Page 169 of Tell No Lies

“Oh, please. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. Even when she was dating Mike, she was drawn to you. I knew you were trying to fight it, Carter, but I also knew you would cave eventually. Some people, like you two, are meant to be. You might have some obstacles, but I can tell you guys truly love each other.” She looked confident for a moment before confusion set in. “What?”

My mouth was on the floor. Love? No one had mentioned love. Brandon looked like he was ready to jump on Carter and pound him into the ground, but Carter looked just as stunned as I felt.

“That’s it! Get out of my house!”

Liv turned to Brandon in alarm. I’m sure she thought for a second he was talking to her, but no, he was glaring at Carter. If looks could kill, Carter would be dead and buried right now.

Liv stepped up to Brandon and put her hands on his chest. “Babe, you need to calm down. He isn’t some ex-con Aubrey found on the street. He’s your best friend, your business partner. Could you think of anyone else you’d rather have your sister be with?”

“Yeah, no one! She’s too young!”

“No, she’s not. She’s days away from being an adult, but a number doesn’t matter. Not when she is experienced enough and mature enough to make her own decisions. You trust her, and you trust Carter, who is only one year older. Now it’s time to show it.” She sized him up. “If we met in their situation, I would be sixteen to your nineteen. Just because we met later than them makes it okay?”

Brandon paled. “Don’t say that. It’s so gross.”

“Their age gap is nothing compared to ours,” Liv reminded him.

For the first time since he started yelling, Brandon looked at me. His face softened, and he slowly returned to the brother I knew. “Is it true, Bree?”

“What?” I was terrified of what he was going to say.

“You like him? You want to be with him?” It looked like it pained him to even ask.

“Yes, I do.” I pulled back my shoulders and stood tall. There was nothing to be ashamed of.

He looked over at Carter. “You swear to me you’ll take care of her?”

“Of course.”

“You’ll never hurt her or pressure her or be anything less than a perfect gentleman?”

“Yes, Brandon.”

Brandon sighed and nodded. “Okay. I’m trusting you with the most important thing in my life. Do you understand?”

Carter nodded.

“If I see even one tear from her that was caused by you, I will kill you.”

“I know, but you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Maybe, but I want us to be clear.”

Carter nodded once more and finally looked over to me. “Are you okay with that?”

“Yes.” I rushed to Brandon and flung my arms tightly around him. “Thank you.”

He squeezed me back and kissed my hair. “I love you, Aubrey. I will do everything I can to protect you, always.”

“I love you too.”

I wanted to live in this moment for as long as possible. Things were perfect, but I knew better than to believe it could last.

Twenty-Five

My days found a new routine of normal. The girls were all excited to hear that things had gone well with Carter, and that we survived the wrath of Brandon. I still tried to talk to Mike at school, but he ignored me in class and avoided me when he could.

I hadn’t received a note recently, which had me on edge. Did my stalker know about me and Carter? Were they still watching me right now? I wanted him to know that they were not winning. I wasn’t going to let this break me.