The backstory kept changing now. The only constant in them was him. His mother was a saint that was addicted or a narcissist that got off on hurting others.

I watched Taylor stretched out asleep. Bringing people into our homes was something in my DNA. My parents had done it before me. Because of them, I now had an adopted brother in Gaze and his girlfriend/fiancée Pixie was family as well. Ruffian, Teddi’s boyfriend, was living with my parents now, too.

I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. Endgame and I had traded insults and hate, even coming to blows when he called Taylor a slut and slapped me. I punched him in response, and he smacked me back. It had been a first. Not the fight—that had happened before. Not the violence—that, too, had taken a dark turn I wasn’t proud of. But the fact I was stone-cold sober when I hit him.

The fact I had defended Taylor had cracked him. Because all the times he cheated on me, I was loyal to him. He had not had to deal with seeing me with someone else.He probably thought he had a lock on my heart.

He did. That much was true. But pretend dating Taylor was freeing me up a little. Letting me breathe a smidge. Endgame was too much. Too much of everything. The way my loyalty was built and the way his self-sabotage was built-in had gone from a match in the worst way to poison.

He had slapped me and I’d punched him. Then he pulled me in hard and kissed my mouth. I kissed back before I regained my senses.

It was a tactic. Calculating. He knew that I was a sucker for the swing of emotions. I reacted to them. Endgame knew it took very little to push me from fighting with him to in bed with him.

I looked down at my phone. I hadn’t plugged it in last night to charge. Four texts from Mom.

MOM: What’s going on?

MOM: Why is Teddi so mad at you?

MOM: Oh no. Taylor? Is everything okay?

MOM: You need to text me or call me or your father and I are driving up.

I picked up my phone and called my parents while repositioning myself on the bed. Taylor didn’t move.

“Austin Thomas Burathon, what in heaven’s name are you doing up there?” Mom’s voice was already shrill.

“Good morning. It’s all fine. And Teddi is better. She’s probably sleeping, right? So she didn’t get a chance to fill you in.”

I was doing my best to murmur, but despite my efforts, Taylor was rolling around. I reached out and stroked her hair to soothe her. A soft smile curled her lips.