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"So where is it?"

I ignored his question

Who knehat he was talking about, but I was always sorry when I let hiet me to talk I just shut the fk up and breathed

"You’ve been practically keeping one hand in your pants’ pocket al visit except today What do you keep in there like a goddamn security blanket, and why don’t you have it all of a sudden?"

I chewed onain

2-4-5-6-7 Spade, spade, spade, spade, heart

The roo hallways off to the sides, echoed with conversations I couldn’t ht poured through the s, but it didn’tfeel happier

"You think I’m an assle" My father put another card down and spoke quietly "I am an assle, Jared I’veNo one will hurt you again, because you’re untouchable Even to that girl, you’re out of reach"

I snapped my eyes up to meet his, and my cards cruh ripped Tate froht-lipped "Shut up"

He just shook his head and continued arranging his cards "Does she know about you? About what a coward you are? About how you abandoned your brother?"

Jax

"There is no ‘she’" My lie caht," he retorted "You’ll always be alone, because you know that that’s better And she’ll find someone to marry her and fill her with babies that aren’t yours"

My stomach caved, and I didn’t think

I slammed my cards down on the table and launched out of ht across the jaw The ache in my fist spread up my arm, and I watched as he fell out of his chair, onto the floor, still laughing his ass off

My chest heaved as I breathed through my nose

"Next week is my last visit," I told him "I won’t h of that" I heard a voice say before I was grabbed by the aruard, a little taller than

I yanked one" And I turned around, my jaw hard as cement as I walked out

"Don’t worry, Jared," my father yelled behind me "We won’t stray far froot home from the visit, I found my mom in the kitchen with a cake

"No way I’m not in the mood" My tone was hard, and I didn’t mean to cut her, but I backed out of the kitchen and walked towards the stairs

"Jared, please," she shouted after me

I stopped, every muscle in my chest so stretched that I was ready to screaed back into the kitchen

My mother stood on the other side of the kitchen table, brown hair in a high bun and arms at her sides She was dressed nicely in jeans, heels, and a short jacket

Gripping the back of the chair until the wood creaked beneath ht I wanted

"I appreciate the effort," I told her "I really do But we’ve gotten along just fine without having to pretend that we’re an actual fa I do mine"

My stomach was in knots, and my words spilled out like mud

Her eyes dropped, but she recovered and lifted her chin

"I want Jax to come and live with us," she saidand narrowed my eyes on her, too shocked to even respond

Excuse me?

Jax live with us?

She smiled a little and circled the table towards

"Jared, I’ve already spoken to a lawyer Nothing is for sure, but…" she paused, eyeing ht be able to help Do you want your brother with us?"

I wanted rip on the chair’s back "Do you want him here?" I asked her

Her eyes dropped, and her lips turned up with a thoughtful sain "He brings out the best in you Just like Tate used to"

I couldn’t eat cake

I didn’t like attention, and the idea of

I went tothe dark and quiet for however long I could have it

Jax with us? I thought as I laid on ht of it That she wanted to take him in

It was expensive, but she didn’t seeh it confused h to support us but not enough for e had Our house was paid for, I always had the best cell phones, and she had a nice car Paid for

To be honest, I was just afraid to ask I didn’t want to knoe lived so well

I got a text fro she hoped ere friends, and she offered a thank-you for the help with her dipshit boyfriend

He’ll be cheating again in a month They always do But I didn’t tell her that

She also let it slip in a not-so-subtle way that Tate was on her o Her visiting grandmother had left town

My lips turned up, and I was about to stalk over there and pick another fight with Tate when I got a text

Everything good?

Tate’s dad

Fine, I typed back

You got the house key back to Tate, right?

Yes, I lied I wasn’t ready to give that up yet

Thanks Happy 18 Present should be arriving soon

Thanks, I typed back, not good at being gracious

Tate’s birthday is in a week Find out what she wants, he ordered