Page 148 of Stepbrother Dearest

“That night, when the cops told you I’d blamed you and tried to pin the whole thing on you—”

“I know they lied. I also know you went against your father and lawyer when you refused.”

“I’m sorry for what you went through. Eli didn’t tell me much, just that you had a rough time while in custody.”

Anxiety bubbled in my stomach and chest as the memories of that night came back to me.

“What happened?” he asked softly.

“You really want to know?”

He nodded.

“They interrogated me for ten hours. They kept throwing all these charges at me, saying I’d be tried as an adult and I’d spend decades in jail. They wanted me to admit it was my weed and promised to give me a slap on the wrist and let me go if I just ‘admitted the truth.’”

“Jesus.”

“I kept begging them to call my mom. They finally did, but when she showed up, they tried to bully her into making me change my story.”

“I…had no idea.”

“We never told Eli.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. “But it was bad. She was eight months’ pregnant and they threatened to take Eli and the baby away from her because they said I was a danger to them. They basically told her she had to choose between me and my siblings.”

“What?” West hissed, his eyes doubling in size.

“That’s the part that fucked me up the most. I’m used to being treated like garbage but seeing my mom sobbing on the other side of that interrogation table broke me. I was going to tell them whatever they wanted to hear just to make it stop, but she begged me not to. She just kept saying she loved me and believed me and she’d fix it and we’d always be a family.”

“That’s so fucked up.”

“It is.” I swallowed. “Eventually they had to let me go, but we spent years waiting for the other shoe to drop. For CPS to swoop in and take Henry or Eli away or start some bullshit investigation. She was so stressed out when she was pregnant with Harper. Eli was being bullied and I was a mess. That’s why I left as soon as I graduated. I’d already fucked up so much I didn’t want to hurt her any more than I already had.”

“Eli said you moved to the city at seventeen,” he said slowly. “He made it sound like you wanted your own space because the apartment was crowded.”

I gave a noncommittal shrug. “I let him think that because he didn’t need to know the truth. It would have destroyed him and he would have found a way to blame himself. I left because I thought it would be better for everyone.”

West gently shook his head, his eyes on the floor. “I had no idea any of this happened.”

“I know. And Eli told me what happened to you. I know about your dad and the shit he’s been doing to you since that night. About what you went through at boarding school… Neither of us deserved what happened to us. We were kids. You made a mistake, and you were just as much of a victim as me. I see that now.”

He looked at me. “So where do we go from here?”

“We put the past behind us and try to figure out a way to be friends. Eli’s happiness means everything to me, and you make him happy. I’m not saying I can just flip that switch and turn off my anger or the hurt, but I’m trying.”

“I appreciate it. You’re so important to him, and I hate that I came between you. Do you want to go to dinner, or maybe for coffee before we leave next week? We can do a double date if that’ll make it less stressful.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

He smiled tentatively. “Great. I guess we’ll see you later?”

“Later.”

I watched him take a few steps toward where Eli was braiding Lyla’s long hair at one of the tables. “West?”

He twisted halfway around to glance back at me.

“You’re family now. As long as Eli loves you, then you’re one of us.”

“Thanks,” he said thickly.

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