Page 41 of A Wreck, You Make Me (Bad Boys of Bardstown #3)

Chapter Fifteen

Transplant rejection.

That’s what’s wrong with my sister. That’s why she won’t wake up even after twenty-four hours.

That’s why her fever came on quickly and spiked so high that now she needs help breathing.

Apparently, there’s some swelling in her extremities as well that we never saw.

That I never saw. If I had, she wouldn’t be in such a dire situation.

A situation of life and death. For the second time in her short seventeen-year-old life.

But the doctors are saying it’s not really my fault.

Sometimes symptoms aren’t clear or drastic enough for us to notice.

Sometimes things just happen. While there’s always a chance of rejection, most patients show symptoms within the first six months after surgery.

So I couldn’t have known. No one could have.

What do they know, though?

I’m supposed to be looking out for her. I’m supposed to be the one taking care of her, protecting her, making sure she’s healthy and happy and living . And now because I didn’t do my job, she might…

No, I can’t think like that. Not right now when I have so much to do. When I have to climb a whole freaking mountain.

So apparently, this time around she needs bone marrow.

They said her blood is unhealthy, and she needs new blood, a new source for her to combat this and live a long, healthy, happy life.

And of course, just like a heart transplant, you need a match for a bone marrow transplant too. Siblings are always the best bet.

Here is where the mountain climbing comes in, because I’m not a match.

Probably because I’m only her half-sister.

But she has other siblings, doesn’t she?

And yes, they’re half-siblings too but I can’t not take the chance.

If there is even the slightest possibility they can save her, I have to take it.

So I am. I’m going to tell them who I am. I’m going to tell them who Snow is and that she needs their help.

It may not be easy. In fact, I think it may be very close to impossible, given all the lies I’ve told.

Not to mention, I remember what he said to me that night.

He told me he’d ruin my life if I didn’t stay away from him and his family, from Callie.

And honestly, I have. I’ve been dodging her calls and texts for the last three weeks.

I’ve been dodging all of my friends’ calls for the past few weeks.

I’ve been making excuses when they ask me to hang out.

Which is why I think Tempest is both surprised and relieved to hear from me.

When I tell her what’s happening with Snow and what I need to do, she tells me I’m doing the right thing.

She tells me she’ll help me if I want. She can ease my way in, prepare Callie and Ledger for what’s coming.

But I tell her I don’t want her to. This is my doing, all the lies, and so this is my battle.

The time has come anyway for them to know.

I can’t keep lying to them for the rest of my life.

I just hope they don’t hate me so much that they refuse to help my sister.

I’m standing in front of their house like I was nine years ago, ready to walk up the cement pathway, climb those steps and knock on the door.

While I’ve known Callie and the Thornes for a few years now, I’ve never been inside their childhood home.

We usually meet up at the house where Callie lives with Reed and their babies.

In fact, that’s where I wanted to meet Callie in the first place, but when I called her a couple of hours ago and told her I had something to talk to her and her brothers about, she told me to come here.

To their childhood home. Apparently they’re having some sort of a family night and everyone’s already gathered here.

So I guess it’s natural for me to think about that night from all those years ago, when I first showed up here.

Unlike that night, it’s a decent hour and not midnight, and I can see lights streaming through the windows.

The house mostly looks the same. Same brick facade and slanting roof, but there are differences.

The yard looks mowed. The steps aren’t rickety-looking anymore.

I think the front door has been recently painted as well.

It looks like someone is taking care of this house, trying to bring it back to life.

And I think I know who.

The man who took care of me, who wouldn’t want me to be here.

He wouldn’t want me to be walking up to the steps of his house, let alone climbing them and knocking at the door.

But I do it anyway. Because I’m here not for myself, but for my sister.

And what my mother had said was right: a mother has to make sacrifices, and while I’m not Snow’s mother, I’m as close to one as I can get.

It doesn’t take more than five seconds for the door to snap open after I’ve knocked. It’s Tempest. Even though I told her she didn’t need to help me, she still told me that she’d be here for me no matter what.

