Silence (Silence #1)(57)

“Want me to stay here?” he asked, and wiped a tear from my cheek. I shook my head and gave him a little shove towards the stairs. “See you later then.” He kissed the top of my head and walked downstairs.

As soon as I was in bed, I curled up in a ball and buried my head in my pillow. What the heck was I going to do now?



“Oakley,” someone whispered, making me jump awake. Cole chuckled quietly and sat on the bed. I raised my eyebrows. What was he doing back here? There was no way my parents would have let him in at this time. He scratched the back of his neck, “Jasper just came over, said you were upset, and gave me his back door key so I could sneak in.” Damn interfering brother!

I rolled my eyes and pulled the quilt back. As I hoped, he got straight into bed and wrapped his arms around me. “Are you okay?” he murmured against my forehead. I snuggled closer, loving how perfectly I fit against him. I nodded and started to drift off, happy that I was now safe in Cole’s arms.

“I love you,” he whispered sleepily.



Jasper sat down on the end of my bed, and I sighed. I heard him come home in the early hours of the morning, just after Cole snuck out. We were now all back in my room after having a BBQ dinner. Oh well, I could find out all about it now. I nudged Cole lightly, prompting him to ask. “Ouch,” Cole shouted dramatically.

“Oakley, stop beating up your girlfriend,” Jasper teased. I grinned and pushed myself up, so I was facing Jasper. Cole rolled his eyes and sat up, pulling me onto his lap.

“What happened with Abby?” Cole asked bluntly. I gave him a flat look; he was supposed to do that a little more tactfully.

Jasper frowned and looked… Shy?

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “She wants to get back together. Part of me wants that too, but I don’t know if I can trust her.”

I couldn’t blame him for that. I doubt I would be able to trust someone after they let me down. I didn’t trust Dad anymore, and I couldn’t see me trusting him ever again.

“What did she say? Did she explain?”

Jasper nodded for a long time, lost in his own thoughts.

“Yeah,” he finally said. “She told me that after our argument, she went to the party and drank too much. She was hurt and angry, and just wanted to get wasted with her friends. She ended up in his room, and they… You know.”

He looked down, his face twisted in pain. My poor brother.

“I keep thinking that maybe we can try again, but is there really any point if I’m constantly thinking she’s screwing someone else?”

I shook my head.

“You just hate her!” Jasper said. I hated her less than I did since she properly apologised to him, but I could still remember how heartbroken he was, so I hadn’t forgiven her.

He shrugged. “In the end we decided just to try and be friends and see what happens. I don’t know if we can be friends or not, but I don’t want to be angry and keep hating her all the time, you know what I mean?”

I knew exactly what he meant. That why I was letting Julian into my life, sort of.

“Anyway, I’m not sitting around here moping all day. I have a date with a cute little brunette tonight. Later,” he called, looking over his shoulder as he walked out of my room. I smiled. Jasper was back.

“Your brother’s weird, babe.” Cole laughed, shaking his head. He was weird, but he was the best brother ever.

Cole pushed me down on the bed, taking me by surprise, and started peppering little kisses across my cheek and along my jaw. I wrapped my arms around his back.

After Cole left, Dad knocked on my half-open door. I nodded for him to come in, not that he wouldn’t anyway. I pushed myself up and pressed my back against the wall as he sat down on my bed.

I bit down my lip.

“How are you, sweetheart? Okay?”

I nodded, wondering where this was going. He never just popped in for a chat. “Good.” He turned his body, so he was facing me more. Over the past year, he had aged so much. Grey hairs dominated the previously light brown ones at the side of his head. The lines around his eyes had multiplied and deepened. Every day he looked more and more like a middle-aged man. I wondered if he felt that too. That he was losing his good looks and possibly his charm with it.

“I’ve been thinking about us taking another little trip.”

My blood ran cold and drained from my face. I clenched my hands into fists to stop them shaking. No, not this. Not again. Tears sprang to my eyes, welling up and making my vision blurry.

He held his hands up.

“No, sweetheart. I want us to go. To reconnect. Just us, I promise.”

My heart rate slowed slightly, but I still couldn’t relax. I didn’t want to go anywhere with him.

“Do you remember when you were younger, and you would ride around on my back, laughing as I bucked you off onto the sofa? Or when I would come home from work, and you would run out of the front door to greet me?”

Yes, I remember, but that was in a different life. Nodding my head slowly, I forced myself to take deep, even breaths. Thoughts of Frank and his overbearing frame looming over me filled my head. I could still smell his whisky tainted breath and feel his rough stubble scratching against my skin. My lungs burned as I tried unsuccessfully to get enough air.

“I know things have been hard, but I want to change that.”