All Fired Up (Green Valley Heroes #7)

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

HUNTER

P eeking through the peephole, my stomach sinks as I spot Mom on the other side of the door.

She bangs again with her fist. “I know you’re there,” she calls out in her gravelly voice. “And I’m not leaving.”

Fuck.

I open the door and look down at her. “I thought we already discussed this.”

She pushes past me and into the house. “I stopped by earlier and you weren’t home. Now there’s another car in the driveway. Who’s here?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

And for the second time after saying that tonight, I’m promptly ignored. “You’ve been avoiding us like the plague lately. What’s got you so?—”

She stops and bends down, picking up a bra off the floor.

Oh, shit. I forgot I half-undressed Madeline out here earlier.

“Getting laid is more important than helping your family?” she asks, zero amusement in her tone.

I snatch the bra from her and toss it toward the couch. “I said don’t worry about it.”

A wrinkle forms between her brows. “You leave me no choice when you’re too busy with your latest piece of ass?—”

“She’s not a piece of ass,” I interrupt, my mouth getting away from me. “She’s my girlfriend.”

Her eyes widen, and I immediately curse myself for saying anything about Madeline to her. Really, though, how long could I keep it hidden if Madeline and I are together now?

Then again, I’ve kept the firefighting stuff a secret this long...

“A girlfriend sounds pretty serious. When were you going to tell me about this?”

I block out the hurt in her voice as best I can. “We’ve been friends for a while, but the dating part is new.” As in, tonight new.

“So, you have time for her, but not your family?”

“Will you stop with the family shtick?” I ask her. “This isn’t The Fast and the Furious .”

She appears confused, so I elaborate. “I’ve never gotten along with Dad. He’s a bully and I can’t stand him. The only reason I come around is for you. And since you’re not the one in jail, there’s nothing for me to do.”

Her nostrils flare. “You’d abandon your father like that in his time of need?”

I can’t keep inside the laugh that escapes me. “His time of need? This situation is entirely of his own making. If he wasn’t dealing?—”

“We don’t know that for sure.”

I shrug, tired of sugarcoating things for her. “You’re delusional if you really think that.”

The truth is, she’s been telling herself lies to keep the peace for so long, she might actually believe them at this point.

She shakes her head. “Where did I go wrong with you?” she murmurs.

“Wrong with me?” Is she fucking kidding? “Where did you go right? You’ve always cared more about making sure Dad stays happy than anything to do with me.”

“That’s not true,” she snarls in a low voice. “I’ve defended you. And this is the thanks I get.”

“What exactly did you do? Huh? I’d love to know.”

She stares at me, but doesn’t say anything.

“Because if he yelled at me, all you did was say I shouldn’t have upset him. As if I was doing anything other than existing around him. That if he backhanded me, you said it was my fault for getting too close to him when he was drinking. That I should have known better. That if he went on one of his endless rants about how goddamn stupid I was, you said I should have gotten better grades.”

“Well, you should have,” she replies petulantly, ignoring everything else I said.

“And did you ever offer to help me with anything in school? Did you know it turns out I have a learning disorder? An actual fucking disability? If you’d paid the slightest bit of attention, you might have realized it. Might have gotten me the help I needed. But no, you were too busy catering to Dad.”

Her jaw trembles for a moment before she firms it. That’s right. Can’t show weakness. Dad would sniff it out in a second. “And what was I supposed to do?” she shouts. “Choose between him and you?”

“Yes!” I cry out, throwing my arms up. “If that’s what it took. I was your child. You were supposed to protect me. But you didn’t have the guts.”

She backs away, as if she’s trying to run from it all over again. “It was an impossible choice. I did what I had to, okay?”

“You don’t have to do anything when it comes to him. You could leave him. He’s a shitty father and husband and person all around. Let him rot in jail. He deserves it.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I absolutely do. And this conversation’s been a long time coming. I’m tired of dancing around it. You’re welcome to come over here, but I’m not going home, anymore.”

She blows out a breath. “Fine. We’ll visit?—”

“No. No we . You can visit here. Not Nate if he’s going to continue being a copycat of Dad. And definitely not Dad. I’m tired of acting like everything’s okay when it’s not.”

She sneers at me. “You really think you’re better than us now, don’t you? Living in your nice house with your nice car and your new girlfriend. But you’re not as good as you think you are. You’re an O’Connor. And you can try and run from it all you want, but?—”

“You can leave now,” I tell her, opening the front door. “I don’t have the bail money.”

Her lips purse mulishly. “If you give me it, I won’t bother you about your dad anymore.”

“No.”

She stands there stubbornly for another minute, but when she sees I’m not budging, she huffs out a breath. “Your father was right about you,” she mutters as she leaves.

Her parting jab has its intended effect, and all of the pain I kept at bay throughout her visit comes rushing at me all at once. I shut the door and sag against it briefly. What the fuck just happened? Did I really let loose on all the things I’ve wanted to say for years?

I get myself under control and turn the corner toward the hallway that leads to my bedroom, only to stop at the sight of Madeline there, wearing my discarded shirt.

“Did you hear all that?” I ask, though it’s a stupid question. Of course she did. Even if she’d stayed in my room she would have. We were practically screaming at each other at parts.

Her serious gaze pierces me through. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

I shrug. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Her head cocks to the side, her expression shifting to one of skepticism. She doesn’t have to call me on my bullshit answer because we both know it’s bullshit.

I shrug again, my shoulders suddenly feeling like boulders as they curl forward. There’s a building pressure behind my eyes I can’t seem to get rid of. “I think I just lost my mom,” I whisper, and then Madeline’s there, holding me in her arms.

I tuck my head into the crook of her neck, too tall to do this comfortably, but I don’t care. Nothing has ever felt as good as being in her arms like this.

She strokes a hand down my back. “I’m proud of you.”

A chuckle escapes me, though there’s no humor in it. “For what? Screaming at my mom?”

“For standing up for yourself. It’s a difficult thing to do.”

My arms wrap around her middle, hugging her tight, and as she keeps stroking my back, something in me loosens, my eyelids hot, then wet. She doesn’t say anything as her neck dampens, though she must feel it. I want to apologize, but I’m afraid it’ll come out a mess. She’d already got me earlier telling me I’m a good person. That I’m worthy of her.

I’m not, but maybe I could be one day.

I pick her up, her legs wrapping around my waist, and carry her back to bed. I spoon her from behind, her body tucked into mine until she falls asleep. It takes longer for me, though, my head caught up in the fact that I essentially cut my family off for good.

But even with the guilt and feelings of disloyalty, there’s also a sense of freedom along with it. That I’m not tied down by them anymore. So much of the last couple of months has been about reinventing myself, and this feels like the last puzzle piece. If I’m not a part of their dysfunctional mess, I can be something different. Something good. Someone good, like Madeline said.

I tug her tighter to me, my hand resting on her stomach. For once, the future looks...bright.