Page 89 of Something like Love

“And what was that?”

“I told my dad,” he confesses, and the room suddenly begins to spin. “I knew that it was wrong, but I was so fucking angry. Why were they the lucky ones? Why were they allowed a second chance, and I wasn’t? It wasn’t my fault that my mother was a coward.

“I never asked to be born, so I just didn’t care.

“When I told him, he reacted just as I thought he would, with a shotgun pressed to my temple, demanding where they were. This was exactly the response I had hoped for. I wanted my father to scare the shit out of Brandon, hoping he would leave and maybe, just maybe, Tristan, my mom, and I could go back to the way things were. But I was a stupid kid.”

“Why?”

“Because there was one person in this whole fucked-up mess who was purely innocent.”

“Tristan,” I gasp, and Quinn nods.

“By telling my dad the truth, I only just confirmed what he thought to be true. And when he dished out his revenge, he was going to make sure Tristan paid for my mother and Brandon’s mistake.

“I couldn’t allow that to happen, so I lied and told him they were at the diner. Dad left, shotgun in one hand and a bottle of bourbon in the other, intent on revenge.

“I knew I didn’t have long, so I stole a car and sped to my house, needing to warn my mom. Tristan was at my grandparents’ for the night, which made me feel slightly better, so I knew it was now or never. I told my mom and Brandon what I had done, and then I gave my mother an ultimatum. She chooses me or him.”

I close my eyes, now understanding all the times Quinn opened up to me about his mom.

Everything begins to make sense.

I now understand his heartbreaking cries for forgiveness when he was dreaming that night in the truck. His confession at the diner right before Justin attacked me; it all makes sense because I know who his mother chose.

“If she chose me and Tristan, then I would call Dad and tell him it was all a lie, and I would suffer the consequences. But if she chose him, then I would call Dad and tell him where they were.

“Brandon knew he was in trouble because he had seen my dad’s temper firsthand, so he decided to give my mom his own ultimatum. She could leave with him right now, and they could start a new life where no one knew them—no one would ever know the sins of their past.

“Or he would do all that without her.

“He couldn’t face his brother, knowing what he had done, so he took the coward’s way out.

“I could see her mulling over the offer, and I could also see his offer was becoming more appealing than mine when Brandon upped the stakes. He said they would take Tristan with them and be the happy little family they were always supposed to be.”

“What about you?” I ask, tears stinging my eyes.

“They didn’t care. But there was no damn way they were taking my brother. And in a sick way, I was jealous. Why did he get a chance at a normal life, and I didn’t? But my mother knew my father would never stop looking for them until he found them and made them pay for their betrayal.

“She could never live a happy, normal life while always looking over her shoulder, in fear my father had found her. And I knew that, too. So I upped the ante.

“She was to leave Tristan here with me, and Grandma and Grandpa could look after us until I turned eighteen, and then I would look after Tristan myself. I also told her I would never tell my grandparents why she left and spare her the shame of them knowing she cheated on her husband and had an illegitimate child with his brother.

“If she did this, then I would call my dad and tell him I made it all up. I would tell him that I drove her away because she couldn’t deal with me any longer. She knew that if I did this, then she would finally be free of him.”

“What did she do?”

Quinn takes a moment, mulling over the past. “She chose him. She left us behind because she was selfish and weak. But the worst part is, I gave her that ultimatum. I jeopardized my brother’s happiness because of my selfishness,” he confesses, and I’ve never seen him look so heartbroken.

“She left us. She abandoned us when it got too tough. She chose a better life without us in it. But I stuck to my word and called my dad, telling him I had made it all up, and then, they left. They left because I lied, giving my mom and Brandon the perfect alibi.

“I couldn’t believe she actually left, and I stood in my living room for minutes, trying to process what the hell I had done. The only thing that snapped me back into reality was when a car’s headlights shone brightly through the window because I thought it was them. I thought she had changed her mind. But she didn’t.

“Those headlights belonged to Sheriff Davidson because he was arresting me for stealing a car.

“I didn’t care because being arrested probably saved my life. I knew my dad would have beaten me within an inch of my life for lying to him and for being the reason why my mother left. I got six months in juvie thanks to my prior convictions while my grandparents looked after Tristan.”

Holy shit, my mind is reeling, but I nod because I know there’s more.

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