to college. I don’t even know if I’m gonna get in.”

“You’ve submitted, right?”

“Yeah, but I still have to finish my Columbia and NYU applications.”

I go to speak, but Darius cuts me off. “You can’t just pay for all our shit, Liam.”

How can I explain this feeling? This clarity.

“I know it’s unexpected, but I have to do this. This is what I’m supposed to do with the money. I know it.”

Darius shakes his head, glancing over at Jackson. Then he sighs, sounding somewhat resigned. “If this is what you want to do, I’m all for it, but we’re not the ones you gotta convince. It’s our dad you have to win over, and I have a feeling he’s going to toss you out on your ass when he hears this plan of yours.”

I rub the back of my neck, my nerves spiking. I’d anticipated that their father might be apprehensive about the idea. He doesn’t know me at all. If some stranger showed up at my house and told me he wanted to pay for my kid’s education, I’d probably take it as an affront to my pride or an indictment of my parenting skills. I don’t want him to feel like I’m judging them, even if I am sticking my nose into their business.

“It’ll be a challenge, but if you guys are with me, I think your dad will see this as a good thing… eventually. There are absolutely no strings attached. Neither of you owe me a single thing. He might be resistant, but I hope he’s on board, and if he’s not… ” I hesitate, unsure if I should say this next part. “Jackson, you’re almost eighteen. It won’t necessarily be his decision.”

Darius shakes his head. “If we go behind his back about this, he’ll be livid.”

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