Page 55 of See My Words

Rylan put a tentative hand on Scott’s leg. “I’m not trying to make excuses for her,” he said, ignoring Scott’s mocking snort and the way he moved his leg out of reach. “I’m trying to understand her.” Because I’m convinced understanding her is the key to understanding you. “And I’m not saying she wasn’t a shitty mom, because she was. She hurt you, over and over and over, deliberately, maliciously, and there’s no excuse. I hate her for that, but one thing I will never do is look at her as a slut.”

“Tell that to your dad, Rylan.”

“My dad forgave her, Scott.” He watched Scott’s eyes widen, and he dared to slide a little closer until his hip touched Scott’s thigh. “He never told her, or even wanted to, I don’t think. But he told me. He said—” Rylan swallowed the lump in his throat. “He said he pushed her into a committed relationship when he knew she wasn’t ready for one, not then, maybe not ever. The fact he had a job that took him away for such long periods…if he had it to do over, he told me, he would have asked for a local route, would have moved him and me closer, been around, taken it slow. Instead, the whole thing was a recipe for failure. You knew that, didn’t you?”

Rylan put his hand on Scott’s leg again, rubbing his thumb in circles over the bunched muscle. “He made mistakes, too, but if nothing else, he loved her. He truly loved her. He loved all of you.”

Scott blinked rapidly but didn’t let the tears fall. He bit his lip. “I liked him, Ry. I used to think sometimes that if Heather managed to not fuck it up, he’d actually make a pretty good dad.” He ran his hand impatiently over his eyes. “But she did. Another thing to hate her for.”

“I know. She took so much away from you. Your hopes, your dreams, what could have been.” Rylan waited until Scott met his eyes. “So here’s you, a kid. Young, hurting, vulnerable. You meet a man—and yes, this guy’s a fucking monster—who takes advantage of that. You proceed to make the biggest mistake of your life by trusting the wrong person.”

Scott’s lips trembled, and he pressed them together, looking away.

“He abandoned you at the truck stop because he’s a monster. Then when you realized you were alone, the decision you made was not to call your family. It wasn’t a decision you made lightly, and you made it thinking it was best for you. So it was a good decision, Scott.”

Scott looked at him again, his green eyes awash in tears he refused to let fall. “That decision turned me into a whore. Like her.”

“You were eighteen and penniless. So tell me, what ‘should’ you have done instead? Talked your way into a job at the diner? With no ID, no birth certificate, no high school diploma?” He threw up his hands. “Oh, I know. You should’ve found a kind old lady to take you in, one who’d give you a place to live while you did odd jobs for her until she died and left you all her money. Why didn’t you do that? Because this isn’t a fucking Disney movie, Scott. This is real life, and you did what you had to do to fucking survive!”

“Rylan, I sucked dicks. For money.” Scott’s voice was barely audible. “I let strangers bend me over their truck seats and fuck me in the ass.”

“You were a sex worker.” Rylan kept his voice even. “You worked, and you got paid. That’s a job. You found the only job you could, and you worked hard, and you got to Phoenix.”

Scott shook his head, one lone tear sliding down his cheek.

“And there Minh found you, and Corey found you—” Rylan’s voice trailed away as his own throat clogged with emotion. “Now you found me.” He cupped Scott’s chin in his hand, stroking his thumb tenderly over his lips. “I love you.”

Scott wiped the tear away impatiently, his eyes unreadable. “God, you have no idea how many times I’ve heard that over the years, people telling me they loved me. Dozens.”

Rylan tried to smile. “Yeah?” He let his hand fall away. “Well, I agree with all of them. You’re pretty lovable.”

“I try.” Scott scrubbed his hands over his face. “Shit, I’m way too wound up to sleep. I’m going for a walk.” He leapt off the bed, grabbed his phone from the dresser, and opened the door. “Don’t wait up.”

Then he was gone.

Chapter Nine

“YOU LOOK AS RODE HARD as I feel.”

Scott turned around and met Minh’s bleary eyes with his own. “I barely got any sleep.” He yawned and slumped against the counter, waiting impatiently for the coffeemaker to stop gurgling. “You?”

Minh trudged over and slumped next to him. “I haven’t been fucked so long, so hard, and so well, since—since ever. I’m surprised I can walk.” He went on slyly, “Don’t know why our cutie pie tossed that delicious man back into the pond, but I was more’n happy to hook him.”

Scott shrugged. “Oh, yeah, being someone’s Plan B is always awesome.”

Minh gasped, giving him a shove. “Well. Aren’t we the catty little bitch this morning.”

The coffeemaker finished, and Scott reached over Minh’s head to grab a mug, ignoring his disgruntled pout.

“Thank you, Jesus, is that coffee I smell?” Chris staggered into the room, shirtless in a pair of cotton sleep pants, all bedhead and salt-and-pepper stubble. Minh lit up like a Christmas tree, dancing over to him and into his arms, lifting his face for a kiss.

Scott poured his coffee, trying to ignore them as they murmured together, Chris at last pushing Minh up against the island and sliding his hands inside the short, silky robe he wore.

“Mmm,” he growled. “I want you more than coffee, baby.”

Minh gave him a wicked grin, reaching down to cup him through his pants. “Oh, yeah. Just checking to see if I need to run get your Viagra, daddy. Nope.”

Scott rolled his eyes as Chris choked in outrage. “I’ll show you Viagra, you little—” He boosted Minh up onto the counter, then shoved his legs apart and moved between them, yanking his head back to kiss him thoroughly.