Page 17

I still don’t know why Jackson and JD are driving all the way up here if they’re not taking me home.

When I hear a knock at the door, I cringe.

I hate this!

“Lex!” Dirk yells up the stairs.

Ugh. I push my hair over my shoulders and then slowly make my way downstairs.

JD meets me at the bottom of the steps and immediately wraps me in his arms. “Everything is going to be okay,” he tells me.

“I know,” I whisper.

He releases me but keeps one arm around my shoulders. He guides us over to the couch.

I start to get nervous when he keeps his arm there. “What happened?”

“Lexie, I know for a fact that this is the first time your parents have been home in almost twelve months. How often do they leave you alone?”

“I’m an adult.”

His gaze narrows on me. “They didn’t even come home for your graduation. In the past four years, how many days have they been away?”

I shake his arm off me and sit back against the cushions. It would be easier to count the days they were home. I pull my feet up on the couch and hug my knees. “They had to work.”

“And they also had a responsibility to their child.”

“I’ve always been very responsible.”

“Yeah, I see that.”

I drop my legs angrily. “I haven’t always made bad choices,” I say, scooting myself off of the couch. I’m done talking to him.

He places a hand in the center of my chest, stopping me. He bends forward and looks me in the eye. “They kicked you out of the house.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, Lexie. I tried to reason with them. They said they didn’t have time to argue with someone like me, and they could no longer trust you with their home. They said they were having the locks changed and cameras put in.”

I double over as his words knock the wind out of me. “Maybe they’re mad because I didn’t lock the door when we left.” That’s the only logical thing I can think of. But still, they kicked me out over a simple mistake? “They really kicked me out?”

“I don’t want you to worry about your living situation. You’re going to come live with Elizabeth and me at the junkyard.”

Jackson sits on the coffee table across from me. “We locked up before we brought you here. Everything was right and tight. Your key has been here, along with your phone. The club didn’t have access to your parents’ property. Listen to me, you didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t blame yourself for this bullshit decision. They should be in jail for child neglect.”

My brows furrow, because deep down, I know he’s right. I’ve always worried they’d get in trouble for leaving me alone, but I wasn’t sure. There is no legal age limit for leaving your child alone overnight. But I’m not sure the state would approve of them leaving me months at a time.

I used to have a nanny, but when the last one moved away, they never hired someone new. I mean, I really didn’t need one. I had my driver’s permit and a car. My parents always made sure I’ve had everything I needed.

“Okay, well, I’ll … I don’t know. I guess I should look for a job so I can get my own place. I’ll get out of your hair as soon as I can.”

JD sighs. “You’re not understanding. You don’t need to worry about any of that right now. I just want you to focus on you.”

“I’ll have to go home and pack.” At least I can go get my shit. I’d be able to deal with this better if I felt more myself. I know I must have some hideous blotches on my face right now.

“They’re having a professional company pack your stuff and move it to my house.”

I blink at him. “They’re not even going to let me in to get my stuff?”