Page 37 of Bliss: Part 1
“Yeah. She saw Emily at the gas station last night and got invited. I need you to watch her, too. We’ll all be there, and I know you don’t give two shits about anyone when we’re at parties, but you better make sure Bliss is safe.”
He rolled his eyes and waved a hand. “She’ll be fine. Dash won’t leave her side anyway, and you don’t ever drink too much. She’s got too many eyes on her already.”
There was no point in arguing with him. He’d be drunk the minute we got to the party, and I’d end up being the one hauling him home once his system was flooded with alcohol.
I changed the subject before the conversation turned bitter but kept Bliss in the center of it. “She’s in Dash’s bed.”
He froze, but only for a split second. He watched me for a while, and I knew he was trying to understand if the way I said it meant something more. His gaze lingered on mine as he asked, “You know?”
I gave one tight nod.
“Shit.” He didn’t look nervous. He wasn’t scared of my reaction. Of the consequences this had. Instead, he started to fucking grin. “How did you find out? Did you…”
“No,” I cut him off. “She came into my room last night and we talked. That’s it.”
Rhys leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. “Huh.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I just…” he scratched the back of his neck. “Didn’t expect you to be that cool about it.”
I stared at him. “What’d you expect me to do? Punch Dash in the stomach or break Ashby’s nose?”
That shut him up. A little shame flashed across his face.
“I’m not mad at her,” I said quietly. “I’m not mad at any of you, actually.”
Rhys looked down, tapping the edge of his spoon against the bowl. “And you’re not gonna tell Dad?”
I blinked at him. “Are you?”
His eyes flicked up to me. “Hell no.”
“Then why would you think I would?”
He shrugged. “You’ve always been the one who does the right thing. Who keeps everything and everyone in place. Even when it sucks. Thought maybe you’d…I don’t know, think this whole thing needed to be brought to Dad and Odin.”
I snorted, but I wasn’t amused. “Yeah, because that’d go over well.”
He leaned back in his chair, letting out a breath. “They’d both lose their shit.”
“So we better stop talking about it before they hear us.” I took another sip of my juice, and after lowering the glass, I added, “We’re blurring lines here. And the second Bliss tells us to stop, we stop.”
Rhys agreed with a nod, then we were both silent for a moment. He continued to eat and poured himself another load of cereal.
Then he asked, “You ever wish we didn’t grow up this close to each other?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…if we didn’t grow up in this house together, without seeing each other every single day and being around each other for hours on end…maybe none of this would’ve ever happened.”
“Maybe.” I drank the last sip of juice and put the glass on the counter. “Or maybe we’d still end up here. We’ll never know.”
Rhys looked over at me, and for once, there wasn’t sarcasm or amusement in his expression. “As long as she’s safe and happy.”
I nodded slowly, agreeing with him wholeheartedly.
Whatever we did, no matter if she was involved or not, we made sure that the outcome never affected her negatively. We were responsible for her. To keep her protected from anything and anyone who could possibly harm her.
