Page 201 of One Big Little Secret

“Oh my God, Patton. I’m so sorry,” she murmurs.

“For what?”

“Arlo. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if my—” She stops and bites her lip like she knows she just said too much.

“What?” I stop myself. The way she’s looking at me says everything. “How did you know?”

“I have eyes, you know. Unlike the rest of them.” She snorts. “But don’t worry, Dex doesn’t know. I thought you’d spill the truth when you’re good and ready.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I shake my head.

“Because if you wanted us to know so bad, you’d tell us.” Her eyes are steady, though I know from experience she’s got a temper to rival Dexter’s worst bad day.

It’s firmly tucked away now. She’s not angry at all.

“We’re family,” she says, putting a hand on my arm. “And Salem—now she’s family too.”

Gut punch.

But she’ll have to be, like it or not, if Arlo’s going to be a proper Rory, and he will be. Still, hearing Junie say that scrapes every nerve raw.

“Patton? What’s wrong?” Her hand tightens as she looks at me, searching.

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

“Pat, you done stealing my wife yet?” From the other end of the hall, Dexter leans against the wall. His smile is forced and humorless.

Usually, I’d throw back some shit about being the charming one, but my joke well is dry today. I can’t even smile.

“Everyone’s in the living room,” Junie says quietly. “Your mom, too. She got back a little while ago. I’m sure she’ll be glad you’re here.”

That makes one of us, I suppose.

I wonder if they’ve told her the news yet.

Mom isn’t stupid and she’ll figure it out soon enough.

Junie, Dexter, and I enter the sitting room together. By now, Mom is usually upstairs, reading until she falls asleep. But tonight, she’s slumped along the sofa, her eyes red and swollen. If she had any makeup on before, she’s cried it off.

The ice lodged in my chest grows colder. Evelyn fucking did this, even if Mom remains blissfully ignorant.

“Pat.” Archer holds out a hand, then drops it. “Good to have you back. How’s the kid?”

“He’ll survive.”

“Salem?”

I shrug, and Junie frowns at me.

But Mom finally registers my presence and turns her big eyes on me.

“Patton,” she says brightly. I’ve never seen her this anxious. Not since Dad’s funeral, probably.

The last of my beating heart ices over.

“What did I miss?” I ask harshly.

“Patton!” Junie tugs on my arm, but I shake her off. If they wanted gentle, they came to the wrong place. I used up my softness on Salem and now I’m dry.

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