Chapter 26

He sat on the edge of the mattress, and I continued sipping the tea. Neither of us said anything. A thousand things ran through my head. Arguments to make him see that it hadn’t been my fault, that I could be trusted. In the end, I could come up with only one thing. “I really amcareful out there.”

He studied me a moment, then nodded. “I know. Stuff just happens. But Liam, you…” He took a breath, then shoved his hands into his long hair, swiping the black strands off his face. He had some Mohawk in his lineage, generations back, and I could easily see that heritage in his face now. “Out of everyone, I worry about you the most.”

That was probably fair. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t an adult capable of taking care of myself. I opened my mouth to remind him of that, but Jackson spoke first.

“I want to talk to you about Austin.”

My whole body tensed, instantly on alert. “What about him?”

“He seems like a nice guy—”

“He’s the best—”

“But I’m worried you aren’t thinking clearly.”