“He beat the shit out of you?” Gray asked, sounding raw and devastated.

There was only one cloud, a white puffy cloud in the shape of an elephant, floating lazily across the sky.

“Say something,” Gray begged.

Aidan pointed to the sky. “You see the elephant, or is that just me?”

Gray blew out a breath. “He went looking for you,” he said. “Found you at home with Mom. He figured you’d told her everything, but I know you better than that. You keep your shit bottled tight.”

Aidan closed his eyes, guilt squeezing his airway so tight he couldn’t breathe.

“But apparently Mom figured things out,” Gray said, “and that’s when she went after him with a frying pan. And the rest is history. But Jesus, Aidan. All this time I had no idea you were there that night.” He paused and then said again, “You should’ve told me.”

“No,” Aidan said, eyes still closed.

“No? What the hell, man. He hit you, hurt you. I’m going to—”

Aidan opened his eyes and met Gray’s gaze. “I meant no, I didn’t keep that shit locked up.” Shame burned his throat like he was trying to talk over shattered glass. “I did tell Mom. Not about what he’d done to me, I’d never lay that guilt on her, but about the affair. Even though he’d threatened me and told me that it would kill her, I did. I wanted her to leave him right then and there and she …” He shook his head. “I’d hidden my injuries with a baseball cap and hoodie. She took them off and saw that I had a black eye and my ribs … they weren’t great. That’s when she went apeshit on his ass.”

“Good,” Gray said grimly.

“Don’t you get it?” Aidan asked. “It’s my fault she got hurt, my fault she got arrested. That’s all on me.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You were just a kid, Aidan—”

“Doesn’t matter, I should’ve protected her,” he said. “Us.”

“No,” Gray said, his voice low and rough with emotion he rarely allowed to show. “You listen to me, A. Dad should’ve protected us. And failing that, Mom should’ve—”

“Don’t you blame her.”

“I don’t.” Gray shook his head. “It was a seriously messed-up situation that no kid should’ve been caught in. And I originally thought he should have to fix this, but now—”

“He can’t come here. Mom’s doing good, she’s happy. If he comes—”

“He won’t,” Gray said tightly. “If he does, I’ll kill him.”

“The resort is ours now. We’re going to save it. He’s not going to win, Gray.” He started to move away, but Gray caught him and pulled him back around.