Page 90 of The Worst Kept Secret

“After Rae’s wedding. I just…we wanted to be sure before we told you.”

“Sure about what?”

That I love her? That she loves me?“That this…was real.”

“Are you kidding me? So, you’re not just sleeping with my best friend, you want to what…marry her? Make her my stepmom?” He spits out. “You’ve got to be joking. Jesus Christ, Rae and I really got screwed in the parents department. You’re just like Mom. You don’t care about anyone but yourself.” His words are like a punch to the gut and I don’t know if he’s just saying them to hurt me or if he feels that way on some level. I hate that there’s any part of him that thinks I don’t care about his feelings.

“That’s not fair,”I growl because after everything, I’ll be damned if he makes me feel like I’ve ever been a shitty father until this.

“Oh? You want to talk about fair right now?”

“Lucas, I didn’t take Avery from you,” I argue because while his anger is warranted, it seems like he’s angry about the wrong things. “You guys were never together!”

“So, that makes it okay? You’re my DAD.” He shouts. “And you’re screwing around with a girl who’s way too young for you by the way, who I also had feelings for! You don’t see anything wrong with that?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“That I’m not just screwing around with her.”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment before his cold eyes go from angry to hurt. “Do you love her?”

I stare at him for a second, deciding if I want to tell him the truth. “Do you?” I ask him.

He crosses his arms in front of his chest and glares at me. “If I said yes, would it even matter?”

My heart squeezes thinking that I’ve misread this whole thing and Lucas is still in love with her thereby making this whole situation even more complicated. “Yeah.” I nod, sadly. “It would matter.”

His eyes soften slightly just before he averts his gaze and looks down the hallway. He turns back to me after a few moments. “If I told you I still loved her, would you let her go?”

I shake my head at him. “This isn’t a fucking test. Answer my question. I would do anything in the fucking world for you, but if you’re asking me to give her up, it better be for a reason other than she’s your best friend.”

He doesn’t say anything. “I made myself fall out of love with her years ago and part of me thought she’d eventually come around. So, yeah it really fucking stings that my dad is in love with her now. But no, I don’t love her and if I did, knowing she’s been with you would have done the trick.” He snaps. “Do you know how weird this is for me?”

“Yes, and I’m so sorry,” I tell him.

“Not sorry enough to stop,”he retorts.

“Is that what you want?”

“You’re asking for what? My blessing to be with her? You don’t have it.”

“I don’t know if I’m asking for your blessing right now. Maybe just…acceptance?”That we can get through this?

“You don’t have that either!”

Anxiety and maybe a little misplaced anger shoots through me becauseis he really telling me he doesn’t want me to be with her?“So, you just don’t want me to be with her?”

“No, I don’t,”he says instantly.

“Why?” I grit out. “Because it’s weird? I don’t accept that.”

“You know why.”

“Because you had a crush on her when you were fourteen? Lucas, come on. She’s had a serious boyfriend since then and you had a girlfriend in high school. Multiple, if I recall.”

“Because I was trying to get over her!”

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