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She lets out a sad laugh. “Yeah, I think my dad’s done that for me and Remy too.”
“He’s always been a bastard,” I grumble. Just thinking of Mr. Holt and the way he treated his family pisses me off.
“I know. I remember him being…angry all the time. The fights he had with Remy…I was always scared something I’d do would set him off and Remy would take the brunt of it.” She swallows hard. “Not knowing what exactly would set off his temper always made me so nervous.”
“You couldn’t know because it wasn’t rational or based in reality.”
She hums softly. “Probably. I never feel that way around Remy.” She taps my chest. “Well, unless he thinks I’m hinting at my feelings for you.”
Fucking hell, that twists me up inside. That she feels that way at all. That she wants to risk telling her brother. She might be braver than I am. I haven’t made much of an attempt to approach that topic with Remy. Not yet. “Do you? I mean, have you told him?”
“No, but he’s pretty good at reading me.” She lifts an eyebrow. “Have you?”
“No. I don’t have enough to offer you yet. And he damn well knows that.”
“Offer me?” She nuzzles her nose against my neck and drags her lips across my jawline. “You’re everything to me. All I want is you.”
I trace my finger over the curve of her cheek. “You mean that? ’Cause when we tell your brother, he’s gonna have some opinions.”
She snaps her head up so quick, she slams into my chin hard enough to make my teeth clack. “Why? He loves you. You’re like a brother to him.” Her eyes widen, and she rubs her fingers over my jaw. “Oops. Sorry about that.”
“I’m fine. At least I didn’t bite off my tongue.” I work my jaw from side to side. “Anyway, I might be like a brother to him, but you’re his actual sister. He doesn’t want you tied down here.” Not to someone like me.
She snorts and wriggles away then stares at me head-on. “Remy might need to readjust his expectations. My grades are good but they’re not great. Not enough to earn me any meaningful scholarships for college. And since the situation with my dad is so weird, I can’t ask him to fill out any paperwork. Remy’s never been my official guardian or anything. I’m not emancipated. I’m basically in limbo.”
Shit. Why hadn’t any of that stuff occurred to me? “Any school would be stupid to pass on you.”
“That’s sweet but the competition is tough.”
“I’ll make sure you can go.” I cock my head. “You still want to do the audiology thing?”
Her eyes shine and she lets out a soft gasp. “You remember that?”
“Sure. It was a big deal when your Grandpa Kip got his hearing aids. You always said you wanted to do the same thing for other people.”
She snuggles up to me again. “Yes, that’s still what I want to do.” She squeezes me tight for a second. “Anyway, my brother doesn’t have permission to weigh in on my love life.”
Love. My heart thumps. What I feel for Molly goes way beyond love. “He’s never said it, but I think he worries…with my mom…”
She tips her head back and frowns. “You don’t touch drugs.”
I should’ve known she’d catch on to exactly what I was trying to say. “True. But still…”
“Our dad’s an alcoholic,” Molly says. “A nasty, violent one who treated our mom like shit even when she was sick. So Remy better keep his judgmental thoughts to himself.”
I snort. That’s not how her brother operates. “The fights?—”
“Remy’s a fighter. His ring name is literally Ruthless,” she points out. “For such a smart guy, he’s got some weak arguments.”
Laughter rumbles out of me. “He’s never said any of that to me specifically.”
“Oh, I seeee,” she says in a teasing tone. “You’re the one making up all the excuses for why we shouldn’t be together?”
“No, just anticipating the discussion I’ll have with him when the time’s right.”
“Ugh, you’re not really planning some creepy ‘can I have permission to date your sister’ speech are you? That’s so gross.”
“Permission? No. But I can’t disrespect him by saying nothing at all, Molly. You said it yourself—he’s like a brother to me.” I swallow hard. “Vapor, Eraser, Remy…you—our little circle’s the only family I’ve got.”
