Page 13 of Frayed Owner

I held up a finger to her and focused on Winter. “This is the right hand to the head of the Hughes family.” I nodded when he did a double take. “We both know him. He’s been to the Shaw house dozens of times.”

“So the Hughes are—” He started to say.

“Yes,” I cut in, darting a glance to others in the room. I handed Clare back her tablet. “I’ll tell you later.” I shook my head when she argued. “I think you have enough on your plate. Don’t you?” I gestured to the bottles of wine and mess my living room was.

She let out a slow breath. “Yeah. Fair.” She set it down and nodded but then flinched, looking at Winter. “Is he hurting Wes?”

“Maybe,” Winter hedged, glancing at me. “Wes is in the same boat as me.”

“We’ll loop you in,” I promised Clare. “Carefully. This is—I think we just found something big. For the future. Right now, we have enough to handle.”

“Yeah, you really do, baby sister,” she whispered and rubbed her face. “And I’m sorry to add to it, but I’ve decided.” She let out a slow breath. “Please let me join the Millen family. I want to be disowned and be your family. Officially. I want a new life.”

I gave her a sad smile and said the best thing I could think of in that moment. “Grandfather would be proud of you, Clare. Yeah, he would have loved that. I’ll approve it as the head of the Millen family.”

4

We went back upstairs and finished. I gave Winter his first pedicure and manicure. We both decided I should never do it again,buthe wanted to go with me for us to have them done. He liked enjoying it with me, and even if he didn’t want polish, he said there was nothing wrong with having nice cuticles and taking care of himself.

I fully agreed.

I just felt bad that I cut him a few times and clipped away too much of his cuticles. Clearly, I shouldn’t change professions.

I was glad when food arrived, starving since we’d done things backwards. It was hard with the treat truck coming to Morrigan Friday nights and doing this after, but—life was a juggling act. I thanked the guards and brought it all in and walked into something going on between Winter and Kelton.

“I get that, but I want to talk to my girlfriend,” Kelton snapped. “So I’m sorry it’s your date, but like—”

“Who are you?” I whispered, staring at him like I’d never seen him before. I felt better when he flinched. “And I’m not your girlfriend.”

Pain filled his face and he reacted like I’d smacked him. “You’re dumping me? You’re not going to even talk to me about what happened and just dump me?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“That’s what it sounds like,” Kevin muttered.

“This isn’t fair,” I bitched, gesturing to hisbrotherand a bunch of other people I didn’t know. “And while I’m on a date? A night off that I need? Seriously, what is—”

“You both need a time-out,” Clare cut in as she brought a bunch of her garbage to the kitchen to handle. “You both went through something traumatic in different ways. You cannot be the ones to help each other through it, and you’re dragging the other down by trying.”

“Who the fuck are you to try and start being a sister to her after—”

“Hey, don’t jump on her and act like you know our backstory when I haven’t remotely told you anything about her,” I snapped.

“Over the line, Kelton,” Kevin said quietly. “We can beat each other up all of the time, but no one is allowed to say shit about you to me.”

“Yeah, fine, sorry,” Kelton muttered, and then winced at whatever was on my face. “Really. I’m sorry.”

“Seriously, who are you? What happened to the patient guy who helped me through my first panic attack? This pushy guy who throws needing therapy in my face is—we’ve hadonedate and hung out some. That’s what I mean that I’m not your girlfriend. Did I miss where you asked? Or have Irepeatedlysaid that I’m not ready for that?

“I think I have. I think I told you very firmly that I was uncomfortable with your situation and mine. Fine, your mother and brother were right that I shouldn’t make the decision for you, but talking it out, you were a bit dismissive of my concerns as well. I wasvalidto say that I didn’t want to jump in with someone who had so much to lose.

“And I was right. My father tried to fucking kill your brother because we were involved. To punish me. They’re that insane, and Ikilled someonebecause of it. And you throw getting help in my face because I didn’t let you feel me up less than aweekafterI killed someone. I’m drowning in the crazy, and instead of being supportive, you’re crashing my time relaxing?

“My time having fun and fucking trying to be a person and just smile? Because you want to handle your massive fuckup forty-eight hours ago? Yeah, that’s like all of the red flags. Seriously, I’m tired of being plowed over and just agreeing to stuff because it’s easier and I’m exhausted. Then I’m the bad guy somehow and your girlfriend when I didn’t agree to it!”

My chest was heaving at the end of it, and everyone was looking at me like I’d grown another head.

Being alone was so much better. I was just about to turn to flee when Clare chuckled.

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