Page 71 of Toxic Obsession

“Did it work?”

“Yeah. He left Bell alone. He was able to kick my ass for another year, though. It took working out hard and building my confidence for me to finally put him in his place.” I rubbed the back of my neck, the tension tightening my muscles. “The night before the shooting, though, he’d turned on Brody. Bell had run up the stairs to my room, tears streaming down her face, telling me that Brody needed my help. That was our last night … taking care of our little brother together.” I choked on my words, unprepared for the level of grief that still plagued me. “The next day at school we were supposed to meet in the library to come up with a game plan on how to take care of Brody, but she never showed up. I went looking for her. That’s when I heard the gunshots.” I leaned against the edge of my mattress and closed my eyes, fighting tears. “I should have been with her that day, Wynter. I should have been there to protect her.”

The book clattered to the floor, and I felt her crawl into my lap. Silently, she wrapped her arms around me and laid her head against my chest, soaking up my agony. Wynter trembled against me, struggling to contain her silent sobs. We were in our own little bubble of pain, cut off from everyone else. Our twisted worlds had collided, pulling the rug out from under us and forcing us to stare into our darkest hours.

Finally, I wrapped my arms around Wynter, holding her in return. “You probably have a crick in your neck.”

Wynter straightened, anguish and adoration battling on her face. “I’m okay. I understand this is difficult and it takes a lot for you to open up. It’s hard for me too. We don’t need to talk about her anymore.” She crawled off me and stood.

“It’s all right. Strangely enough, the fact that you’re here with me as I look through her life is making it bearable. It would be nice to remember all the good she did, the lives she touched.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, concern bleeding through her question.

“Yeah.” I patted the floor next to me, grinning. “Bell was the class clown and the life of the party.” My chest warmed while I shared stories about my twin with one of the few women I’d loved in my lifetime. I could count them on one hand—Mom, Bell, and now Wynter.

Chapter38

Wynter

Fate had thrown two people full of hate and anger together, then watched as the shit show unfolded. I wondered if Fate realized that Quinn and I were stronger than our pasts and that maybe, just maybe, we could heal together.

Over the last five weeks, Quinn and I had continued to share my story to the people who were interested in the truth and not a media frenzy. Quinn and I were both stunned as invitations to speak at high schools and colleges began trickling in. First it was an interview here and there, then speaking engagements with rooms full of hundreds at a time. We made sure that all correspondence went directly to me through my email or to my mailing address, so Adam wouldn’t find out. It worked in our favor that Adam was out of the country for several weeks, and never used YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. Luck had kept him busy and out of our business. Quinn still hadn’t figured out what his endgame was.

I tossed the letters on my bed. “Three more emails and two invites by snail mail today.” Sinking onto my mattress, I studied Quinn.

“We’re becoming quite the speaking duo. How do you feel about that?” He sat in the chair at my desk and waited for my response.

“I’m grateful that we’re helping other people by sharing our stories.” I laid on my side and propped my head on my fist. Quinn had consistently moved forward with his promises after he’d released the video. He’d been kind, patient, and attentive to my every need. His words and actions lined up. Day by day, I forgave him a little more for what he’d done and realized that I could count on him. Grief had a fucked-up way of showing itself, and every person was different in how they managed it. Having his father, the one who should have helped him through it, spoon-feed him lies and misinformation, had to have destroyed him even further.

“Me too. I just didn’t realize it would get this big.”

“Same. But here we are, on our way to stardom.” I grinned, trying to assess where his mood was. Something was different today, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it. “Are you still on board? I can speak by myself. Maybe Vaughn could go with me, so I’d stay safe.”

Quinn’s jaw clenched. “No. I’ll go with you.”

I swallowed my giggle. It wasn’t the first time I’d caught Quinn jealous over Vaughn.

I sat up, deciding to get to the point. “So what’s wrong then?”

He straightened his long legs in front of him, and the urge to straddle him hit me fast and hard.

“Next week is Thanksgiving. Are you going home to visit?” His voice was low, haunted.

I slid off the bed, my feet silently landing on the hardwood floor. Over the last few weeks, I forgave him. Quinn had earned my trust back, and that paved the way for my heart to fully embrace what it wanted to feel. Not only had I forgiven Quinn, but I’d also fallen head over heels for him. The more he shared with me, the more I saw that Quinn had been as broken and tortured over his past as I was.

I stood in front of him, searching his eyes for a clue of what he hadn’t said. “Do you want me to?”

A muscle in his jaw jumped, and he inhaled a slow breath. “No.”

My pulse surged, my mind racing a million miles an hour at his answer. Quinn and I had seen each other every day for the last month, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be away from him anyway. “I can stay if you want.”

He reached for me, his strong hands wrapping around my hips. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we are.” Quinn stared at me with such unwavering intensity, I had no choice but to believe him.

The second his fingers grazed my skin, my spine tingled with anticipation, and a surge of electricity ran through my veins. I willed his hands to drift lower. It had been too long since we’d slept together, and now that I was clear on my feelings for him, I craved him.

Quinn’s eyes darkened with desire before he released me, and I took a step back. Maybe I had misread his intentions. Maybe Thanksgiving was a hard day at his house, and he wanted to spend it with a friend who understood his past.

I folded my arms across my chest and chose my next words carefully, ensuring my tone was even. “I haven’t decided if I’m going home or not. I’m guessing that Janine will want to see me, though. We’ll probably order pizza and watch movies, catch up.”

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