“How could she have done this, hauled everything out of here so fast?” I glance around the empty room, amazed that everything’s gone. I’ve only been inside her apartment once but I remember it crammed packed with a bunch of stuff.

“She has friends. Or I’m sure her loser boyfriend has a ton of friends. I bet they plied them with beer and they hauled everything out as fast as they could.” She shakes her head. “Owen and I both left before six.”

And it’s past eleven now. “So they had at least five hours.”

“It’s amazing how fast you can work when you need to.” Her mouth screws up into an angry twist.

My arms literally ache to comfort her. Pull her into a hug and tell her everything’s going to be okay. But she’s too busy taking care of her brother and right now he’s her number one priority.

Feeling helpless, I walk down the hall and glance into Fable’s room. There’s nothing but a pile of clothes and miscellaneous stuff lying in the floor as she mentioned. Same with Owen’s room, though his is an incredible mess. Her mom’s room is completely empty.

This is truly some of the craziest shit I’ve ever seen.

An idea comes over me so perfect I stride back into the living area, excited to tell her. It’s the perfect solution to their now very major problem.

“I want you to move in with me.”

Chapter Seventeen

True love isn’t easy, but it must be fought for. Once you find it, it can never be replaced. – Unknown

Fable

Shock washes over me at Drew’s words. “You can’t be serious.” Owen pulls out of my embrace, his body stiff. His eyes are swollen and his cheeks red from the crying. He was in a total state of panic when he called. So freaked out over what Mom did, I could hardly understand him at first.

“I’m dead serious.” Drew takes a few steps toward me but stops just before he reaches me. He can probably feel Owen’s animosity. It’s rolling off him in huge waves. “I have the space. Owen can even have his own room.”

“Where will Fabes sleep?” Owen asks, his look pointed, his expression fiercely protective.

I rest my hand on his tense arm. “Stop. He’s trying to be nice.”

“Or he’s just using you for free sex. Maybe make you his little woman once you move in with him and not let you go anywhere or do anything. Don’t do it. I don’t want to move in with him,” Owen says vehemently.

I don’t quite understand Owen’s hostility. Though maybe it all stems from when I was an emotional wreck after I came back from Carmel and Drew ditched me. He’s run before…

Just like Mom.

I’m tempted, though. So, so tempted to say yes. But I need to prove my independence, not move from my mom’s to Drew’s without every experiencing time living on my own.

“You don’t have to make the decision now,” Drew says softly, his gaze pleading. “But you don’t want to stay the night here. The place is empty. There’s no bed to sleep on.”

He’s right. Even though I know Mom is responsible for taking everything and we weren’t robbed or anything crazy, I’d feel creepy staying the night here. The apartment feels too hollow. Almost violated.

“I don’t want to stay here,” I murmur to Owen, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. “Besides, we have nowhere else to go. His apartment is nice and he has a spare bedroom.”

“I’m sure his apartment is badass. I still don’t want to stay there,” Owen retorts. He’s so angry, so hurt by what she’s done to us, my heart breaks for him.

“Come on. Do this for me.” Owen glances up, his gaze meeting mine. “I love him,” I whisper. “He’d do anything to help me. To help us. I know it.”

Owen rolls his eyes and yanks his hand from mine. “Fine. We’ll stay there. But I refuse to move in with him, Fabes. You hardly know his ass.”

“Owen, stop.” I can’t put up with his attitude right now. Drew’s being nothing but kind and generous. Owen’s probably using his rudeness as a defense mechanism to cope or whatever, but I don’t want to deal. I can hardly wrap my head around what our mother has done to us.

Her mental abandonment has scarred me for life. Her physical abandonment will probably f**k up Owen’s head forever.

I hate her. So much I can hardly see straight, let alone think rationally.

At this very moment, I need Drew’s support more than ever.

