Page 8 of Connor

“You tell me. What the fuck’s going on, man?”

If I knew the answer to that, I’d be able to solve the fucking problem. But I didn’t. So, I scoffed, shaking my head. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

Aiden let out a slow breath, the kind that meant he was choosing his words carefully. “You were late. Hungover. Again.”

“And?” I shrugged.

“And,” he said, his voice low but firm, “Dad’s looking for a reason to be an asshole.”

I met his gaze now, smirking. “Why? He doesn’t usually need one.”

Aiden didn’t smile.

I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. “Jesus, Aiden, you here to lecture me? Because if so, you can save your breath—”

“What’s going on with you?”

That made me pause. I knew this game. Aiden didn’t come at people head-on. He wasn’t like Dad. He pushed softly, gave you space to walk yourself right into admitting the truth. I didn’t take the bait. I stretched my arms, feigning a yawn. “Dunno, man. Just bored, I guess.”

My brother’s eyes narrowed slightly. Shit. Maybe that was too casual. So, I grabbed my coffee, taking a slow sip. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

“Am I?”

“Yeah.” I leaned back, forcing a lazy smirk. “Come on, you’ve seen me doing worse.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. Yeah. He had. We both had. That was the problem. Aiden sighed. “Mom’s staying with me again.”

My fingers stilled against the desk. I placed my coffee down slowly, leveling him with a look. “For how long?”

Aiden’s mouth twitched, hesitation flickering behind his eyes. That was all I needed to know. I sucked in a slow breath. “Connor,” Aiden said carefully.

I forced a smirk. “What, did she miss your cooking?”

He didn’t laugh and my smirk dropped. I breathed out, trying to push back the sudden tightness in my chest. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine.” Aiden’s voice was too even. “I took her to the hospital. It’s only a broken wrist this time.”

“You’ve been pushing him,” Aiden continued. “Showing up late, talking back, making it real fucking easy for him to snap.”

I let out a slow breath. “Yeah, well, it’s not like he needs an excuse.”

“No, but you’re giving him one anyway.” My stomach turned at his words, and Aiden leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His voice softened—not gentle, but steady. A warning, not a plea. “You can fight him all you want, Connor, but Mom’s still the one picking up the pieces.”

Something cold settled in my chest. There it was. Reached for my coffee again just to have something to do with my hands.

I hated that he was right. I hated that he was sitting here, trying to get me to see the reason, trying to fix me before Dad made me someone who couldn’t be fixed. Hated that a part of me wanted to listen. I took another sip of coffee, swallowing the bitterness. “You done?”

Aiden studied me for a long moment. Then he sighed, shaking his head as he stood up. “Not even close.”

He didn’t wait for me to say anything else. He just walked to the door. Paused. Then, without looking back, he said, “You keep going like this, it’s not gonna be long before Dad finally loses his shit for real.”

Then he left.

I let out a slow breath, staring at the door long after it shut.

Chapter 2

Summer

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