Page 134 of Bloom

Both our gazes fly to the doorway, and I wince. “Lux—”

A sharply raised hand cuts me off. She repeats, “You knew he was hurting her?”

“He only hurt me once,” I clarify—one purposeful time, one time Hunter knew about. “I asked him to stay out of it.”

Lux doesn’t stop glaring at Hunter. “And you listened? What is wrong with you?”

“Lux, stop it.”

“No.” Hunter shakes his head, that handsome face contorted with painful regret. “She’s right. I should’ve done something.” His touch falls from my chin, landing on the curve of my neck briefly, holding me in place as he kisses me so quickly, I barely register it’s happened until he retreats. “Go to bed. I’ll be right back.”

As he slips out the door, I frown at his retreating form, on the verge of asking where he’s going until it hits me.No. He wouldn't, right? I told him before, I begged him before, hewouldn’t.

An engine revving snaps me into action, but when I try to run outside, Lux slips in front of me. “Nope.”

Side-stepping her, I reach for the key hook beside the front door. “I need to borrow your truck.”

She snatches her keys away before I can grab them. “Not happening.”

“Lux, he’s gonna do something stupid.”

“He’s already done something stupid.”

“He didn’t do anything wrong.”

She snorts.

“Hedidn’t,” I insist, damn near screaming in exasperation as I try to dodge Lux once again and, once again, she blocks my path. “Hehelpedme. He was gonna—heisgonna—beat the crap out of my dad for me, Lux.”

“Good,” she spits—shecackles, practically. “He should’ve. I hope he does now. Fuck, I wanna help him.”

“Lux.”

“I get that he’s your dad, okay? I get that you’re you so you’ll love him no matter what because you think he’s your family, but he’s not, Caroline. Family doesn’t dothat. You don’t walk into your family’s house and come out needing stitches. You don’t have to lie about your family to everyone for years.”

That pesky, chronic guilt churns my gut. “I’m sorry—”

“I’m not blaming you, Line. I don’t care that you lied, I carewhyyou lied. To protect him? You think your mom would like that? You think she’d want you to take it in the name offamily? I know I didn’t know her, but I’m gonna go with no. I know the idea of having no parent is scary, that having one shitty one seems better, but trust me, it isn’t. And I know you, Line. I know you think you’re alone without him, and I hate that you do, becauseyou’re not.”

I hear her, I hear her loud and clear, I hear every damn word, but, “I can’t just let him get hurt.”

Standing firm, Lux crosses her arms over her chest. “Well, then you’re gonna have to walk into town.”

I consider it.

Lux must see it in my eyes. “I give it twenty minutes before he’s back,” she sighs, softening. “He’ll burn himself out halfway to town and turn around.

Yeah, no.

I’m pretty sure he won’t.

I don’t realize I’ve dozed off until creaky door hinges wake me up again.

Jolting upright, my head whips towards the front door. I slump in disappointment when I find it still closed, and realize the source of the noise is Jackson emerging from his room.

Only acknowledging me with a quick nod, he walks too casually into the kitchen, one false attempt at nonchalance away from whistling.

Lux, who up until five seconds ago was hunched over the kitchen table beside me because apparently, she doesn’t trust me not to steal her keys and make a break for it, straightens with a yawn and eyes her brother suspiciously as he shoves his feet into a pair of boots. “Where’re you going?”

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