Page 68 of My Brother's Best Friend

“Alec, I can explain,” Dad stuttered, extending one arm. “We’re?—”

“You’re cheating on Mom,” I repeated. “On our family?”

My throat closed, my thoughts racing. I wrapped my arms around my body and tried hard to calm myself down, but my stomach was twisting, and I had the urge to … to?—

I grabbed the trash bin near the door and hurled into it.

While I had never taken our family and my parents’ money for granted before, I never thought that this could happen. I never thought that either one of my parents could cheat on the other, especially with anyone at my school.

Hands shaking, I stumbled back into the doorframe. My heart pounded against my chest, as I was on the brink of another anxiety attack. I could feel it coming, but I couldn’t stop it. No matter how hard I tried to look away, push the feelings away.

“Wh-what is goin?—”

Carter, quarterback of the football team, walked into the room from Dad’s connected bathroom with his shirt thrown over his shoulder, sweat rolling down his chest, and his pants hanging loosely around his waist. “Mr. Wolfe, you have the?—”

Dad cursed under his breath and shook his head. “Alec, it’s not what?—”

Before he could mutter another word, I sprinted out of the office, out of the house, and into my car. I gripped the steering wheel and stared straight through the windshield, not moving. I couldn’t see straight. My mind was pounding. I … our family …

With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and dialed Maddie’s number.

She answered on the second ring. “Alec, I thought?—”

“Please, come get me,” I pleaded. “I need you.”

CHAPTER42

MADDIE

After swiping some mascara over my lashes and caking on the makeup to cover up my flushed cheeks, I stared at Alec sleeping through the mirror and frowned.

Last night, I’d had to ask him a gazillion times what had happened before he finally told me that he caught his father cheating. He didn’t tell me with whom, but I didn’t want to push it. We both had a long night, and I had to sneak a sobbing Alec into my house without Oliver hearing. Thankfully, I had been able to calm him down, but still …

I shook my head and continued to prepare for the day. This morning, Mom had called from a boat somewhere far, far away and left me a voice mail, asking if I was okay, but I decided not to call her back. If they ever even cared, then they would come back every now and then. They might have been able to retire early with all the money they had, but I still needed them.

They were just gone. Always.

“Get your ass out of bed,” Vera said from my bedroom door, holding a Boston cream doughnut and an iced coffee. She widened her eyes. “Oh, you are.” She handed me the breakfast and glanced over at a groggy Alec. “Sorry if I woke you.”

“It’s okay,” I said, answering for him. I sipped the coffee. “Thanks, Vera. You’re the best.”

Vera collapsed on my couch and tossed some hair over her shoulder. “I know.”

There was shuffling out in the hallway, and then I heard the front door close, which meant that Oliver was finally gone. I hadn’t talked to him since last night, and it was driving me crazy. He was the only damn family that I had here in this fucking enormous house. I wanted to be on good terms with him, but I wasn’t going to drop Alec.

I refused to drop Alec.

Not when he was a precious, vulnerable little babe. I glanced over my shoulder at his messy hair, and his eyes were barely open. And, God, was he adorable when he first woke up. I couldn’t wait until we could spend every morning like this.

Minus the drama.

After a few moments, Vera frowned. “Are you okay? Seriously, Mads?”

“I’m fine,” I said, voice strong until the very end, when it trembled.

I stared blankly in the mirror at myself and watched the tears build in my eyes. All night, I had told myself that I was fine when I had been pushing the thoughts and feelings from yesterday back.

Even though Alec hadn’t done anything, I felt so betrayed by Redwood itself. Everyone had seen me naked and begging for Alec, like some desperate little whore. I hated it so fucking much and could only imagine what people would say to me today.

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