Page 71 of Talk About… Rivalry

Damn Bennett and his commanding ways. One order from him and my omega just wanted to comply, to fall to her knees for him, to submit.

And now they knew everything.

I had no plans to tell them every detail. Now that the words had tumbled from my lips, I was mortified.

The silence was so deafening that I started to fill the space with my own rambling reassurances.

“Look, I never expected you guys to give up any of that for me. It’s why I never wanted to say anything and why I never tried to let Maverick know how I really felt. I’m not anyone’s mate. I’m learning how to accept that and live with it. I’d never take away your future.”

They looked shocked at my rambling outburst. Then incredulous as they cut me off before I could say more.

“I’ll bite you right now if you want me to,” Bennett challenged, Mav and Taylor nodding along.

“Youaremy mate,” Leo said firmly at the same time. “If you wanted me to claim you, I would do it in a heartbeat. But we have to clear the air first. I can’t move forward without it.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, my head tilting in confusion. It wasn’t the first time that he admitted there was something more going on. All this guilt and apologies wasn’t simply from being a dick.

Leo stood and started pacing. Maverick’s arms tightened around me and a low growl escaped him. It was a quiet one, only for me. My hand gripped at his thigh, holding on while I braced myself for whatever was coming next.

“When we first met in school, I loved our little thing we had going. The challenge was exhilarating and it kept me focused in school.”

He was right. At first it was different, playful even.

“Then what changed?” I questioned. I’d tried to remember when it shifted and why, but couldn’t understand. “Why did you turn so…?” My words trailed off and I wasn’t sure how to express what I wanted to say.

“Mean,” he answered for me with a humorless laugh. “Because I heard your mom on the phone telling mine about how she had to get away. How your dad was so cold and you were awful to her, siding with him. That you hated her and showed it.”

The words hit me like a bucket of ice water. Betrayal, white hot and angry, swelled in my chest. This conversation was about to open old wounds that I wanted to leave buried.

“She said that?” I questioned, my voice breaking.

Fuck, I was going to be sick. My stomach was churning worse than ever and that was saying something after the last few hours.

“Night after night,” he said, his voice harsh but I knew it wasn’t directed at me any longer.

There was a hint of self-deprecation and a whole lot of frustration mixed in. That was something I could relate to.

“She would call my mom and talk about how hard it was to be on her own, how lonely. I think my mom even sent her money.”

That had me letting out another startled laugh. “She’s fucking crazy. She drained their savings, she took thousands with her, Leo. We lived on food pantries and basics for weeks.”

“She happily took that money from my mom,” he said. Finally he stopped moving, his light brown hair disheveled as he shoved his hands through it. The movement was aggressive, like he was punishing himself.

“She put on a performance of tears and whines. It was all about how unloved she was, unwanted. She painted it out to sound like she was bullied by her own kid. I guess I was young enough, impressionable enough, to believe it. After that, I just saw you differently.”

“I was different then,” I realized. “I’d fought and gotten detention so much, which always landed me extra ranch chores. Mucking stalls did little to help my mental health but I guess Dad felt like he was doing something about it.”

Leo let out a harsh breath. “I thought if you were this awful person like she said you were, then it was no longer fun for me. I… I wanted to put you in your place.”

He settled on the table next to me and Maverick so he could look me in the eyes.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Sidney. You never deserved that. I was a stupid kid that let crazy emotions get the best of me. You needed me, not my attitude.”

My first instinct was to tell him that it was okay, but I knew that none of them would accept that response. This was a moment of closure for us.

“You couldn’t have reached me. We weren’t close like that and I figured it was better to push everyone else away because if I never let anybody get close again, I’d never be left behind.”

Fresh tears burned at my eyes, eventually spilling over as our eyes stayed locked. I angrily wiped them away, so done with these intense emotions.

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