Page 49 of Theirs

Chapter 14

When I texted my brother Saturday night, he was thrilled I invited him to brunch on Sunday. I requested he not bring Kristina, which had him a little concerned, but he agreed. I hate that I’m spending Sunday away from my guys, one of the only days that they’re all off work and can hang out, but I have to get this off my chest. Mac said he would be at Colin’s house waiting for me to get home from brunch, and Colin let me drive his Porsche Boxster to the restaurant in the suburbs.

“Hey, Sis!” Kane says as I walk into the diner. He stands up from the booth and gives me a big hug. “Went ahead and ordered you a coffee. I know how much of a fiend you are for your caffeine.”

I slide into the side opposite of him, but don’t touch my coffee. My nerves are shot, I’m going to ruin the image of Mom and Dad in his head.

“How’s rooming with Colin and Benjamin?” he asks, relaxing into his side of the booth. I take it back, I’d rather discuss my childhood trauma than tell my brother that I’m sleeping with his best friends from college. One big admission at a time.

“It’s fine,” I say, picking up the menu even though I know what I want. Kane and I used to get brunch here all the time. I always get the same thing. “Alexander and Shane—Mac come over once or twice a week to hang.”

“Mac?” Kane asks. “He lets you call him by his nickname?”

I chuckle. “Sometimes.” Other times he wants me to call him Sir, sometimes I want to call him Daddy.

“And you convinced Alexander to hang out?” Kane asks. “Maybe I should have introduced them to you sooner. Seems like you’ve made a good impression.”

I shrug my shoulders. “I guess. I think they just needed someone to put them in their place, and call them out on their bullshit.”

Kane smiles at me and sips his coffee. “You’re always good at doing that to people. That’s one of my favorite things about you, Tea. You don’t let people get the best of you.”

Except for Mom, Dad, and the monster.

The waitress comes by and we place our order, sitting there awkwardly as the waitress walks away. This is probably the perfect time to bring up what I came to discuss.

“Kane—” I start. Not knowing how to break this to him. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. “I need to tell you something, and I should have told you a long time ago.”

“What is it?” he asks, sitting his mug down and looking at me like I’m hurt. Little does he know, I’m finally healing, thanks to his friends.

“It has to do with Mom and Dad,” I tell him. “I know I’ve never really told you why I don’t talk to them, but something happened the other night and it brought back some memories I’ve tried to push deep down in my soul.”

“What happened?”

Rip it off like a bandage, Teagan.

“I was raped when I was seventeen,” I tell him, glancing down at my lap, trying not to feel ashamed. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, I was just a victim. If anyone should be ashamed, it should be that monster. How does he sleep at night, knowing what he did to me?

“Teagan,” Kane gasps, reaching across the table to hold my hands in his. “I didn’t know—”

I chuckle sadly. “Obviously.”

“Who?” he asks, suddenly being the protective brother I always knew him to be. The protective brother I should have confided in that horrible day.

I hold back the tears the best I can. If I start crying, I won’t stop. “Matthew Barnes. The guy that Mom and Dad wanted me to marry when I turned eighteen.”

“That motherfuck—” he starts to say. Kane had met Matthew a couple times; the first time was at my Sweet 16. Kane thought the guy, who was his age, was a cocky bastard.

“Kane,” I plead, squeezing his hands. “Let me get it out, and then you can be my overprotective brother.”

He nods, allowing me to continue, but I can see the tick in his jaw.

“I didn’t want to marry him, but Mom and Dad kept pushing it. Finally, I decided I would let him take me on a date. He was kind at the start of the night, and I thought maybe I could eventually get to know him, learn to like him like Mom said I would. At the end of the night though, he refused to take me home right away. He wanted to show me where he lived, I guess to show me what he had to offer.

“He had a bourbon or two, and gave me a glass of wine ‘to relax.’ We played some video games and I guess I lost track of my wine consumption. I swear I only had two glasses, but they made me feel fuzzy inside my brain, and my skin felt like spiders were crawling all over me. My limbs felt too light. Then he had me pinned to the couch, I couldn’t fight... and then he did it. I won’t give you all the details. I don’t want to relive that experience.”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you, Teagan,” Kane says, and I think he’s on the verge of tears. The only time I’ve seen Kane cry was on his wedding day, and when he broke his arm skiing when we were younger.

“It wasn’t your fault. I went to the hospital after, walked all the way there because he refused to drive me home. My phone was dead. They examined me at the hospital and said they would call the cops for me, but I had them call Mom and Dad because I was so scared. I was scared Matthew would find me, I wanted Mom and Dad. I didn’t want to have to speak to the cops alone.”

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