Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
His expression slips as he stares at me. "No, fuck that," he practically growls at me. "Just because your parents had a fucked up marriage doesn't mean that's the way love is supposed to work. There are billions of people in this world, and every single one of us is different. Different needs, different desires, different outlooks. You think we're all supposed to fit the same goddamn mold when it comes to love?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"So what? It comes with a checklist? A timetable? Do we have to know each other for exactly six months and three days? Exactly six years? How does it work?"
"I don't know!" I press my palms to my cheeks, staring at him, anxiety churning in my stomach. "It just…works. Or doesn't work."
"Exactly. it just works or doesn't work. There are no rules, no checklists, no timetables. Some people meet, and they just fucking know. And some people, like your parents, never should have been together in the first goddamn place."
"They loved each other," I whisper.
"No, they didn't. They were never in love. You were too young to remember how things really were between them, but I'm fifteen years older than you. I remember that shit better than you do. They were toxic from the day you were born," he says, perching on the edge of my desk. "And they're still toxic. They love making each other miserable. They always have. It's goddamn infuriating that you've always been stuck in the middle of their bullshit. I wish like hell I'd been able to do more to get you out of it."
"That wasn't your responsibility, Tyler."
He shoves a hand through his hair, scowling at me. "Someone in your life needed to be responsible, baby cousin. Because look at you now. You meet someone worth a damn, and you're fucking terrified to give it a chance because of their bullshit."
I gape at him, tears stinging my eyes. "You think Drake is worth a damn? I thought you didn't like him."
"I've always liked Drake," he mutters. "And you're right about him. He's been through a lot. I'd already graduated by the time all that shit with him went down, but it was fucked up the way some people treated him. He didn't deserve it. Some people are still assholes. They treat him like shit because he avoids town. But a lot of people around here have a lot of regrets for the way they bullied him back in school and feel guilty because he refuses to let anyone get to know him now. Maybe one day, he'll allow them to make amends and learn who he's become. I don't know. That's his call. But if you make him happy, he deserves that." Tyler's dark gaze pierces into me. "And so do you. Doesn't matter how long you've known each other. If you make each other happy, that's what counts."
"People want to make amends?" I ask, hopeful for him. He deserves that more than anything.
Tyler nods and then hesitates like he's thinking about something. "I'm going to swear you to secrecy on something."
"Okay…"
"You can't tell him about it."
I narrow my eyes on him, suspicious.
"He steals yard decorations and sets them up at the mansion where he was hurt," he says. "I don't know why. Never asked. But everyone around town knows he does it. No one has ever said a word to him about it. Over the years, som people just quietly started adding to his collection."
I stare at him with wide eyes, shocked. "Why?"
"To let him know he's a part of this town?" Tyler shrugs. "To apologize for the shitty things they said when he was a kid? To remind him that, even if he locks himself inside that mansion nine days out of ten, people still remember him?"
A tear slips down my cheek. I quickly brush it away. "He showed me the decorations. He started stealing them out of petty revenge," I whisper. "But when he told me about other people in town bringing the other decorations, his eyes lit up. If that was the plan, it worked, Tyler. He doesn't know they know it's him, but he feels included."
"Good," Tyler grunts. "Maybe, one day, everyone who takes part will be able to make their peace with him face-to-face, and his ghosts will finally settle." He eyes me seriously. "But if you bring him peace now, it matters, Madeline. Don't let your fucking parents steal that shit from either of you."
I bite my lip and nod, my mind a whirl of thought. But he's right. I feel it in my soul. I can't be a coward and hide from this because I'm using my parents as my model of what a relationship looks like. If I do that…well, I might just lose the most important thing I've ever found.