Page 408 of The Winslow Brothers

He grins, unfazed by my characterization of him as a dictator. It annoys me that it rolls off his back so easily. It makes me push the limits even more.

“Where’s the old geezer I’m supposed to meet? Is he here, or did you run him off like you did Charlotte?”

It’s cutting—ruthless, even—I know. But the pain inside me is so all-consuming, and growing by the second, the only thing to do with it is to lash out.

His eyes narrow, and I brace myself for the fist to my face I know has to be coming. I’m not scared, though. Quite frankly, a little time unconscious sounds like a relief.

Rem laughs, the sound downright evil around the edges. “I’m going let that shit slide…once. And it’s only because I know you’re in a fuck-awful place—a place I’ve been before.”

How the fuck would he know what’s going on with me? I haven’t told anyone, and I’m not going to. I don’t need to drag myself through the mud of all those emotions again. No fucking thank you.

“Howard,” I remind him with a grind of my jaw, unable to apologize and unable to explain.

Face hard, he points toward the closed dining room doors. “He’s in the dining room.”

The fuck?

“He’s sitting in the dining room by himself?” I question. “And you don’t find this a little weird?”

He slaps a hand against my back, the force of it pushing me forward on my feet. “Just go say hi. And be nice, for fuck’s sake.”

“You know what?” I toss out and plant myself on one of the barstools. “Never mind. I’ll chill here.”

I’m not in the mood to meet new people. Hell, I’m not even in the mood to see the people I know.

“Get off your ass and go say hi to Mom’s boyfriend.” Rem grabs me by the back of the shirt and yanks me off the chair.

“What is your fucking deal, man?” I practically shout, but when I look behind me in preparation for my mother’s disapproval, she doesn’t even look up from the pan of asparagus she’s shaking salt onto.

Am I invisible?

My outburst doesn’t deter my eldest brother, though. With a hand to my back, he pushes me toward the dining room until I skid to a stop in front of the doors.

I look back at him. “Has everyone in this family lost their minds?”

Fucking hell.

I guess I might as well get this shit over with sooner rather than later and then get the fuck out of the Winslow Family Twilight Zone.

I push through the dining room doors and freeze.

Holy fuck does Howard look an awful lot like someone else.

Rachel

“Rachel?” Ty questions, his eyes both wide and confused. He looks like hell—rougher than I’ve ever seen him—and I immediately suck in my gut as it bloats with guilt. “Rachel?”He says my name again, as if I’m a mirage in the desert and he just can’t believe I exist.

“Hi, Ty.” It’s such a woefully pathetic greeting given the circumstances, but in my grand effort to be less critical of myself when I’m trying, I classify it amicably in theat least it’s a startcolumn.

“So,” I continue, clearing my throat. “I know this is a surprise, seeing me here tonight, but what I have to say is too important for a phone call and would be outright criminal in a text.”

When he doesn’t say anything, I take a step toward him.

“I know things have been a mess—thatI’vebeen a mess—and I’m sorry,” I tell him and take three more steps toward him. “I…um… I had a conversation with my father today. It was a good conversation. A great one, actually.”

“Yeah?” It’s the first word to leave his lips, and even in its barren simplicity, it makes me want to burst into tears.

“Yeah.” I nod and take two more steps toward him. “I think our relationship will be much healthier moving forward.”

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