“I didn’t know how.” Her voice cracks. “I wanted to, so many times, but…”
“So, you decided to lie to me instead?” I ask, voice shaking. “To pretend to be my friend, pretend tolikeme, because… Why? You wanted to see how the other half lived? Wanted to get to know me out of some kind of morbid curiosity?”
“I wasn’t pretending,” she says, eyes watering. “You’re my sister—”
“You’re not our sister,” Parker says coldly. “We may share blood, but that doesn’t make us family.”
“Actually, it does,” Gemma snaps back at him, regaining a little of her spirit. “Though if I’d known I was related to such a dick, maybe I wouldn’t have been so eager to meet you.”
“You have no idea, do you?” he volleys back. “The damage you and your mother did to our lives? Otherwise you’d have left us the hell alone.”
Her spine straightens. “You can try to blame me, but it’s not my fault Milo had an affair. I’m sorry if I’ve tarnished your view of your lifelong hero—”
“Is that what you think?” Parker laughs coldly. “That Milo West is a hero? That he’s going to be the daddy you never had?”
“Watch it,” Chase growls in warning.
Nate steps purposely into the space between them.
Parker holds his hands up in surrender. “I’m just being honest, here. She wants to be part of this family, she should know what she’s getting into.”
“Parker,” I murmur.
He’s too pissed to listen. His eyes are locked on Gemma. “I know all about you. I’ve made it my business to know about you.” He swallows hard. “You may not have had a father, but you had a mother. That’s more than me or Phoebe ever had.”
My heart clenches.
Parker’s voice cracks but he keeps going. “Because when dear old dad had an affair withyourmother… Do you know what happened toours? Do you have any idea?”
I go still.
Nate’s suddenly standing in Parker’s face. I didn’t even see him move — he’s just there, out of nowhere. “Let it go. Walk away. You’re not doing this here.”
Parker glares at his best friend in the world and, for a split second, I actually think he’s going to take a swing at him — that’s how far gone Parker is, in this moment.
“Get out of my face,” my brother says flatly. “This isn’t your family. It isn’t you fight.”
“It is, actually,” Nate corrects. “Phoebe is my family. You’re my family. Don’t tell me this isn’t my business.”
Their eyes lock and the air between them grows so tense, I clench my hands to keep from stepping between them.
Gemma appears at my side, Chase trailing close behind her. Her face is twisted in pain and regret.
“Phoebe…” Her voice is a whisper. “What happened to your mother?”
I swallow, tears still in my eyes as I stare at her. I sense Nate and Parker fall silent, but I don’t shift my eyes off my friend.
Off mysister.
That’s going to take some getting used to.
I take a deep breath and force out the words. Words I’ve made a habit of burying deep down inside my soul, because they’re too painful to say aloud. I make myself say them now.
“She killed herself.”
My words are barely above a whisper, but she hears them. Her whole body flinches back.
“What?” she asks, horrified.