Page 30 of The Worst Kept Secret

“For a long time, it was just me and Rae…when our parents were going through all that shit. We only had each other and no one else in the world gets it because we are the only products of two people that have spent half our lives arguing.”

I wince because I do remember the beginning of their divorce when the three of them moved in next door and it was ugly.

Especially when Theo not only got custody of their children but refused to pay alimony. Plus, he had a prenuptial agreement. Needless to say, Rebecca was pissed.

But her boyfriend at the time whom she was living with andwhom she did cheat on Theo with, allegedly made a fuck ton of money, so I suppose I understood Theo’s refusal to pay alimony when she was already getting a hefty settlement for bearing two of his children.

“I get it.” I run a hand down his arm. “But I’m going to go to my house for a bit. Let you and your dad talk in private. I’ll be over in a little?”

“You know you can hear anything we talk about. I trust you just as much as I trust my dad and Rae.” He tucks a hair behind my ear and it’s one of those gestures that sends off the alarm bells that maybe he does still have feelings for me. Like when he kisses my forehead when he’s drunk or wraps his arms around me and drops his nose into my neck. Those gestures make me feel like he’s inching us past the line of just friends towards something more. It makes me feel like shit.

He trusts me.

And I’m fucking his Dad.

I wince, not wanting to have this internal monologue right now. “I know, but I want to talk to my mom about dinner.”

“Alright, well just come over when you’re ready.” He taps my nose and nods towards my house.

I roll my eyes at him wanting to make sure I get inside safely at three in the afternoon on a Saturday in the safest neighborhood in the most boring town in all of Pennsylvania. As soon as I’m through my front door, I immediately hear my parents on the back patio with my uncles and aunts, probably still celebrating from last night. My parents aren’t big partiers, but when they do, they go big, and I suppose their only daughter graduating with honors from an Ivy League college gave them carte blanche to go big all weekend.I don’t even blame them.

I slip upstairs not wanting to engage with them and make it to my bedroom which is on the fourth floor. There is only my room and a bathroom up here but it means my room is massive and I can also see into the next backyard despite the fact that the house is several yards away.

I see Theo sitting on the patio sipping something out of a tumbler and I wonder how much time I have before Lucas makes his way out there. I grab my phone from my purse and send him a text.

Me: You look so lonely out there.

He pulls his phone from his pocket and looks at it.

TG: You here?

Me: In my bedroom.

He turns his head slightly towards my house, up to where he knows my room is, and nods before turning back to his phone.

TG: What are you doing?

Me: Wanted to give you and Lucas some time to rile each other up over Raegan without my interfering. I felt like you guys didn’t want my opinion

TG: It’s not that.

Me: He called Raegan.

TG: Shit, what did he say?

Me: Not the worst conversation but it ended with her hanging up on him. I’ll let him give you the details.

I watch him drain the contents of his glass and his head falls back.

Me: You look so tense.

TG: I fucking am.

Me: Is there anything I can do?

TG: Plenty you can do. But you can’t right now.

Me: Can you go to your room?

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