Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 723(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 482(@300wpm)
Brianna had walked after Tag and Kenz, and Coop found himself alone with Seth.
“It’s not so big I can’t take it off,” Seth said in a slow drawl. “You should think about that.”
He did not need a lecture. “Come on, man. Put a sheet over me. This is awkward.”
Seth shrugged. “I don’t see why. How is this different from the locker room at The Hideout or that time at The Club when Julian made all the Doms run a mile naked in high heels to show us what it feels like to be a sub? Remember I got the five-inchers, and I’m pretty sure it’s because he thinks I’m after his daughter.”
“Yeah, well, I’m starting to wonder if I didn’t fall into your dad’s trap,” Cooper admitted.
“Nah.” Seth crossed his arms over his chest. “Dad only pranks people he cares about. See, that’s where people get confused about him. If my dad is yelling, everything’s fine. If he’s pulling dumbass pranks, you’re cool. It’s when he gets quiet and agrees with everything you say that you know you’ve lost him. He truly believes this is what’s best for Kala. If he didn’t, well, there’s a certain freezer at Top where we put those problems. It’s best they’re kept on ice.”
“Your dad isn’t going to kill me,” Cooper argued.
“No, but I might,” Seth countered. “You see, Dad believes you’re the only guy for Kala. Like Mom was the only woman for him. Personally, I think we can do better than an asshole who told her she wasn’t good enough for him in high school.”
“I never said that, and how the fuck do you know about what happened?” He hadn’t thought Kala would tell him. “From what I can tell she didn’t talk to anyone but Lou.”
“I know I have a certain reputation as a dumbass artist who wouldn’t understand intelligence work if it hit me over the head with my own guitar.” Seth moved around the bed, getting closer to the door. “It isn’t easy being the artist in a family full of badasses. But there are rewards to be had if one is smart. You see, I cultivate that shit because then no one suspects me of anything. No one would think that I would perhaps read my sister’s journal because I happen to know she won’t tell anyone when she’s hurting. I have always known Tash and Kenz will be okay. They’re resilient. They bounce back from everything, but not Kala. I knew it when I was fucking five, man. So I do what I need to do to protect her in a way she finds acceptable.”
Coop wasn’t sure about that. “I don’t think she would find it acceptable to read her damn journal.”
Seth leaned against the door jamb. “But then how would I have known to tell her I had a bad dream and couldn’t sleep alone and I didn’t want to disturb Mom and Dad? For three weeks. Kala sometimes needs a place to put all that anxiety and fear. Some people take all the bad shit and spew it on the world like a snake spitting venom. My sister puts it into caring for the people around her. She’s got it in her head she’s some kind of monster who doesn’t feel things the same way everyone else does.”
So Seth did know what was going on with his sister. “That’s not true.”
“I mean it is a little. The part about her not feeling things the same way. We don’t talk about it but come on, man. She’s on the spectrum. We all know it. I have been around so many artists whose brains work differently, and they get the shit kicked out of them for not being normal.”
“Neurodivergent.” He knew the term, and now he wanted to kick himself for not seeing it.
“Yep. There are so many people out there who don’t fit the norms, but there’s nothing wrong with them. Their brains just work differently. Mom and Dad had been planning to have her tested in high school.” He shrugged. “I’m also excellent at eavesdropping. When I get caught, I give the ’rents a cute dumb boy look and they assume the earbuds in my ears are working. They are, by the way, just not how they think they are. You see, a long time ago Lou figured out how to make it so they amplify sound from the outside.” He waved his hand. “You don’t need to know the specifics. Anyway, they were trying to figure out how to talk to her about it. They wanted to test her in case she needed accommodations, but they were worried it would make her feel even more different. Before they had a chance to, want to guess what happened?”
“That night.” He felt a bit sick.
“That night.” Seth’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know a lot about what happened that night. I know my sister blames herself. She wrote about what happened between the two of you, but not what happened while she was a guest of Julia Ennis. The last entry in her journal was a poem. Did you know she used to write poetry?”