Aiden and I stare at each other with the same is this guy for real look.

“We’re not five, Brian, don’t talk to us that way.” Aiden takes a step closer to him, this man, who before all this, was basically our hero. He stepped in when Aiden was arrested and got a lawyer for him. He managed to get custody of Aiden and his brothers so they wouldn’t be separated in the system when their stepfather, Greg, died. He suggested we get away for the break to de-stress from everything that went on and found us a beach house for free in the town Aiden suggested. He never gave us reason to doubt him—at least, not until I walked in on him with my mom when I forgot my sleeping pills. But I never told anyone about that, only Aiden.

Aiden continues, “You’re asking us to keep our mouths shut and forget what we all know. Mason is my best friend. I’m basically living with you and Natalia until I’m eighteen. You want me to lie to her for you?”

Brian locks eyes with Aiden, probably trying to decide how best to get his way. Before he can say anything to make this situation much worse, I exhale the breath I’ve been holding and look between my mom and Brian.

“We’ve both known for a couple of weeks and didn’t say anything,” I admit. “If you’re trying not to get caught, at least do a better job hiding it.”

It’s hard to keep the venom laced in my words hidden, and Mom opens her mouth then closes it again. They both look genuinely taken aback.

“You were spying on us?” she asks incredulously.

“As I said, you should do a better job hiding it,” I say flatly, then look over at Brian. “And you have a family. Your son is our best friend. The only reason we didn’t tell him yet is because we didn’t know how to do so without destroying his world. You need to figure your shit out, Brian.”

“I’ll have to take that into consideration, Amelia,” Brian says.

“This secret has been weighing on my conscience for two weeks now. I could barely look at Mason without wanting to puke the entire time we were in Torywood Springs. It’s not my place to say anything, but I will if I have to. I can’t keep living like this, running away every time he breathes in my direction because I can’t take the guilt. He deserves better. So—I’m going to say this once—either you tell him, or I will.”

Brian puts his hand on my mom’s lower back. “Like I said, this situation is . . . complicated. You’re right, Mason and Natalia deserve better, and it’s not our intention to hurt anyone. I’ll have to take some time to think about the best thing to do. Don’t say anything to Mason, I’ll figure out the best course of action.”

Aiden and I exchange a glance. Is he buying this? Am I?