He still didn’t answer me, didn’t move.

I stepped back and stripped my clothes off. I adjusted the water because he had it scorching hot, and when it cooled I climbed in behind him. I ran my hands up his back and his muscles tensed; I did this a few times before he started to relax, then I placed my hands on either side of his h*ps and turned him. He let me.

“We need to talk,” he whispered before cupping my cheeks and kissing me.

I knew this. I’d felt it the second my eyes fluttered open this morning.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself. “Okay.”

I kissed her again. Damn; I didn’t want to do this. It was time though, I needed to pop our bubble and tell her the truth.

Her stomach growled, I chuckled, “Let’s get you something to eat first.”

She didn’t argue, thank God. She doesn’t cope well with shitty news and I knew she wouldn’t eat for a while after this. We dried off, got changed and went to go get some breakfast.

Everyone was already downstairs at the table, eating. Hailey’s head snapped up when we walked in but she didn’t say anything. Mason eyed me, waiting for an answer on whether or not I’d told her, I shook my head. He nodded and went back to eating.

The energy at the table was low. It’s like everyone knew what was coming. The only shitty part was that CC didn’t. I barely ate. I pushed my eggs around on my plate and only drank half my orange juice; CC noticed but didn’t comment.

I stood up, dumped my plate in the trash and went back upstairs to our room. CC didn’t follow me but I knew she would when she was ready. Waiting for CC to join me, I packed up our bags getting everything ready in case she wanted to leave right away.

A while later there was a tap at the door, Hailey peeked her head in. “Can I come in?”

I nodded and resumed my position in the chair with my elbows on my knees.

Hailey walked in and quietly shut the door, “You ok?”

I shook my head. I was f**ked up, and I was about to hurt the one person I’d never wanted to hurt.

“I’m going to be honest with you. Kenz and I are a lot alike, you know this.” She took a deep breath. “If it was me, I’d run.” She sat on her knees in front of me. “I’d be running because I’m hurt and angry that you didn’t trust me enough with the truth.” She covered my hands with both of hers. “But…I’d come back. I don’t know how long I’d be gone, but I would be back.”

I stared at her, gauging her, trying to figure out if there was any chance that she’d be lying to me. I didn’t see anything but understanding.

“I know I break your balls all the time, Hunter, and I may be a pain in your ass, but I love you like I love the rest of them. I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll help you anyway I can.” She sat up on her knees, placed a kiss on my cheek and got up to leave the room.

CC walked in behind her, head hung low. She sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her. I got up off the chair and sat beside her.

“Look, I know whatever is going to be said isn’t good. I’m not sure I really care what it is.” She shook her head. “No, I do care. If it has to do with our family, the three of us, I want to know.”

She’s feeling me out; damn, the ache in my chest was getting stronger and stronger. “It does.”

She closed her eyes; shoulders slumped, “Okay. Just…whatever it is, know that I love you.”

Damn, my eyes stung. “Okay, before I start I need you to promise me that you will listen to the whole story. Know that I did this for us, our family.”

“Okay.” Her hands fisted in her lap, knuckles white. She’s preparing herself.

“I love you.” I need to hear it from her.

“I love you too,” she said, expressionless.

“My dad, Jason, showed up out of the blue. We still aren’t sure why just yet.” I looked out the window in front of us, watching the wave’s crash. “I never told you about Jason because there wasn’t anything worth telling, until now. Jason robbed the South Berry Credit Union.” I glanced over at her, her eyes wide. “Mom was held at gun point while it happened. Jaylinn was only a baby at the time and they kept her in a separate room. When Jason came home that night and the captors let Mom go, Jaylinn was in her crib, naked, with a piece of tape over her mouth. I was with my grandparents when everything went down. Jason tried to tell Mom that it’d never happen again, that he’d gotten into some trouble and didn’t have a choice but to rob the bank or he’d have been killed.”

I didn’t continue right away, this was painful for me. I never talked about this shit. CC got up off the bed and grabbed a bottle of water off the dresser. She took a drink and then offered it to me. I took it, drank a little, and then fastened the cap. CC disappeared into the bathroom and emerged with pain reliever. She offered me two but I didn’t take them. Shrugging her shoulders, she swallowed all four without water.

Once she settled back on the bed next to me she reached for my hand.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you either, Hunter.” That took me by surprise. “I know it was Brittany at the accident. After my car finally stopped flipping, I remember lying there. I couldn’t actually make her out but I knew it was her by her voice.” She squeezed my hand.

“She talked to you?” I asked. This pissed me off even more, how could you do that and not help her to safety?

She nodded, “Yeah she did. She said, ‘If I can’t have him neither can you’.”

Shit, this was going to make telling her even worse. “I’m sorry you had to go through that baby.”

She shrugged, “I don’t ever want to talk about it again though ok? I just want to move on from that day, she took enough of my time, I’m not giving her anymore.”

“I understand.” I did, she was a disgrace to even be considered family.

“Was there more that you needed to tell me?” She asked me with sad eyes.

I nodded, “Mom never went to the police because she feared for our safety. Jason swore it would never happen again, but a few months later it did, and this time I was at home too. I hid in my bedroom closet until Mom came to get me. That night, she packed us up and we disappeared.”

“We moved in with my grandparents in the Tennessee Valley Mountains. Remember that place I took you to over New Years?”

She nodded her head, still no emotions showing from her.