* * * *

We get Owen settled first. Drew has a futon in his spare room, which he must use as an office, if the desk and computer are any indication. I help Drew make the futon into a bed, spreading out the extra blankets while Drew goes and grabs some pillows. It feels very domesticated and sweet and I know I could get used to this.

But I refuse to let myself. I can’t get all sappy and silly now. My brother needs me. I need to be strong and figure out what the hell I’m going to do next.

“Do you need anything?” I ask Owen when he walks into the room, his expression defiant. “A glass of water or maybe some Tylenol?” He’d cried on the drive over to Drew’s house, sniffling in the backseat of Drew’s extended cab. I wanted to comfort him so badly but knew he would refuse it.

“Something to eat maybe?” Drew suggests as he walks into the room with three fluffy pillows.

“I’m fine,” Owen says sullenly. I send him a pointed look and he adds a muttered thank-you to appease me.

“Do you want to talk?” I ask him quietly, both of us stepping out of the way so Drew can dump the pillows on the futon.

Owen shakes his head. “I’d rather be alone, Fabes. I just want to fall asleep and forget this ever happened.”

“It’ll just be there ready to face you again once you wake up,” I remind him. We can’t avoid this, even though I’d love to. But it’s staring me right in the face. I need to figure out what to do, where to go next.

“Thanks for the slap of reality.” He sighs and shakes his head. “I know you’re mad at her. But…I’m not. I’m worried about her. She won’t answer your calls and that sucks.”

I’d tried to call her at the apartment and on the way over to Drew’s. Went straight to voice mail. I left her a text. No reply and that was over an hour ago.

The woman is doing everything in her power to avoid us. There’s nothing we can do about it either.

“She’s fine.” I wave a hand. I have no doubt in my mind she’s perfectly safe. Probably chugging a beer and laughing her ass off how she pulled one over on us. “She’ll answer tomorrow, I’m sure of it.

Lies. I have no idea if she’ll answer me or not. For all I know, this is the last we’ll ever hear of her.

Wouldn’t bother me whatsoever either. I’m so done with this bullshit she puts us through. The emotional ringer we’re forced to deal with every time she flits in and out of our lives. I put up my walls long ago but Owen is still open and dying for Mom to love him. Really love him.

She doesn’t know how. And he hasn’t realized it yet.

Drew exits the room without a word, closing the door behind him, and I appreciate what he’s doing for us so much. He’s nonintrusive while I try to deal with my brother. He’s been nothing but gracious, opening his home up to both of us, giving Owen whatever he needs to ensure he’s comfortable here.

He’s amazing. And when I’m finished talking to Owen, I’m going to go to Drew and beg him to put his arms around me and just hold me.

I need him so badly right now. But first, I need to take care of my brother, who needs me more.

“What if she’s not fine?” Owen asks, his voice trembling. “What if something really did happen to her and she’s hurt and helpless somewhere? Or…worse? What then, Fable?”

The image his words conjure in my brain—no. There’s no way she’s a victim in all of this. She had a hand in it. I can feel it all the way in my bones. “I know you’re worried. But I need to be honest with you. She doesn’t care about us, Owen. Not like you want her to. She’s too wrapped up in her own problems to realize how much you need her. How much you want her around. She’d rather run off and go get drunk and hang out at the bar with her boyfriend.”

Owen stares at me, his cheeks red, his eyes filling with tears. “You don’t know shit. Maybe she doesn’t want to be around us because she knows how much you hate her.”

I flinch. “I’m not the one to blame here. She can’t stand the fact that we’re close. She’s jealous and it’s so stupid because she can’t see how much you crave that sort of closeness with her. She’s our mother yet she treats us like we’re nothing more than a pain in her ass.”

“Maybe to you she acts that way but never to me. She loves me!” He’s yelling, the tears are coursing down his cheeks and he swipes them away angrily. “Go on believing she’s a bitch. Maybe you’re being the bitch this time, Fabes. Did you ever think of that?”

