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My hand stopped moving.

Jesus Christ.

“She was so worried about everything. The clothes I wore, the people I talked to, the places we performed. She hated that we were touring. She hated that I had to leave school and settle for a tutor. She hated that I was growing up in front of thousands of people she didn’t know.”

Vera sniffled.

“And I hated that she couldn’t just be happy for me. Everybody else was. Bo was proud. Dad was secretly proud, and Snoh and Danielle were ecstatic. She told me she was proud of me. She said she always had been, but being proud didn’t mean she had to agree with everything I did.” Her bottom lip trembled, and I tightened my arms around her. “I told her that if she really loved me, she’d come to the Dead Summer Festival and watch us perform. Sorry… I need to back up and catch you up. I’m—”

“Snoh told me,” I blurted out.

She pulled away, her eyes narrowing slightly. She looked unsure whether to believe me. “He what?”

Briefly, I closed my eyes and sighed before resuming rubbing her back. “After we kicked each other’s asses, we sat down for coffee, and he filled me in about Obsydian Trip… and you. And how you found the band.”

Her breath caught in her throat.

“Don’t be mad at him. He didn’t mean to. It just slipped out, and once it did, he couldn’t stop talking.”

“What exactly did he tell you?” she asked cautiously.

Over the next five minutes, I filled her in. She nodded at parts and hummed in agreement at other parts.

“Are you mad?” I asked when I finally finished.

She squirmed in my embrace, propping herself up on an elbow. “I can’t be mad—not when I’ve been hiding the truth. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to tell you, but… I didn’t want us to change.”

My brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t want you to think that I was too much.”

“Never,” I whispered, wiping away a stray tear and smoothing my thumb across her cheek.

“Snoh and I are the opposite.”

“How so?”

“I clam up when I’m stressed, and he can’t hold water to save his life.”

We shared a laugh before she eased back to the mattress.

“He told me about the house. I’m sorry, Vera.”

“Thank you.”

“How is Danielle dealing with everything?”

Vera snorted. “She couldn’t give a fuck. She emotionally detached from Dad and the house a long time ago. She barely had anything to pack and drove home that same night.”

A natural silence fell between us as she bit into another cookie. I watched her and noticed when her eyes filled again.

“I told my mom that if she really loved me, then she would stop treating me like I was something she was ashamed of. And then I told her that when I grew up and had kids that I hoped I’d be a better mother than she was.”

Fuck… that’s harsh.

“She just looked at me. She didn’t yell. She didn’t even cry. She just looked at me for the longest time like her brain needed to reboot.”

I pressed my lips against her forehead.