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Vaughn shook his head. “You’re blinded by your daddy issues you can’t see your mom keeping him away from you was the best thing she ever could have done for you. That could be you on that farm, you know? You’d probably be one of old Josiah’s five wives by now.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’ve been watching too much reality TV.”
“I’m with Vaughn. Sorry, Little Demon. That’s a cult if ever I saw one.”
I jerked the car to the side of the road and put it in park.
“What are you doing?” Vaughn asked.
I yanked off my seat belt and opened the car door, stepping out to stand on the side of the road. “I’m done talking about this. One of you drive. I’m going to sleep.”
Vaughn glared at me. “Get back in. I don’t care if you don’t want to hear it. It needs to be said until you quit being stubborn and see it for what it is.”
I stormed to the back, jerking open the door. “Out.”
Kian blinked.
“Get out, Kian! I’m not driving! If you don’t give up the back seat, I’m walking.”
Kian scuttled out, and I gave him a clear berth, which he clearly noticed.
He reached for me, his voice a lot softer than it had been a minute ago. “Hey, come on. Come here.”
I danced around his outstretched fingers so he couldn’t make contact with me. I didn’t want his touch. I knew how easy it was to fall into it. They were being assholes, and I was mad. I wanted to stay like that. I dove into the back seat and pulled my hood up.
I so desperately wanted them to be wrong. I’d only just warmed up to the idea of having a dad and sisters and a proper family.
I didn’t want that bubble to burst. It felt too good to be true, but I wasn’t ready to let it go.
Kian sighed and got behind the wheel. He started driving again without a word.
That’s how pretty much the rest of the drive home went. Me ignoring the two of them. Kian eventually giving up on trying to make conversation and putting on his ‘Women of the 90s’ playlist so he could sing along, while Vaughn cringed at every wobbly high note.
Eventually, I fell asleep to Kian’s out-of-tune warbling.
I didn’t wake up until Vaughn shook me.
“We’re home. You’ve got about fifteen minutes to get dressed before we need to be at the church.”
I blinked sleepily at him. “How long was I out for?”
“Hours. I’m serious. Go. I’ll dump your stuff in your room while you’re in the shower.”
I glanced at the clock on the dashboard and then at the bright morning sun outside. Apparently, I’d somehow slept right through the night. “Shit!” I lifted one arm. “Do I really need a shower?”
He raised one eyebrow in the direction of my armpit. “Considering I have to sit next to you all day, yes.”
Rude. “I thought you liked how I smelled?”
He leaned in close. “I like how you smell when you’re turned on from me sucking your pussy. Not exactly the same as ‘scent of road trip.’”
That was more like it. In the fresh morning light, after hours of sleep, and on the day of our parents’ funeral, I didn’t want to be mad. Today was already going to suck enough without him and me bickering. I could put that on hold until tomorrow.
I pushed past Vaughn but paused at the front door. “Fang’s not here?”
Kian was piling bags into his arms. “His bike isn’t here. You haven’t heard from him?”
I bit my bottom lip. “Not for two days. Shit. I’ll call him.”