Page 300 of Boys Who Taint

We walk into the living room, where Felix, Dylan, and Penelope are all sitting on the big couch, with Aspen already sitting on one of the lavish white leather chairs in front of the fire place.

When they all look up at me, I swallow back the lump in my throat.

Her mother glances at a couch opposite of them and says, “Sit.”

It feels like toxic air is slowly filling the room, but everyone still sits down like she said. I park myself in the white leather seat next to Aspen and watch how her mom’s face twitches at the sight of us being so close together.

But I’m done fucking pretending she doesn’t mean the world to me.

“So … how’s everyone doing?” Milo mutters, chuckling afterward. “This is—”

“Awkward,” Dylan mutters.

“I was going to say nice, but that’ll do,” Milo replies.

“It’s only awkward if you make it awkward,” my dad says, raising his brow.

“Wow, you wanna start again?” Dylan retorts, clutching the couch.

“No,” Felix growls at him, and he settles back down again. “We’re gonna talk about this like actual fucking grown-ups.”

Almost sounds like a threat.

“Talk about what? That my daughter fell in love with the guy who caused her sister’s death?” Dylan retorts.

“I was there,” Felix growls back. “You don’t have to tell me.” He glances at Aspen. “But your daughter deserves to make her own choice.”

“I already made mine,” she says, and she reaches out for my hand. “I want to be with him. And I am not going to let you get in the way of that, no matter how much you hate him.”

“No one hates anyone,” Alistair says. “They’re just … confused.”

“Conflicted is more like it,” my dad says.

Felix glances at his hand and the obvious scar left by Nathan’s knife. “We haven’t gotten this close to killing each other in a long time.”

“We all wanted to protect our children,” Lana says.

Felix’s eyes home in on her. “You nearly shot Aspen and Silas.”

“And I thought Aspen and Silas were going to kill Levi,” she responds. “He was in danger, and I acted accordingly.”

“I wasn’t,” Aspen says.

“But Lana didn’t know that,” Nathan says.

“You were about to kill Levi too,” Lana says as she looks at Penelope. “So that doesn’t make any of you better than us.”

“Fine, I was. I won’t lie.” Aspen’s mom leans back in the couch and shrugs.

“So we can admit that we’re all vicious killers here,” Alistair says. “Good. We’ve got common ground.”

“I’m not,” Milo muses, but Nathan knees him to keep him quiet.

It’s quiet for some time. Awfully quiet, until my mother finally sighs. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m sorry about everything. About trying to kill Aspen.” She glances at her. “About shooting at everyone. And I’m sorry your daughter died.” She pauses. “I am sorry.”

Aspen’s mom sucks in a breath, tears welling up in her eyes. “She’s my daughter. And your son took her away from me.”

I sink to my knees in front of her. “I’m sorry. I am so sorry for bringing her there, for making that pact, for letting her jump without me. I am sorry she’s gone. It should’ve been me.”

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