Page 93 of Destroying Everleigh

He wasn’t wrong. I expected some kind of conflict with bringing Everleigh around, especially after all this time, and with no prior warning. But if they could forgive Dakota for thepart he played in it, then they could suffer Everleigh’s presence. He’d been an adult; she was only seventeen at the time. Not that I was making excuses for her. She was just as much at fault. But I judged them equally.

“If Everleigh hadn’t been on the pill, you probably would have had a grandchild a lot sooner,” I joked.

“That’s not funny,” Mom snapped, depositing the pieces of glass in the trash can. She sucked in a sharp breath and ran her hands over her apron to smooth it out.

I shrugged and glanced over at Evie. “It was a little funny.”

Everleigh glared at me, apparently siding with my mother on this one. But I’d brought her here to make them all uncomfortable. Maybe they’d think twice about forcing a family dinner on me in the future, and if they didn’t…I’d just keep forcing her to come with.

“So, Everleigh,” Dad began, setting his glass down on the table. “How’s adulthood been treating you?”

She swallowed thickly. “Um…fine. I guess.” She shrugged. “Just trying to get through school.” She forced a small smile, trying to pretend that she wasn’t as bothered as she was.

“What’s your end goal?” he asked as my mom started passing out the rest of the stew.

Everleigh straightened in her seat when a bowl was placed in front of her. She thanked my mom before addressing the question lingering over her head. “To get my RN degree.”

Dad dipped his spoon in his own bowl and nodded, seemingly satisfied with her response. “That’s a decent career path,” he commented. “Is there a reason you chose that specific field?”

“Yeah.” She sighed, like it was the last thing she wanted to talk about. “My mom got sick, and…I thought that I’d be able to help her get better if I had the experience and knowledge to do so.” She stared down at the food in front of her, a stitch betweenher brows like she was lost in thought or reliving a memory of some sort.

Mom slipped into the seat beside Dad, her gaze falling on Everleigh. “I heard about that. Is she doing okay?”

Everleigh tensed. “She passed away a couple of weeks ago.”

Mom placed a hand to her chest, her lips parted in shock. “Oh. I’m so sorry to hear that. How’s your father doing with all of this?”

My mind flashed back to the party during the second week of school. How Crystal had very bluntly mentioned that her father was no longer in the picture. It was something I’d been curious about, too.

“He left us a long time ago. Right after my mom got sick. It’s just me and my siblings now.”

Dad frowned down at his food, but no one commented on it. Briley had hinted that Everleigh had adopted somewhat of a maternal instinct, but never outright explained what that meant. It all made sense now.

Dakota’s voice cut through the silence, his eyes darting between me and Evie. “Are you two back together?”

My jaw tightened, anger licking up my spine. It wasn’t any of his fucking business. I hadn’t braced myself for the question, but it was a valid one. Why else would I bring her here after all this time? Everleigh opened her mouth to speak, but I knew what she was going to say. The opportunity to burrow under her skin even more almost brought a smile to my lips. It was too good to pass up.

“Yes,” I decided.

Everleigh clamped her mouth shut and turned to give me an incredulous look. I snorted a laugh and dipped my spoon in the stew before me, the warm broth seeping onto my tongue.

Dinner went more smoothly than I’d anticipated. After Mom got over her initial shock at seeing Everleigh, she wasn’tcompletely unbearable. I led Everleigh into the living room, my gaze skimming over the seating arrangements. Dakota had chosen the sofa, and Mom would probably join him there with Astrid, and possibly Dad. There was no way in hell I was going to let Everleigh sit next to Dakota. Fuck that.

I grabbed Everleigh’s hand, making her gasp out in surprise. My grip on her was tighter than necessary, but just thinking about her sitting next to my brother was pissing me off more than I cared to admit. I dropped into the armchair, tugging Everleigh down so that she was falling into my lap. Her entire body was tense, but to her credit, she didn’t fight me on it much.

Astrid came scurrying into the living room with the baby clutched against her chest. “Dakota, would you mind holding Johnathan while I help your mom clean up?” She looked stressed and exhausted. Her hair was in disarray, and instead of the sundresses she usually wore, she was dressed in a large T-shirt and black yoga pants. Her skin was void of makeup, which was equally unusual.

Dakota barely spared her a glance, not giving a shit in the slightest that his wife needed help. Maybe they weren’t the perfect couple I’d initially thought.

Astrid released a frustrated huff. “Dakota, please.” She shifted the baby in her arms for a more comfortable position.

“My mom can manage on her own.” Dakota shrugged, not having a care in the fucking world. He didn’t seem that interested in having a new baby, or appreciative of the wife who had given him a son in the first place.

Tears stung her eyes, and it made my chest tighten. I’d offer if Everleigh wasn’t currently in my lap. But if I made her move, she’d probably go sit on the couch with Dakota, and that wasn’t fucking happening.

Everleigh shifted in my lap, clearly in discomfort at watching the scene play out in front of her. My brother had always beena dick. He even cheated on AstridwithEvie. But from what Mom was saying, I figured they were doing better now. That he actually cared about the life he was building.

“I-I can do it,” Everleigh offered.

---