Page 159 of Trust Me

A bird chirped on a branch above us, breaking the silence that followed my speech.

“You do what you want, D,” Blake said after a minute. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He looked at me over his shoulder, his expression blank. “I’m going to pick up lunch. Dad should be resting anyway. Let him know I’ll be back in a while.”

With that, he walked away. To give him so much just to be dismissed like that felt like I’d handed him my skin, leaving me bare in the chilly morning air.

I shivered and headed back to the house alone. It was only when I climbed into bed with Oli, who was scrolling on his phone, that I felt the full weight of what the rest of this week might hold.

“Something happened,” he said, wrapping his arm around me.

“This doesn’t seem fair to say to you, but family fucking sucks sometimes.”

“It’s fair. Remi has nearly given me an aneurysm more times than I can count.”

“Brothers,” I muttered, burying my face in Oli’s chest.

“It’s the duality of man, baby. You’ll figure it out.”

“What if I don’t?”

“You will. I’ll be here every step of the way, for as long as you want me.”

“You’d better be. We have a boxer to raise someday.”

“Someday,” he repeated. I could hear the smile in his voice just from the idea of it.