Page 252 of Redeemed

Xander is sitting on the worn couch in the living room. His elbows are on his knees, and he’s leaning forward, staring at the ground. The necklaces he always wears—a cross from his grandfather and the compass one I gave him a few years back—dangle from his neck, swaying gently as he breathes.

“Xan?”

He doesn’t look up. Doesn’t react at all.

“Xander, are you—”

“I have to move back,” he says quietly.

“What?”

“You heard the doctor. Dad will be in recovery for months. He’s not gonna be able to work, let alone take care of Rachel. I can’t leave them like this. They’ll need help with cooking, cleaning, getting Rachel to school, helping her with her homework, keeping her occupied this summer… They need me, Luc.”

He’s still staring at the floor, the picture of dejection. For all of Xander’s life, he was thought of as the one who was destined to fail. Maybe he’d be able to keep some low-wage job, but no one ever expected eventhatfrom him.

Yet here he is. A high school graduate, so close to getting his college degree. So close to proving everyone in this goddamn town who whispered or laughed behind his back wrong.

My heart cracks in two as I reach the same realization he must’ve figured out while he was sitting at the table alone. He’s not going to graduate. He can’t.

“Okay,” I say softly. “Then we move back.”

His head snaps up, his gaze sharp as it lands on me. “What? No. You can’t do that.”

“Yes, I can.”

“Lucas, you have to graduate. At least one of us has to.”

At least one of us.We’ve always been a team. It’s been Xander and Lucas for as long as I can remember. When Xander’s mom left, I was with him twenty-four-seven for weeks on end. When I needed a place to stay after things got worse with my dad, Xander let me sleep in his bed with him. When I moved to Birchwood, he followed me without a second thought.

It’s always been ustogether.If he’s coming back, then so am I. We can figure out college another time. Maybe we can take finals at a later date. We’ll miss the graduation ceremony, but who gives a fuck about that? We can make it work.

I don’t even realize I’ve closed the distance between us until I’m kneeling in front of him. Taking his hands in mine, I clasp them together and brush my lips over his knuckles. “You and me, Xan. I’m not abandoning you.”

“You have to.”

“No.”

“Lucas, I swear to fucking—”

“No,” I snap forcefully, my grip on his hands tightening. Only when he’s looking at me—reallylooking at me—do I let my voice soften again. “You’re everything to me, Xan. You always have been. You followed me out of this town, and now I’m following you back in.” I touch the compass pendant dangling from his neck. “I’m lost without you. You know that. Where you go, I go. Always.”

Tears flood Xander’s eyes. I tug him closer so his forehead is resting against mine and rub my thumb across the back of his neck.

“You and me against the world, remember?” I murmur.

“What about finals?” Xander croaks out. “What about Colt and Haven? What about—”

“Fuck finals. And for Colt and Haven, we’ll figure it out. We can visit on weekends or some shit like that. He can keep Haven safe while we’re here. Hell, we’re close enough to graduation, maybe they can come here for a while.”

“No.” Xander shakes his head. “No, I don’t want them here. This town sucks the life out of people. I’m not forcing that on them. Oryou,Luc. Please.”

“If you’re coming back, then so am I, and you can’t fucking stop me.”

“But—”

“Neither of you are moving back.”

We both look up to find Josie in the living room. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and she’s giving us a stern look.

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