“I understand, love,” my mom said, all sugary sweet, like things were somehow better. “I’ll order dinner. You can rest, and we’ll eat, then when you’re ready, you can tell us everything.”
Any spark of hope I’d had that things would be better now was doused. Even though I should have expected it, it still stung that she was so oblivious. She still wanted to pretend everything was okay, just in a different way. I didn’t want to tell her that my skin was already crawling from being in this house. There was no such thing as resting here. The thought of eating now was sickening. And I definitely didn’t want to tell them everything—not now and not ever.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I just want to go to the hotel with Liam.”
Her face fell. “Oh, but…”
“Kathryn,” Liam said, politely but firmly. “I’m taking Jenna to the hotel now. We’ll come back in the morning.”
“Okay, but we do have to call Tyler. We have to ask him if?—”
“Fine!” I didn’t want to hear her next words. “Call after I leave and ask him to come home tomorrow. I can’t right now.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” my dad said, and my mom rushed to agree. Thank goodness. I couldn’t handle any more.
Liam stood, pulling me up with him. “Say goodnight, Firefly.”
“Goodnight, Mom, Dad. Thank you for...listening. I’m sorry for upsetting you.”
“Sweetheart, you have nothing to apologize for. We’re sorry. You have no idea how sorry.” My dad’s voice was gruff, like he was holding back tears. “I know it’s too late, but I’m going to take care of you. He’s going to pay for hurting you.”
“It’s okay,” I said, defaulting to the easy answer.
My mom wasn’t holding her tears back. They streamed down her face. “Things are going to be different now that we know. Now that you finally told us, we can bridge the distance between us. It’s going to be better.” She took a hesitant step toward me, arms opening.
I stood back for a moment before I closed the distance. She was small, the same size as me, but she gripped me tight. I let her hug me, but I didn’t hug her back.
Her words all felt so wrong. Shedidknow. Should’ve known, at least. All these years, she’d never tried to understand or help. And now, she thought it would all be better? She still didn’t even apologize. In fact, did she just blame me for the distance between us?
“Jenna,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry, love. I’m so sorry.” Finally, an apology.
I stepped away. Neither rejecting nor accepting her apology. I was sorry, too—sorry I’d expected more.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Liam
“Let’s go, Firefly,” I said, ushering her into the car. I wanted to hold her so damn badly, but not here. I had to get us the hell out of here. Away from them.
I gunned it down the street.
I wanted to wrap my hands around their necks—all of them, Jenna’s parents and Brian’s parents—and I wanted to squeeze until the fear in their eyes matched the fear in little Jenna’s eyes. Until their tears and sorrow matched hers.
That picture in her bedroom…how could they look into those devastated eyes and not know something was terribly wrong? It was bad enough seeing her pain now; the thought of little Jenna like that was torture. How the fuck did they live with her and not know?
I was so fucking proud of Jenna, but I was pissed the hell off. I was pissed at her mom for calling and for nearly every word she said. Pissed at his parents for protecting him. At least her dad got it, but even he had too many fucking excuses.
I was really pissed the fucker wasn’t there. I wanted to beat that fucking smirk off his face. Tear off the fucking hands he touched her with. Cut off his dick and shove it down his throat and?—
“I’m okay.” Jenna’s sweet voice broke through my spiraling rage. She reached over to touch my leg, soothing me.
Fuck, I was screwing this up. She shouldn’t be the one comforting me. A glance in the mirror confirmed their houses were far behind us and fully out of sight, so I pulled over beneath a towering tree.
I twisted in my seat and carefully held her bruised face, smoothing my thumb over the worry lines crinkling her forehead. “You were amazing, Firefly. So brave.”
She leaned into my hand, her eyes falling closed. My heart twisted. I was an ass, caught up in my own anger when she was so exhausted. I tried to gently pull my hand away so I could drive, but she grabbed my wrist and opened her eyes, spearing me with the intensity in her beautiful blues.
“Let me get us to the hotel, then I’ll hold you all night, Firefly.”