I guess this is her way. Because as soon as she opens the door, she wraps me into a tight hug.

I hug her back because I need it. I need some extra strength, even though I probably don’t deserve it right now, after how I’ve fucked up by missing the signs with my sister, and well, all the lying and hiding.

“Hey,” she whispers.

“Hey,” I whisper back.

She breaks the hug and tells me, “I didn’t tell anyone anything.”

I swallow. “Okay, thanks.”

She watches me with concern. “Are you sure? I can help you. Please let me help you. You don’t have to do this alone.”

My eyes sting so badly that I have to take a moment to myself. But I remind myself once again that falling apart right now is not an option. I’ll fall apart later, later later, once I get what I came here for. “No, it’s okay. I can do this. I have to do this.”

Tempest looks at me for a second before closing her eyes and mumbling, “God, you’re so stubborn.” Then, opening her eyes, “I’m still going to hold your hand though. As we walk to the dining room where everyone is, okay?”

I let out a small chuckle, because she’s the very best friend a girl could ask for and that somehow gives me the strength I need to enter the house that I’ve thought about a million times ever since I came to know about it when I was twelve.

She grabs my hand and pulls me through the living room, where I spy a ton of leather couches and a giant bookshelf from the corner of my eyes, and into a hallway.

There are stairs at the mouth of it and then several doors on either side that I think lead to bedrooms. If I was here under different circumstances, I’d be soaking everything up, trying to solve mysteries and make conclusions about my stepfamily.

But not right now. Right now, it’s all I can do to keep walking.

Abruptly we come to a halt, just shy of where the hallway seems to be opening up into a larger, open space, and Tempest turns to me. “Well, do you want me to tell you about, you know, other things? He’s been living here. In the house, for the past month, and I could tell you?—”

“It’s okay.” I squeeze her hand. “I don’t want to know.”

First, because I already know he lives here.

He told me the night he crashed my date weeks ago and I know he’s here because of me.

But I can’t tell Tempest or anyone that.

About what happened between us, both three weeks ago and before that.

While I’m here to reveal my secrets, this is one secret that will always stay buried.

Not only because he happens to be my best friend’s brother on top of being my stepbrother but also because I don’t want to share it.

I’m too possessive over it, them , the moments, the memories.

I’m too possessive over all the things he made me feel: the thrill, the shivers, the fear, the anger.

Lust and love and safety. So I don’t want anyone else to have those things but me.

She watches me for a beat and squeezes my hand back. “Fine. Let’s go.”

We resume walking then and finally come upon the open space with a giant dining table.

They’re all gathered around it and if I didn’t already know they were a close-knit family, I’d know it now: Conrad, sitting at the head, with Wyn on his left side.

Followed by Callie and then Reed. There’s a highchair right next to Reed, probably for Halo who must be down for the night.

And a little booster seat next to the highchair for little Flora, who must also be sleeping.

I don’t see Stellan or Isadora and wonder where they are for a second, and if they’re running late.

But all of that gets pushed aside when I see the chair at the foot of the table with a place setting that’s empty.

I know for a fact that this one belongs to him.

But he isn’t here.

I’m sure Callie told everyone I’d be here shortly, and maybe he didn’t want to see me.

And he didn’t want to see me so much that he decided to not be here when I know for a fact he would be otherwise.

Because he never misses any get-togethers.

His brothers may miss them here and there for whatever reason, but he always, always , makes time to show up.

And if I’m being honest with myself, I did have this thought in the back of my mind that I’d get to see him tonight.

Just a glimpse and nothing else. Just to make sure…

I don’t know what except that I wanted to see how he was doing.

And I feel such loss at him not being here.

I feel such pain, such loneliness that I have to blink a few times to clear my vision.

I know I’m being stupid right now. It’ll probably be easier without him.

I should be thankful for this small mercy.

I should also be thankful that despite hating me for what I did, he chose to keep my secret to himself.