Page 135 of The Revenge Plan (Forbidden Descendants 1)

“Oh my God,” Charlie gasped, looking aghast but eager for more. “Wick had a booty call?”

“Wow.” Even Darcy seemed startled by that.

I just shrank down, trying not to think about his hands coasting over someone else’s—

But Izzy slowly answered, “No. I don’t think she was his booty call, anyway. I think he might’ve been hers. She’d call, and he’d usually agree to go over. Maybe it wasn’t about sex. But I think it was. After she told him she’d met someone else that she wanted to date seriously, she and Wick never…corresponded again.”

“Oh, damn,” Charlie tutted sympathetically. “She broke his heart?”

“Eh.” Izzy winced and shrugged. “I don’t think so. He didn’t seem upset by it. He wished her good luck and, well, he thanked her for everything she taught him.”

Darcy blurted out a laugh. “He thanked her? Oh my God. Wick, you are such a dork.”

“Wick had his own Mrs. Robinson,” Charlie murmured as she shook her head and blinked in amazement at her sleeping brother. “That is so bizarre.”

Darcy let out a sudden sob and covered her mouth. “It’s my fault, isn’t it?”

I glanced over to catch sight of tears welling in her eyes.

“That Wick had a Mrs. Robinson?” Charlie asked, looking confused. “Why the heck would that be your fault?”

“No. That he had a lack of, you know, girlfriends. Female companionship. Booty calls. Whatever you want to call them.”

I shook my head slowly. “I’m confused.”

“Yeah,” Charlie echoed. “Me too.”

Darcy wiped at her eyes and focused on us. “Oh right, you two wouldn’t know. Charlie, you were too young when it happened, so you wouldn’t remember, but I was molested by Aunt Rose’s third husband when I was little.”

“Oh my God,” Charlie croaked. “Uncle Miles?”

“No, no. God, no. Miles is her fourth husband. This guy… She got rid of him after...after everything went down.”

“Holy shit,” Charlie murmured, her eyes wide. “Why did I never know this before?”

Darcy shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t tried to keep it a secret. I guess it just never came up before.”

“Whoa.”

Darcy turned her attention to me, explaining, “Wick’s the one who walked in on it, and he ran to get me help.”

I nodded, covering my mouth with my hands, trying to picture a young Wick, desperate to save his big sister.

“Of course, everyone was all worried about me and made sure I got counseling, and therapists, and support groups, and all that shit afterward,” Darcy went on. “I’m totally fine today. I can talk about it openly and lead classes at the health center, helping others work through similar pasts. In fact, the experience made me more passionate about wanting to be a nurse, specifically for younger people. My only problem may be that I sort of suck with commitment issues, but… No one ever thought about what it did to Wick when he saw what he saw.”

She shook her head and watched her brother sleep as if she’d ruined him. “He’s always been extremely awkward around girls he’s attracted to. It’s like he feels guilty about wanting them and doesn’t know how to deal with two polar opposite reactions warring inside him. That shirt he’s wearing… I got it because it’s totally him. God, he’s messed up because of me, isn’t he?”

“I think you’ve had enough to drink,” Izzy announced, slipping the bottle of rum from Darcy’s hand. Then she squeezed her sister’s shoulder and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “And nothing is your fault. Besides, Wick’s not messed up. Just look at him. He’s fine.”

We all looked and had to snicker because he looked ridiculous with his pigtails in, too-tight T-shirt, and his legs covered with my favorite childhood unicorn blanket.

“Yeah, he’s totally normal,” Charlie agreed, crawling toward Darcy so she could grip her oldest sister’s hand. “Don’t worry, sissy. Everything’s okay.”

Watching them console each other made my heart squeeze with longing. I wished I had sisters.

Then Charlie went and added, “Besides, he and Haven were vibing like crazy tonight, and he wasn’t awkward at all.”

Wait!

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