Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
A disaster.
A fucking disaster.
But I’m still a Park, which is why I’m home and not left to rot in that cell. Pops has been hard at work, ensuring the fallout of this mess is dealt with.
“Come on,” he grunts. “Let’s get you inside.”
I climb out of his vehicle and together we walk from his driveway over into our yard. The lights are on inside. Knowing Aubrey is probably crushed at discovering I’d kept her mother captive and also at her mother having a baby, has my heart sinking.
We push inside. Callum and Willa are seated on the sofa. Aubrey is nowhere to be found.
“Where’s Aubrey?” I demand, shooting a glare at Callum.
“Sick. I think the emotions of all this caught up to her.”
All this being the shit storm I created.
“I’ve got calls in to several people who can make this go away,” Pops assures me. “Neena can be bought, that much I do know. I’ve got plenty of money to do that with. All you need to worry about, Spence, is resting.”
A car door slams outside and then Dad bursts through the door. At first, I think he’s happy to see me, but then I take in the absolute fury twisting his features.
“You raped my wife!”
Dad lunges at me, tackling me to the living room floor. He grabs my shirt and shakes me hard.
“Why, Spencer?!” Dad roars, spittle landing on my face. “How could you do this to me?!”
I try to push him away, but in his anger and having the upper hand, he’s stronger. “Dad, get off!”
Dad is suddenly wrenched off of me by Callum. Pops’ face is red. He’s pissed, too. It’s then I see Aubrey standing in the doorway, horror causing her mouth to part and her chin to tremble.
“I didn’t rape her,” I snap, rising to my feet. “Fuck, Dad. I’m not some sicko.”
Well, aside from the whole fucking my stepsister with my dad. But that’s consensual. We want that shit.
“Enough with the shouting,” Pops growls. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this together. Calmly.” He nods at Dad. “Go on.”
“Make it make sense, Spencer. So help me. Talk fast,” Dad bites out, hurt shining behind all the anger. “Tell me how we got here.”
My stomach twists at seeing his expression.
Goddammit.
I didn’t want to have to deal with this shit, but I guess we’re going there.
“You asked,” I spit out, shrugging. I straighten my shirt, stealing a glance over at Aubrey. “She caught us. Neena caught me and Aubrey kissing.”
The room is quiet aside from Dad’s heavy breathing, everyone waiting for me to continue.
“Once she walked in on us, she sent Aubrey to her room. Immediately, she started in on how I had to be careful with Aubrey. That she had ulterior motives. That Aubrey was dangerous to the Park name.” I scrub a palm over my oily face, aching for a shower I won’t get yet. “I was shocked at first. Didn’t believe it.”
“And then she showed him texts from me,” Aubrey chimes in. “Texts I didn’t write.”
Shame slicks over me and I sigh. “It felt so real. All of it. I was sixteen and just got my heart broken by my stepsister. It was a mindfuck.”
Dad huffs. “This entire ordeal is a mindfuck.”
“Every day Neena came to me with more evidence of Aubrey’s intent to ruin us. Neena spoon-fed me her lies, feeding my anger. I wanted to make Aubrey pay. I fucking terrorized her.” Guilt swarms in my belly, stinging over and over again. “And then she’d had enough. She left. I thought I could move past it.”
“And then,” Dad encourages, voice returning to the calm, fatherly one I recognize. “What happened next?”
“Dad,” I mutter. “It just happened.”
“What happened, Spence?”
“We had sex.”
Pops curses under his breath. “You were sixteen.”
“I knew what I was doing,” I blurt out.
Dad’s face grows stony. “It continued after that?”
“Yeah. Neena had a way of getting inside my head. Of pissing me off and making me feel worthless, but then she’d get sweet and nurturing. I wanted her to fix my pain.”
“So you two slept together under my roof—under my nose—when you were a child?” Dad clarifies, nostrils flaring.
“Dad, I was sixteen. I had a working dick. Hardly a child.”
“Spencer,” Pops warns. “Don’t be flip.”
“Neena preyed on you,” Dad growls. “She preyed on my fucking son and used him like a toy.”
Aubrey sniffles and hugs herself. I wish I were the one hugging her. My words are stabbing her and I hate that.
“Neena was always sneaking off and I knew she was fucking someone else. I was jealous. I hated her for making me care for her. I was betraying my own dad for her.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Now I know it was Drew. Fuck.”
“How did she end up at the lodge?” Callum asks.