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“I tried,” I whisper. “But she wouldn’t let me go. If I’d fought her, she would’ve been worse. I didn’t want to cause a bigger scene.”I chew my cheek, fighting back the burn of tears as I look toward my dad. “And he can’t find out. He’ll blame himself. He couldn’t have done anything then, and he can’t do anything now.”
“Then who…”
He gets cut off, his eyes narrowing, when a heavy arm wraps around my shoulder and hot bourbon breath fans my face. “There’s my girl.” His lips press against my temple, and I sink into his side, finally feeling a sense of comfort. “Big brother giving you a hard time?” His words slur a bit, a clear sign he’s had more than a few drinks.
“You two are together?” The accusation and tempered anger in his voice makes me squirm, and I try to unwrap myself from Jagger’s hold, but he only grips me tighter.
My head jerks toward Jagger, eyes narrowed, ready to ask what he’s up to, but he doesn’t even notice me. He’s too busy in some weird, silent stand-off with his brother. Then, a piercing shriek cuts through the space.
The color drain from my face, not needing to see to know where the scream came from. Every pair of eyes on the rooftop turns toward her as two police officers physically carry my mother by her arms as she thrashes in their hold. Shrill profanities leave her mouth, making me wish the floor would open up and swallow me whole. Or someone would just shove me from the rooftop and end it all.
“What the hell?” Graham hisses as he watches the spectacle. He drags his heavy hand over his head, his eyes growing wider by the second.
I suddenly feel guilty that he’s been blindsided by this. He hates getting caught off-guard by scandal, especially when the scandal involves my mother.
But I had no idea he would be here tonight, or I would’ve toldJagger to relay the message when I warned him.
Jagger steps in front of me, blocking the spectacle from my view even though her screams for my stepfather, Graham and Jagger’s father, echo. He sets both hands on my shoulders and ducks his head to meet my eyes. “Are you okay?”
No.“Yes.”
“Want me to take you home?” He has no idea about my history with my mother, but he knows the events that have occurred over the last year. It’s not a secret I’ve been avoiding her as much as possible. He also isn’t her biggest fan, though I have no clue why.
“There’s no way in hell she’s going anywhere with you. You smell like a damn distillery.” Graham’s eyes are hard and fierce as he stares his younger brother down, making my brows fall.
Jagger cuts his gaze to Graham and winks. “We don’t need a bigbrothertelling us what to do anymore. Do we, Case?”
I stare at him—at both of them in shock, unsure what has gotten into them. Graham doesn’t snap at his younger sibling, and Jagger never provokes his older brother… Well, the last part may not be true, but I feel like I’m missing something. Then again, I haven’t seen them together in a long time.
In a way, Jagger is right: A big brother was never how I saw Graham, and it was never a role I wanted him to fill. That much hasn’t changed.
Graham takes a step forward, pure fury dancing in his eyes. Once upon a time, I would’ve convinced myself it meant that he was jealous. That he saw me as more than the little girl who followed him around whenever he was home.
I hate how my heart flutters, hope begging to come to life, desperate to breathe its lies into my soul again.
You know better, Casey.
My naïve schoolgirl crush would always be one-sided, and my acceptance of that helped me let go of fairy tales and accept reality.
Just as I place a reluctant hand on his chest, the reminder I need as to why he would never be more than a childish fantasy appears at his side in the form of a curvy, petite blond with eyes the color of ice. “Is everything okay, Graham?” She wraps her tiny fingers around his bicep.
I snatch my hand like I’ve been burned. “Actually, I’m going to stay. Thank you, again, for your help, but I really should get back to my…” I trail off again.Why can’t I just say date?
I shake my head and spin on my heels, dashing away and quickly finding Thad talking to Lily’s brother and her sister-in-law.
He tosses an arm over my shoulder just as he’s announced Sin Records’ new marketing head, but before I can congratulate him, the new CEO is announced.
And my heart stops.
I look over my shoulder, finding hard, fierce eyes on Thad, and I realize…
Graham Davis is back in town for good.
Graham
Shadows dance across the Oriental rug as the moonlight peeks through the sheer drapes covering the window in the only room of this twelve thousand square-foot house I can stand to be in—outside of my bedroom. This was the room my mother loved and is the only room in the house that my father didn’t allow hiswifeto touch. The books she loved are still housed on the floor-to-ceiling shelves. Deep navy wingbacks sit in front of the marble fireplace. A Victorian chaise sits next to the window. I can still see her curled under the throw, reading her favorites, which could be anything from Dante to Harlequin.
My mom loved the architecture of this turn-of-the-century mansion, from the ornate woodwork to the gargoyles and stained glass. But Krista thought it was too old, and my spineless father let the bitch change everything about the home my mom loved—everything but this room.