I’m stunned. I can’t believe he just said that to me. I’m this close to falling completely apart and damn it, I need to be the strong one. “You’re upset,” I say quietly. “I understand. Why don’t we get a good night’s sleep and we can talk tomorrow.”

“Whatever.” Owen turns away from me and crawls onto the futon, fixing the pillows and then pulling the blankets over him, his back to me. He’s so stiff beneath the covers, he looks like he could shatter.

“I love you, Owen,” I murmur just before I close the door.

He doesn’t even bother with a reply.

Drew

I’m pacing my bedroom, waiting for Fable to come back. A million questions are running through my brain and I’m afraid to ask her any of them. We were having an amazing night. And now this…

If her mom really did ransack their apartment and take everything they pretty much freaking owned, leaving her kids only their clothes and personal stuff, then she’s incredibly selfish and callous. Owen is heartbroken. Fable’s so angry I’m afraid she’s going to lose it at any moment, though she has this weird calmness about her too. I’ve never seen her like this before, though hell, not like we’ve been together long.

This entire relationship of ours has been a whirlwind from day one. I can’t imagine my life without her. I’m also trying my best to be there for her. She’s not necessarily pushing me away.

But she’s not really including me either.

What the hell can I do for her anyway? I feel helpless. No one can get a hold of her mom. Owen hates me and views me as some sort of bad guy hell-bent on breaking his sister’s heart—again. The only thing I can offer is a place to stay and even then I still felt like I somehow f**ked up by making the suggestion.

I can’t win. I sound like a selfish baby, but damn. I want Fable to know she can depend on me no matter what. I’ll be her rock, her support, whatever she needs. I would do anything for her.

Unfortunately, I don’t think she fully realizes that yet.

Long, endless minutes later, she’s slipping inside my bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. Her shoulders slump forward as she leans against the door, her expression one of utter exhaustion.

I want to comfort her but she’s put up an invisible wall. One that says she can do this on her own, thank you very much.

Fuck that. I’m gonna tear down that wall, no matter how long it takes.

“How’s Owen?” I ask.

“He hates me.” She closes her eyes, a weird little smile appearing. “He blames me for our mom ditching us. Says that maybe if I wasn’t such a bitch, she wouldn’t have left in the first place.”

“What?” I practically shout and she opens her eyes, glaring at me.

“Ssh! He’ll hear you.” Pushing away from the door, she walks toward my bed and collapses on top of it, burrowing her head in the pillows. “I don’t want to talk about it, Drew. I just want to go to sleep.”

She’s acting odd but I’m not about to call her on it. She’s upset. Yet again her life has been turned completely upside down.

“Do you want to change into something more comfortable?” I ask.

Her shoulders shake like she’s laughing. She still won’t face me. “Are you trying to use some sort of line on me? Let me warn you up front. I’m not in the mood.”

“Fable.” Like I would expect anything from her tonight. “I’m not trying to get in your pants. I want to take care of you.”

“Fine.” She rolls over onto her back and undoes the snap on her jeans, shimmying out of them. Despite my not wanting anything from her—and I swear I don’t—I can’t help but stare at her legs, those lacy pink panties she has on that are barely covering her.

Swallowing hard, I glance down, trying to gain some composure. I shouldn’t act like a pervert in her time of need, but I look at her and I want her. It’s an automatic reaction.

I glance up to catch her shrugging out of her shirt and tossing it on the floor. She reaches beneath her tank and undoes the clasp of her bra, pulling it off from under her top in that magical way girls have. The bra is white and lacy, a little scrap of fabric that falls from her fingertips. She’s wearing just the tank and the panties, her ni**les pressing against her top, gooseflesh rising on her skin, and I release a shuddering breath. Tell myself to get the hell over it and do the right thing.

“Cold? I can grab an extra blanket…”

“No.” She shakes her head and bounds up from the bed, tugging back the comforter and sheet so she can slip beneath them. “I’m just really, really tired.”