Cruel Prince (Royal Hearts Academy, #1)(21)

And I know the second he marries Savannah and they have babies…he’s going to forget all about me, too.

Because it’s clear he hates anything that reminds him of her—and now that he’s marrying Savannah and starting over, he won’t need me anymore.

He’ll have his replacement family.

Instead of the broken, damaged leftover daughter he got stuck with.

The one he no longer wants, because she’s tethered to all the bad shit in his life.

Tears sting my eyes as I round the corner and charge down the next block. Not even the heavy rain is enough to keep them at bay.

He promised he’d never leave me. He swore I wouldn’t lose him like I lost her.

It turns out my father’s nothing but a lying asshole.

The pebble hits Jace’s window so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter.

Mr. Covington’s probably going to be mad if he catches me throwing rocks at his son’s window in the middle of the night, but I don’t care.

Regardless of our weird argument earlier, I need my best friend. It doesn’t matter if Jace doesn’t feel the same way about me, I’ll get over it. I’d rather have part of him than none at all.

I launch another pebble at his bedroom window. If he doesn’t wake after this, I’ll throw a damn brick through it.

Fortunately, I don’t have to, because a sleepy, shirtless Jace sticks his head out. “Dylan?” His face falls when he looks down at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything.” My voice cracks as every ounce of emotion I’ve been holding back for the last few months bursts wide open. “My dad…he…Savannah. Everything is wrong, Jace.”

Since his room is located on the second floor, I begin mounting the large tree that slants toward his room, but he halts me.

“It’s pouring outside. You’ll slip and hurt yourself. I’ll unlock the front door.”

Before I can remind him I’ve climbed the very same tree over a dozen times, he’s ushering me inside his house and up the staircase.

I try my hardest to be quiet so his dad doesn’t wake up, but my sobs betray me.

It feels like I’m losing my mom all over again.

Only worse…because I’m losing everything right along with her now.

My memories. My family. Even Jace is slipping away.

“How could he do this to me?” I choke out as fat, ugly tears rivulet my cheeks. “How could he marry her?”

Anger splashes across Jace’s face. “Shit. I’m s—”

“It’s three in the morning.” Mr. Covington’s confused gaze bounces between us. “What is Dylan doing here?” Before either of us can say a word, he pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “I was afraid something like this might happen. I know you two care about each other, but you’re not old enough to be having sex—”

“Jesus, Dad,” Jace argues. “I’m not fooling around with Dylan. Can’t you see how upset she is?”

He blinks as he takes in my tear-stained face. “Oh.” He rests his hands on his hips. “Look, I’m sorry, but I still don—”

Jace grabs my hand and wrenches me up the remaining steps. “I don’t care what you think. Dylan’s staying.”

Mr. Covington starts to say something, but Jace slams and locks the door behind him. “He’ll go back to sleep soon. He always does.”

I’m so cold my teeth chatter. “I didn’t mean to get you in trouble, I just didn’t know where else—”

“It’s fine.” He grabs a hoodie off the back of his desk chair and hands it to me. “Put this on.”

His cool, clean scent fills my nostrils as I slip it over my head. Most of the boys in my grade smell like cheese, sweat, and onions, but not Jace.

He always smells like freshly washed laundry right out of the dryer. Warm and familiar. Personal and intimate.

After carefully maneuvering my wet tank top off, I slide into the bed next to him.

On instinct, he drapes an arm around my midsection and tugs me until my back is pressed against his chest.

Sneaking out to Jace’s bedroom in the middle of the night to cuddle has been our little secret for the last two years. It’s not something we bring up, and it doesn’t happen all that often. Just when one of us is missing our mom so bad we can’t take the pain and we need to be around someone else who understands.

Like my dad, the Covingtons don’t like to talk about their mother either. Especially Liam and Bianca, since they were in the car during the accident.

According to Jace, the only one who brings her up from time to time is Cole.

But he only talks about the happy stuff. The Hallmark, cookie-cutter moments.

Never the important things.

Like how sad and depressed his mom became a few months before she died.

Or the fact that Jace is the only one who knows why she was so upset.

Well, Jace, Mr. Covington…

And the woman he cheated on his wife with.

Jace wants to confront him about it and tell his siblings the truth, but he feels like if he does, he’ll be taking the only parent they have left away.

Given my current situation, I can understand why he’s so hesitant.

“It hurts.” My chest is so full of grief and heartache, I’d probably sink right down to the bottom of the deepest ocean. “It hurts so much.”