Cassie (The Mitchell/Healy Family #7)(26)
Next to her stood my cousin Christian. I hugged her next and pulled away to address Brant. “You did this?”
“I knew how lonely you’ve been, baby. I thought maybe if they visited you’d feel better. Not everyone is against us.”
I could have said something smart, like divulged information to them I knew he hadn’t. It was obvious they wouldn’t have visited if they knew what Brant was involved in. “We’re just glad you two are doing so well. This house is amazing. He told us you’ve been working at a casino. Is the money good? Do you make a lot in tips?” Christian asked.
“It’s okay money. Enough about me though, how did you get out of school?”
“I had exams. I’ve got some downtime, and when I went to Kentucky to visit Chris told me what was going on. I can’t believe Mom and Dad didn’t call me.”
“They probably thought I’d come home. It got ugly. I said things to them I regret. Mom has to be devastated.”
“They’ll get over it. Parents always do,” Chris added.
“How long can you stay?” I asked.
“They’re leaving on Sunday,” Brant interrupted.
Right away I felt cheated. They had to leave before Rocky came home and discovered our visitors. I wanted to be happy about the surprise, but for some reason my mind kept going back to all the things I didn’t know about my boyfriend. I wouldn’t be able to get to the bottom of it while we had visitors, and as much as I wanted them there with me, I kind of needed to be alone with Brant so I could drill him for answers. Brant walked up and kissed me on the cheek before heading into the kitchen. I finally dropped my purse on a table and gave all my attention to my family. “I can’t believe you’re really here. I miss everyone so much. How is everyone? Is Josh staying out of trouble? Did Callie get a dress for the Christmas ball? Is she still going with that guy she liked? Are Jax and Amber still mad at me for not being around to babysit?”
Cammie took my hand and sat down beside me. She looked in the direction of the kitchen before speaking in a whisper. “We’ll talk about that later. What’s going on, Cass? You look terrible. Tell us the truth. Are you in some kind of trouble? Is it drugs?”
I’d fallen flat on my face with guilt. They’d all told me being with Brant was a terrible decision, yet I’d gone and done it anyway. My rebellion had led me down a road I didn’t know if I could get back from. I was already thinking about my next score, even though in my heart I wanted to be able to stop. Being in a bad place and seeing the look on their faces made it all real for me. I couldn’t continue down this path. “I’m doing the best I can,” I admitted. “It hasn’t been easy for me.”
Chris sat on the opposite side of me and rubbed my back. “We’re here now. We came because we think you need to come home.”
They couldn’t understand how much I’d thought about it; the idea of being around our family again. At the moment the possibility was unreachable. I was involved in a situation I couldn’t avoid. Running away would only get me in worse trouble. “I’m not going anywhere. I can’t leave Brant,” I lied. The truth was, his secrets were making me question our relationship. Whether he was lying to protect me, or just because he was avoiding the truth wasn’t acceptable. I needed an honest relationship. I needed someone to protect me from the evils of the world, not persuade me to bask in them. I had to start thinking outside the box. It was important to straighten out my life; repair my wrongdoings, and make things right again. Then maybe, after some time, I’d be able to go home again.
“Cassie, please. You need to get away from him. It’s taking a toll on you. We can see it. I think you need help.” My sister was right, though I couldn’t make her aware of it.
“I do not. I’m fine. Can’t we just spend the next two days together and appreciate the time we have?” I was determined to make them see I was fine, even if I had to keep using to prevent from having withdrawals while they were present. “I can show you around town. We’ll go to the strip tonight. The lights on Freemont Street are incredible. Come on, you came all this way. Let’s have a good time. I’ll prove how amazing it is, and when you leave you’ll know I’m happy. I’ve just had a long day. I had to stay late at work and my feet are killing me. My head is pounding out of my head, and I need something to eat before I pass out.”
Cammie and Chris stared at each other for a second. I knew both of them too well to suspect they’d drop the subject. For now they were content on making the most of their trip. As long as I could keep them occupied maybe they’d forget about pulling me away.
My sister, who probably looked the most like me out of my three siblings, was trying to read my mind. I could tell from the way she stared into my eyes at dinner. I kept avoiding her, giving most of my attention to the food Brant had made us. He’d grilled steaks, baked potatoes, and made a creamy macaroni and cheese with big wedges of broccoli in it. The four of us sat outside. We’d turned on the lights around the pool and enjoyed the evening breeze. Much like I’d been when I first arrived, my family were taken back by the place we were calling home. If they only knew about the people we lived with, and what they were involved in they’d have wanted to do whatever it took to get me out of there.
Brant did good being the host. He catered to their needs and went above and beyond to make sure they were satisfied with his actions. He talked about his job briefly basically saying he was an employee of a major corporation for international trading.