Page 20 of Surviving Lies

“Sure, I’ll be down after I get dressed. Are Macie and Ava around?”

“I haven’t seen them; I think it’s just us today.”

We spent the rest of the day together, getting ourselves ready for our sophomore year of college. Lanie did a fantastic job of keeping my mind off of Ty as we picked up books for class and shopped to fill our refrigerator with food.

“How have things been with your parents lately?” I asked Lanie as we exited the store.

A small smile appeared on her lips, something I wasn’t expecting.

“Actually, we’ve been talking a lot more lately. My mom has been doing better, too. I think she’s finally healing a bit from everything.”

Lanie’s mom kinda went off the deep end when the shit hit the fan last year and Max, her ex, came to try to take Lanie away from school. Her dad had kept a lot of what was going on in their lives a secret from both Lanie and her mom, thinking it would keep them safer. I think keeping them in the dark about the real nature of Max’s family and their mafia connections hurt them rather than helped. But hindsight doesn’t do much good.

“That’s great, Lanie. Any plans for them to come back to the states?”

They moved to Italy to escape the craziness of the Marcello family. But that meant they also abandoned their daughter at the same time. Lanie never really expressed her true feelings about that, but I knew it had to hurt.

“We haven’t gotten that far in our discussions.” Her voice trailed off as if she had gotten lost in her own thoughts. She rebounded quickly, though. “What about you? How’s your family life been lately? How was your summer at home?”

I never knew how to answer that. My family was unique. I loved them. But didn’t always love spending time with them. It was a chaotic place to be with four younger brothers and two parents who worked nonstop. Plus, I never felt like myspacewas respected. My personal space and my physical space.

“The summer was long, especially not having Ty as a buffer to break up my time with all my brothers. They are a lot to be around all the time.” Lanie was an only child, so she may not have completely understood where I was coming from with my complaints. “When they are all home from school, but my parents are still working, a lot falls on me.” Right on cue, my phone came through with a message. I shook my head as I read it in disbelief, but wasn’t really surprised. “Like this. It’s one of my twin brothers texting me asking where his Legos are.” I lifted my phone to show Lanie.

“But your parents are home?” she asked.

“Somewhere, yeah, but they’re working.” I loved my parents, and my brothers, but it was a lot being in my family. Being the oldest of five kids with the jobs my mom and dad held made me a third parent to them all the time. “And they’re still too young to get that I’m too far away to come running to help them.”

“How old are they again?” she asked as we were walking out of the store, arms full of groceries.

“The twins just started first grade.”

She nodded in understanding, but I was doubtful she ever could truly get it.

“I have another question for you I’ve been meaning to ask, but I didn’t want to pry with everything that happened with Ty last night.” Lanie looked at me as we put the bags in the trunk of my car, her eyes seeking for permission for her to go on.

“What?” I asked, curious. But as soon as I said it, I knew exactly what she was going to say. Her raised eyebrows gave it away.

“The other night, where were you? You weren’t home when I got back from Xander’s. I heard a car but couldn’t quite see who dropped you off.” Her words said one thing while her face said another. She knew exactly who I was with.

I continued to load the bags, my silence speaking volumes. I smiled as I looked her way, and she poked me in the ribs.

“No! You didn’t! You were out with him, weren’t you?” Lanie’s interrogation continued, but I kept my silence.

“I mean, I knew it was him; his car is hard not to recognize,” she continued.

And my smile grew. I didn’t expect thinking about him to make me feel so happy, so relaxed. And Lanie noticed.

“You like him.” It was a statement, not a question. “Is that maybe part of the reason you’re not giving Ty as much of a chance? Do you think your feelings for Gage are getting in the way of that?”

My head snapped toward her.

“Holy shit, do you really think that’s what I could be doing? Fuck, Lanie, what if that is what I’m doing? I never even thought of it that way. Oh my God. It’s all happening so quickly, I never even put it together.” We made our way to the front seat of my car, not going anywhere yet, though. “But Ty had all summer. It’s not like I haven’t given him time to get his act together. I mean, he needs to figure this out. If I don’t put my foot down, he’ll go on like this forever, I know it.”

“Bec ...”

“No, I’ve given him enough time. It’s not my responsibility to make this work anymore. It’s on him now. He has . . .”

“Becca!” Lanie yelled.

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