Page 125 of The Destruction You Desire

"Motherfucker. He owes your sister a lot of money."

"We'll make sure Libby and Kayden get what they're owed Mom," I assure her.

"He needs destroying for this. Other women is one thing. But a child. No. We're going to fucking ruin him."

Her fire makes me smile.

"Glad we're all on the same page," Leon mutters.

* * *

We spend the afternoon in Mom's living room. Peyton and I sit next to her to support her while Leon sits closed off on the couch on the other side of the room.

No matter how gentle he's being with Mom, how supportive, it's like there's a brick wall built up around him that none of us are going to be able to scale.

I want to help, I want to listen. But all of that is pointless if he's not willing to accept it.

Shane, Chelsea, and Nadine came over and we had to recap the whole story to them once more and then watch as Shane bailed on the whole situation and ran for the beach.

Thankfully, Chelsea managed to talk him around and he came back after a while, but it was obvious that he wasn't dealing with it very well and after allowing me some cuddles with my beautiful niece, they left.

After drinking an entire bottle of wine to herself, Mom eventually falls asleep on the couch not long after the sun drops beneath the sea on the horizon.

"Help me get her to bed," I say to P who immediately puts her glass down and pushes up from my side.

I scoop Mom up in my arms and lift her from the couch.

"Don't worry, bro. I got it," I snap quietly.

Pocketing his cell, Leon jumps up and marches for the door.

"I'm going out. Don't wait up."

Peyton and I stand there frozen as we watch him storm from the house.

"Right, well. As we were," I mutter, hating the way my stomach twists with concern for my brother.

Peyton looks at me, her own worry for Leon easy to read in her eyes.

She leads the way and opens Mom's bedroom door and pulls the sheets back so I can lay her down.

With a kiss to her creased brow, we leave her alone to get some rest.

"She's going to be okay," Peyton says, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head against my chest.

"I know. I just wish it could all stop, you know?"

"It will. We might be in the dark with what's going on right now, but one thing I'm sure of is that his days controlling your life are over."

"You know, I really want to be playing when you bring Kayden to a game," I say, pushing open the door to my room.

"Yeah? That's awesome."

"I want… I want to be someone he can be proud of," I confess, dropping into the chair that's placed right in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing the inky black ocean in the distance.

"You're his big brother, Luc. He literally thinks that both of you are the best people to ever walk the Earth."

"That's not true." She yelps as I pull her down onto my lap. "Because that would be you," I whisper before capturing her lips.