Page 78 of Save Me

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Give me a few days to think of what I want when I win.”

“Ifyou win, you mean,” Colt said, grinning.

Logan looked at Knox. “Don’t like getting muddy?”

“I can’t. Because we’re one of the sponsors of the run, I have hosting duties and I will be manning our table for new sign-ups,” Knox explained.

As we were all finishing up eating, I made the mistake of letting my guard down.

“So how does it work?” Logan asked randomly.

“How does what work?” I asked.

Logan waved his fork at the guys. “Being in a relationship with four guys?”

Colt choked on his bite of food and began coughing as he beat on his chest. The other three were so stunned, Creed barely managed to pat Colt on the back.

I set my silverware down and looked directly at my uncle. “How’d you find out?” I didn’t bother denying it. What would be the point? And I wasn’t ashamed.

He leaned back in his chair. “I told you how this morning.”

I thought back to our conversations this morning. It took me a minute to weed through everything, but I found the answer. “The camera footage.” How many times had I kissed them goodbye on my porch in perfect view of the cameras? I thought the only one I hadn’t kissed in front of a camera was Knox. We had shared one kiss and it had been in my kitchen.

“If you wanted to hide your…relationship, you sure did a shitty job,” Logan said.

“I wasn’t hiding it,” I snapped.

“Really?” he drawled with a caustic tone.

“You think because I didn’t tell you, I was hiding it?” I scoffed. “You and Ian decided to make figuring out who I was dating a game. As insignificant as you made my love life feel, I let you play. I let you guess and I figured I’d tell you when I felt you were worthy of knowing.”

“I am your guardian, Shiloh—”

“You lost that right when you decided to leave me behind,” I interrupted him.

Logan slammed his hand down on the table, making the dishes rattle. “You’re being unfair.”

“Because I’m pointing out that you lied and manipulated me into feeling like I had to let you go? How fucking fair was it to me?!” I yelled, slamming my hand on the table, too.

“I don’t care how pissed off you are at me, you are still my responsibility. That means I need to know who you let into your life,” he snapped. “The last thing we need is for history to repeat itself.”

He might as well have ripped my heart out of my chest. That was how badly what he’d said hurt. I didn’t look away. I didn’t blink, even when my eyes burned and tears flooded them. “You think Mr. X was my fault?”

Colt grabbed my hand. “Babe,” he said, trying to get my attention, but I didn’t look away from Logan.

Shock took over Logan’s angry expression.

“You think I let him into my life so he could stalk me for years and murder my family?” I said, standing from my chair.

Logan shook his head. “No, Shi. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then how did you mean it?” I questioned. “That I only attract psychopaths? That I’m incapable of meeting someone who won't want to hurt me?” I covered my face as my tears ran down my cheeks.

I heard chairs scrape against the floor before arms wrapped around me. I could tell it was Keelan right away.

“I can't be here,” I sniffled. I had to do right by me. I had to remove myself before things escalated, because I knew how easy it would be for me to spiral.

“Okay, baby.” He ran his hand down the back of my head. “Colt, take her home. We’ll follow you in a minute.”