Page 78 of Bought and Broken

I clear my throat and move around to the other side to sit.

“Since when do you eat all that sugar, Tatum?” Brent asks.

“It was a long day,” I say.

Brent looks between us, the bags under his eyes dark. He’s been working more than normal lately, doing a lot of traveling to prepare for a big upcoming summer fashion show that he puts on each summer.

“Well, I’m getting to bed,” he says, kissing Devon on top of her head. “Night, sweetheart.”

“Night, Dad.”

I watch as he goes until I can’t see him anymore, then turn to face my sundae, feeling shameful.

“Look, Devon—”

“Don’t,” she says. “Just don’t, Tate. I get it, okay? We’re just messing around, and you don’t want my dad to flip out and kick you out.”

“That’s not it,” I say, but she stares at me like she doesn’t believe me.

“I’m going to bed.” She gives me a sad smile, walking away with her ice cream.

“Devon,” I call after her, but she just keeps walking.

I know she doesn’t want me to follow her, meaning if I do, it’ll turn into an argument. I don’t want to argue with her.

So I sit in misery and eat my ice cream. Every last drop. Then go to bed—alone.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Devon

I stick the last letter sign into the lawn by the driveway, then move further back to get a look at it. Happy 3rd Birthday, Astrid is stuck across the lawn for everyone who drives by to see. The letters are large, up to my hip when I stand next to them.

Looking at it from here, I see the first couple of letters need to be spaced apart a little better, so I go back to fix them, then take another look. They’re perfect, and absolutely adorable.

Summer got them custom made by a shop in town. They’re sturdy and designed in pink, green, and blue, with Blue from Blue’s Clues popping out of the side of the A in Astrid’s name. There are a few other characters from the show on the other letters, like Mr. Salt, Mrs. Pepper, Paprika, Magenta, and Slippery Soap.

Summer talked to her parents and agreed to have the party here because she felt it would be a better experience for Astrid. I also think it’s her way of giving an olive branch to her parents and hoping they’ll do better at being in Astrid’s life. They told her they realized they made a mistake, but words and actions are two different things. Something I know all too well from dealing with Tatum lately.

I don’t think he’s hurting me on purpose, but he knows he is… and he isn’t doing anything about it.

Now that the letters are up, I head to the back of the house to see what Summer needs help with next. I got here early to help her set everything up. The party starts in a couple of hours.

“What do you need me to do?”

Summer lines up the last few bottles of water in the fridge that her parents have set up outside on the patio. It’s packed full of drinks—juice boxes, water bottles, and cans of soda.

“Catering won’t be here until one, but maybe start lining the tables with the cloths and get the chafing stands set up?”

“I can do that. Are they inside?”

“Yeah, right in the sunroom.” She points to the sliding glass door off the patio.

Her parents have a beautiful house on a sizeable piece of land. Rolling hills are in the backyard, with lush trees and a colorful garden. The house looks small on the land, but it isn’t. Not at all.

I head inside to get the things I need and carry as much as I can back to the tables that are underneath a large tent for shade. I lay the tablecloths along the tables and line up the trays.

I’m not sure what her parents ordered for food, so I don’t want to lay out any serving utensils yet because I don’t know what I’ll need. I think Summer went inside for something, so instead of finding her to figure out what to do, I go to the tables set out for people to sit and eat and start setting them up. She already laid out the cloths and decorations for each, so I get to work taping everything down so it doesn’t blow away if it gets windy.

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