Chapter 29

CHAPTER29

“Just so you know, I would have made an amazing roommate,” came the announcement that had Braxton opening his eyes to find Mathew Bradford glaring down at him, “Your loss.”

“I saw your room,” Braxton pointed out, still trying to make sense of what he saw last night. One minute, Jonathan was dragging him across the hallway and the next…

God, he didn’t even want to think about what he saw when Jonathan opened that door.

“You would have gotten used to the smell eventually,” Mathew said, shrugging it off as he moved to join him, forcing him to pull his legs back. Braxton opened his mouth only to find himself frowning when the teenage girl, who swore that she would get her answers one way or another last night as her stepfather was forced to drag her out of the room before she could finish beating the hell out of him with a pillow, climbed through the bedroom window with a look of determination on her face that had him debating making a run for it.

When she saw him, Mikey’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she said, “I’ll get to you in a minute.”

“You really shouldn’t have pissed her off,” came the muttered announcement from the bunk above his as Braxton watched Mikey make her way across the bedroom. She dropped her backpack on the floor by Sebastian’s bed, toed her shoes off and-

“God, you’re evil.”

-dropped down on Sebastian’s back with a satisfied sigh.

“Shhh, not while I’m interrogating,” Mikey said, shifting to get more comfortable as her gaze locked on him. “Now, where were we?”

“You were beating the hell out of him with a pillow when he refused to talk,” Jonathan said around a yawn as he dropped down from the top bunk.

“It was working. You should do it again,” Mathew said, gesturing for her to get on with it.

“Or you could stop trying to attack me, you little psycho,” Braxton said as he moved to sit up only to have Jonathan join them, forcing him to pull his legs back all the way.

“I wouldn’t have to if you just told me what I wanted to know,” Mikey said evenly as she gestured for him to start talking.

“There’s nothing more to tell,” Braxton said, only to swallow hard as he watched Trevor and Zoe walk into the room.

“Why don’t you boys go downstairs and grab something to eat,” Trevor said as his gaze remained locked on Braxton.

“Shouldn’t we be part of this?” Jonathan asked, only to follow that up by clearing his throat and muttering, “I suppose I could go for a little something to nibble on,” when his father leveled a look on him that had him quickly climbing off the bed and making his way to the door with Mathew close behind.

That was followed by Sebastian reluctantly heading for the door and-

“What did I miss?” Mikey asked as she dropped down on the bed next to him with her backpack in her arms.

Sighing heavily, Trevor reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he said, “Sebastian?”

“What? No, I came prepared!” Mikey rushed to explain as she quickly opened her bag and pulled out a Tupperware container filled with what looked like brownies and shoved it towards Trevor as Sebastian made his way back into the room and-

“You can’t do this! I came prepared!”

Swallowing hard, Braxton watched as Sebastian dragged Mikey off the bed and threw her over his shoulder as Trevor reached over and plucked the container filled with brownies out of her hands. While Mikey did her best to break free, Trevor helped himself to a brownie as he dropped down on the desk chair while Zoe stood there, absently wringing her hands together as she struggled not to wince when Mikey finally managed to break free and-

“My interrogation!”

-was quickly dragged the rest of the way out of the room, leaving Braxton to wonder what boarding school his parents were going to send him to now. Or maybe this time, they’d finally follow through with that threat to send him to military school? Anything would be better than being sent back to that house.

“Where are my parents sending me this time?” Braxton asked, forcing the words out of his mouth even as he told himself that it didn’t matter.

None of it did.

In three years, they’d realize that they were wasting their time and wash their hands of him, and then, he could finally live his damn life. He’d get the hell out of here before they could drag him under and make him just like them. He just had to bide his time, pretend to play along, and then, it would all be over.

“That’s up to you,” Zoe said as she sat down on the bed next to him.

“Is that what they said?” Braxton asked as his fists tightened around the covers.

Trevor watched him closely for a moment while he took his time devouring another brownie before he said, “After your grandmother had a word with them.”

Nodding, Braxton said, “Then, I choose another boarding school. Somewhere far away where they’ll forget about me again.”

“Is that really what you want?” Trevor asked, watching him curiously as his gaze flickered to his wife.

“It’s my best option,” Braxton said, refusing to let his family use him again.

“But it’s not your only option,” Trevor said as he took in the bunkbed that Sebastian and Jonathan dragged in here last night and put together. “Why didn’t you sleep in Mathew’s room last night?”

“Because your son’s room is terrifying and will most likely haunt me for the rest of my life,” Braxton said, watching Trevor’s lips twitch.

“Fair enough,” Trevor said, studying him for a minute before he asked. “Why didn’t you tell anyone, Braxton?”

“Because no one cared,” Braxton said hollowly, forcing himself to ignore the way that Zoe’s eyes watering affected him and focused on Trevor.

“You really don’t think anyone cares about you, Braxton?” Trevor asked, finishing off the last bite of brownie as he placed the container on the desk.

“When am I leaving?” Braxton asked instead, hoping to get it over with before his father had a chance to change his mind.

“Your parents promised they’d be back by the end of the month,” Trevor explained while Braxton absently nodded, not bothering to point out that was the same promise that his father made every time he called.

“Until then?” Braxton asked, wondering if this was all part of his father’s plan to force his Aunt Haley to take him in and put him under the same roof as Grandma Blaine. He wouldn’t put it past his father to plan something like this since it would give his father direct access to Grandma Blaine.

“Your Aunt Haley and Uncle Jason want you to stay with them until your parents come back, which pleased your grandmother, but I didn’t think that was a good idea,” Trevor said, making him frown in confusion. “That was followed by Reese and Kasey offering to take you in, but I didn’t think that would be a good fit either.”

“Because of Mikey,” Braxton found himself murmuring as he tried to make sense of what Trevor was saying.

“She’s a violent little thing,” Trevor said with a fond smile.

“Why didn’t you think it was a good idea for Uncle Jason and Aunt Haley to take me in?” Braxton asked, knowing that if Uncle Jason and Aunt Haley took him in that his father would turn those monthly calls into daily calls and find a new way to make his life a living hell to get what he wanted.

“Because,” Zoe said as she reached over and covered one of his clenched fists with her hand, “we think you’d be happier here.”

“My father won’t let that happen, not when there’s a chance that Aunt Haley will take me in,” Braxton said, dropping his head back against the wall.

“What do you want, Braxton?” Trevor asked softly.

“It doesn’t matter what I want.”

It never did.

“Then, tell me what you don’t want, Braxton,” Trevor said as Braxton stared straight ahead.

“I don’t want to go back to that house.”