Page 578 of The Winslow Brothers

What the fuck? Did those Winslow fuckerslockus in here together?

“I can’t believe you’re all of a sudden questioning all this,” Remy continues on a tirade. “That’s so fucked up.”

“How is that fucked up?” I turn back toward him, irritation guiding my movements. “I’m pretty sure any woman in my situation would start questioning shit. Especially when there’s a child involved.”

“A child whom I’ve done nothing but love and take care of.”

“You’re right, you have. You’ve been amazing to Izzy, Rem. And to me too. More than amazing, actually. But at this point, I have to ask myself, what are we even doing? Is there even a future? In one year, are you still going to be around? What about two or three? Orten? And if not, what will that do to Izzy?”

What would that do toyou?

The mere idea of it all, of Remy just up and leaving us, well, it feels almost as painful as the day I found out my sister wasn’t coming home.

It feels like losing a piece of myself. Like losing my person. My family.

“I’ve lost enough,” I find myself whispering raggedly. “I can’t lose another person I love. And for as long as things continue on like they are, without definition or labels, I can’t know that I won’t.And that’s fucking scary.”

Remy

I watch Maria’s eyes fill with tears. She quickly turns back toward the door and tugs on it some more, apparently unable to open the damn thing.

But it’s hard for me to focus on that because I feel like she just tore my heart out of my chest.

She just acted like it was possible for me to walk away from her and Izzy. Like one day, I’ll just decide that I’m done with them and simply leave them behind.

I am not my father, and I am most definitely not that guy.

She’s banging her fists on the door now. “Can someone open this? It’s locked!”

“I know it’s locked.” Jude’s voice echoes from the other side of the wall.

“Jude, unlock it, please,” Maria begs, and her voice is shaky with unshed tears. “I need to go.”

“No.” My sister is now chiming in. “You need to stay and talk it out.”

“Winnie?” Maria lets her forehead fall to the door with a soft thud. “What the hell? I need to make sure Izzy is okay.”

“She’s good, hun. Still sleeping. My mom has her.”

Maria turns back to me. “You do realize your family locked us in here, right?”

I nod. “I do.”

“Okay…but how are we supposed to get out of here?”

“We’ll let you out once you two talk it out!” Jude is back. “Not sure if you realize this, Maria, but you and my brother belong together!”

His words unleash something inside her, causing a flood of tears to roll down her cheeks.

It’s heartbreaking, to be honest. To see her like this, knowing that I play a part in why she’s upset. It reminds me so much of the day that I’ve come to regret more than anything in my life.

The day I watched Maria cry just like this…and then let her walk away.

Twenty-Six Years Ago

Late Summer, after senior year

Remy

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