My Mother's Husband

Chapter 158

“You swear you didn’t look?”

I shake my head again for the tenth time, although now I wish I had so I’d have something to hold over her and make her stop fucking asking me that!

This time it seems to satisfy her, reaching over as we drive through the edge of Brookside and wrapping me up in a hug.

She hasn’t asked me any questions yet, and I’m grateful because I don’t think I’d be able to make it home without breaking down if she did. I know she’s dying too, she wants to know everything so she can prepare how she's going to protect me, but she also knows that I’m not ready.

I’m barely breathing.

“What’s with all the black?” Brie is about as covered up as she’s able to dress, I can only see half her tits and her dress is almost an appropriate length for this time of day.

“I had to come straight from the funeral.” Funeral...

“What funeral?” Brie reads the panic on my face, clearly realizing that I have no idea what she’s talking about, before quickly stroking up and down my arm to calm me again.

“No sweetie, everyone is okay. It was Matteo, Liz’s brother? You met him a few times at some of the parties.” Oh yeah, the one who slipped me his number on my eighteenth birthday and told me to call him... and I almost fucking did.

No one person should have that amount of charm.

“What happened?”

“Oh don’t worry, he went out exactly the way he'd always dreamed of; on his third round whilst buried deep inside a twenty-two year old swimsuit model.” Sounds about right. “You should’ve seen how many women tried to throw themselves on the casket, it was a funeral to remember. The man basically died a legend, although why he insisted on being buried with the ashes of a chicken I’ll never fucking know.” She rolls her eyes but I can see she’s a bit heartbroken too, that man was the closest thing we had to Chad left in this town.

“Is Liz okay?”

“She's holding on. Coach is with her,  Luke held her up for the entire funeral. I think she’d be lost without him.” Yeah, I guess he’s not that bad...

No May, no matter what... Lukeyboy is the enemy.

The adorable enemy who really hates it when I call him adorable. Adorable.

“What’s she going to do with the restaurant?” Brie shrugs, moving her hand down to hold mine. She knows I’m not okay, but I need to keep talking, otherwise my head’s going to spiral back to something that I’m not ready to cope with.

“Sell it, I think...” Her fingertips smooth over my palm, feeling the healed cut sliced down the middle of it. “May... What the fuck...”

“Did you have Antonio kill Nigel in prison?” She freezes, the bug almost veering off the road. I probably shouldn’t have just spat it out like that while she’s driving.

“I... well...” She takes a deep breath, shaking her massive head of curls before slipping her fingers between my healing ones. “I didn’t ask him to, but I knew he did it. I know I should have told you years ago, Milo too, there's just not really a good time to bring something like that up.” I nod, I get it. You can’t exactly slip it into dinner conversation.

“Does Jay know?” She nods. “Okay... I don’t care Brie, he meant nothing to me. You need to tell Milo, but I’m okay with it.” I didn’t even know him, although I’m going to try and not judge him too harshly anymore. It’s a lesson I’ve learned. At the end of the day, everyone has to have a little bit of light in them.