Page 64 of Accidentally Forever
My mother finally broke in. “If I don’t matter, then why did you send the police to my home? Why did you have them question me like I’m common trash, like this little girl. I had nothing to do with harming your precious cars. Cars that my family’s money paid for.”
The woman who occasionally claimed to be my mother was lucky I refused to lay a hand on her. I wasn’t that person, and I wouldn’t become who’d she’d tried to mold me into. “First, I paid for everything in that garage with my money. With money I made from my art. That silly little hobby you hated. I guess I should thank you for not letting me starve and putting me out of the house when I was a little kid like you kept threatening. Because that roof you gave me over my head until I was sixteen allowed me to get through most of school and learn how to paint. Thank you for not killing me.” The sarcasm dripping through my tone was so thick I could practically feel it in the air. “But there’s a reason the cops talked to you. Because I don’t trust you. You might not have stuck a knife in my tires, but you have done so many other things. We’re done. I’m done with all of this.”
I swallowed the emotion in my throat as I turned to my dad. Only I knew he couldn’t recognize me again. That odd look he got in his eyes when he thought I was a stranger came back, and part of me wanted to cry. Because he wouldn’t remember me. His own son. Yet wasn’t that a good thing in some aspects? If he couldn’t remember me, he couldn’t hate me.
And that was the family I came from.
Not the family that tried to protect
“Goodbye, Dad. Goodbye.” My voice nearly broke at the last word, and I turned, taking Aria with me. I tossed the visitor’s badges in the bin next to the desk, ignoring the pitying looks on everyone’s faces. Honestly, I was surprised they had let it go on for as long as they had. But perhaps they knew if it didn’t happen now, it would happen again. It was inevitable after all.
I slammed my way out of the building, Aria on my heels.
When I got to my SUV, I stood there, chest heaving.
“Crew, baby. I’m sorry for what they said. They had no right to hurt you.”
“Don’t be sorry. You had nothing to do with it. Youdidn’t even have to defend me.” I turned to her, throat tight. “I’m sorry my parents are such horrible people that they can’t see who you are.”
“They could never see who you were.”
“I should take you home.” My chest ached, hollow. I couldn’t have Aria near me and taint her anymore. Couldn’t she see where I’d come from? She didn’t deserve that.
Her brows furrowed. “And what, leave me there? No. I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to stand here and talk and you’re going to lean on me for once. I am not some weak little girl that you have to constantly protect. Let me be the one there for you.”
“Don’t you see that I’m nothing but a stain on you and your family? That is where I came from. A woman who was going to gaslight every single fucking person in there to the point that I’m the bad guy. She wouldn’t even walk through those doors before now, and suddenly she will have them wrapped around her finger. But that’s what she does. Money talks, and she is fluent.”
Aria tilted her head as she studied me. “She doesn’t have any of us wrapped around her finger. You know that.”
“Only because she thinks all of you are beneath her anyway. That is who my mother is. And that glimpse you saw of my father? That’s who he always wasbeneath the surface and behind closed doors. Before this disease started to rip him from his own psyche. That is who I am. Who I came from. People who are so cruel it’s comical.”
“No, that’s whotheyare. We are not the summation of our parents. Maybe we can take some of the good things, some of the tics. But in the end, we are who we make ourselves. And don’t forget, you have been friends of the Montgomerys for long enough to take some of their traits. We wouldn’t be with you—Iwouldn’t be with you if you didn’t come out of that horrible home as a good person.”
Why wasn’t she getting this? “I’m not a good person, Aria. I treated you like shit because it was easier than having you. Easier than telling you I wanted you. I wanted you when you were with other people. How is that a good person?”
“I didn’t say we were perfect. I am not perfect. I don’t want perfect. I want you.” Her lips twitched even as her eyes narrowed.
I snorted. “Well I’m far from perfect.”
“I don’t care. I’m far from perfect. But I want you to know that you are not your parents. I hate them. I want to go in and shank them. But that would only somehow make them feel better because then they can put me into jail. Just like Travis did with you. They don’tmatter. Your mother is never going to change. And I don’t have any words for your father. Because I know it’s a devastating thing to see. But you cannot come out of there and think that I’m just going to let you walk away from me because of some stupid words your parents said. I don’t care what they think of me. I care what you think.”
“I want to hurt them for saying those things about you.” I cupped her face again, rage going through my body. “And I’m the reason you had to deal with it anyway. They could have hurt you because of me.”
“What they said means nothing. All that matters is what you and I say to each other. I’m sorry that might be the last time you ever see them. And yet, I’m not. Because every time you come here a little part of you dies inside and I don’t want that for you anymore. You deserve more.”
She saw so damn much it terrified me. “I don’t know what to say. I never want to go back.”
“Then you won’t. But I have one more thing to ask.” She met my gaze, and I swallowed hard. “What is she talking about with your cars?”
I flinched, realizing that I hadn’t told her yet. Things had happened too quickly, and now I had messed up. “The night Lex dropped me off somebody had broken into the garage and destroyed every single tire theycould get to.” I explained everything that happened, including setting up more security.
Each word seemed to cement the anger on Aria’s face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to tell you today. And then we came here instead.”
“Let me get this straight. Everybody in my family that works for the security company knows. The cops know. Lex knows. I’m sure other people have details. But you didn’t tell me. Why? Because you didn’t think I could handle it?”
“Of course not.” I paused. “I was just tired of so much shit coming at us. I just wanted one night where we could just be.”
