Freddie looked up from his most recent batch of cupcakes when the doorbell rang. Aaron and Reagan Ann were still asleep — he was alone. For a moment, he considered ignoring the doorbell entirely, but he had a sneaking suspicion he already knew who it was, and if he was right, he knew that there would be another ring before long. He didn’t want the noise to wake up Aaron.

Freddie left his cupcakes to answer the door. He grabbed a rag on the way out of the kitchen and cleaned the frosting off his hands as he went. He’d been up since three baking for a last-minute delivery, and the first batch of cupcakes had cooled enough by now that they were ready to be frosted. He still had the rag in his hands when he opened the door to find Luke standing there. There were bags under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept, and his clothes were slightly rumpled.

“Did you just get off your shift?” Freddie asked. He leaned against the doorway and stifled a yawn. “It’s early.”

“Yeah. I stopped to grab some breakfast and coffee. I figured you guys might be hungry.” Luke hesitated. “I wanted to talk about something. I know you’re busy, but it’s important. Do you mind if we go inside?”

Freddie did mind, but he could also see that something was eating Luke. If it was the same thing that had been on his mind last week when he’d gone back to Luke’s place and they’d fallen into bed together, then Freddie wanted to make sure that Luke got it out before it ate at him. He nodded and backed away from the doorframe, letting Luke in.

They headed to the kitchen together. Freddie tossed the dirty rag into the sink, then leaned against the counter. Luke set breakfast down beside him, then took one of the coffees and popped the tab on the lid. He drank, then took a breath and looked Freddie in the eyes. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

“You can go ahead and say it,” Freddie said, his stomach sinking. He wondered what it was that had gotten Luke so riled. It couldn’t be his mother again, could it? “I’m ready.”

“Well...” Luke looked down at his coffee and lost his confidence. His shoulders sagged, and he frowned. “I was told some news today about the arson attack at your place, and I knew right away when I heard it that I needed to come and talk to you about it as soon as I could after my shift. It’s... it’s not easy for me to say.”

“Something about the fire?” Freddie stood a little straighter, on edge. What could have upset Luke? “What is it?”

“They’re going to make an arrest.” Luke’s voice sounded strained. “... They’ve traced the fire and two others back to my sister, Mel.”

The world stood still for a moment, as though Freddie was frozen in time. He blinked slowly as the news processed. “Y-Your sister?”

“I didn’t know that she could do something like this,” Luke said in a small voice. He continued to stare at his coffee, crestfallen. “I didn’t think that she was that far gone. I always knew she was trouble, but I thought she had a good head on her shoulders. If I’d known, I could have stopped her. I would have alerted the authorities.”

“Your sister?” Freddie repeated, a little more firmly this time. His confusion had started to turn to anger. “Your sister was the one who set fire to my house?”

“I’m so sorry.” Luke let out a slow breath. “I told you as soon as I found out. I don’t even know if she’s been arrested yet. I’m not on her side — I’m on your side. I need you to know that. I don’t support her choices, not for one second.”

None of it was making sense. Freddie’s anger grew. He clenched his fists and tightened his shoulders. “I don’t believe it.”

“Chief told me this morning, after our routine meeting.” Luke looked up from his coffee, his expression sympathetic. “He told me to give me a head’s up because he didn’t want it to impact my career. I’m telling you because you deserve to know. It’s... it’s a shock.”

“You had to know.” Freddie blinked tears out of his eyes and glared at Luke. His anger was starting to get the better of him. “You know your sister. You know what kind of a person she is. Why are you so surprised? You had to have seen this coming.”

“I honestly didn’t.”

“Then what?” Freddie clenched his fists. “Were you just going to sit around and wait until she did something like this? Did you think that was the solution? I just... I went to a barbecue with that woman!”

“I know.” Luke swallowed hard and dropped his gaze again. “I’m sorry.”

“I let her speak to Reagan Ann.” Freddie’s anger mixed with fear. It grew stronger and more unpredictable because of it. “I let the woman who burned down our home — who could have killed us — talk to my daughter. What if she’d done something else?”

“She didn’t.”

“Are you being real right now?” Freddie’s hands trembled. “That’s the kind of attitude that let her burn down our house in the first place! If you knew there was a problem, why didn’t you do something?”

“I’m her brother, not her father.” Luke’s voice hard grown steely. He was starting to get angry, too. “It’s not my place to police her, and it’s not my place to parent her. She’s a grown woman, and the choices she made were her own. I understand that you’re angry, and I understand you’re disgusted because you talked to her at the barbecue like it was nothing, but you need to step back from your anger and realize that this has nothing to do with me other than the fact that I’m related to her. I came to tell you because I wanted you to understand that I’m an upright individual who doesn’t hide away from the truth.”

“Except that’s exactly what you did!” Freddie had worked himself into a blind rage. His terror had stolen his senses. “You ignored the truth until it was too late. She could have killed me. She could have killed Reagan Ann. What would you have done then?”

Luke clenched his jaw, his gaze sharpening with irritation. “Freddie, please listen to reason. You’re allowed to be upset, and I’m not trying to talk you down from what you’re feeling... but you need to stop blaming me for this. I’m not where you need to invest your anger. You need to redirect what you’re feeling and let it out in a productive, healthy way.”

“Healthy?” The tremble made its way up Freddie’s arms. His shoulders shook, and he clenched his teeth. “You think any of this is healthy? There is nothing healthy about this situation, and I’ll be damned if I let you tell me what to do when you knew there was something off about her and you did nothing. You let this happen.”

“Freddie,” Luke said, exasperated. “Please...”

“No.” Freddie couldn’t take it. The most important person in his life — his daughter — had been endangered because of Luke’s inaction. Luke had brought them to the barbecue to meet the monster that had ruined their lives. Even if he hadn’t been aware of her involvement at the time, Freddie couldn’t get over that fact. The ugly look on Mel’s face... had she known? Had she been watching them? On that day when he’d thought he’d heard a noise, had she already been in the house, waiting for them to drop their guard?

The thought made him shudder.

He couldn’t keep living like this. He couldn’t entertain such a dark feeling. He’d made it clear to Luke from the very beginning that Reagan Ann was his priority, and now, he had to take her safety into consideration. How could he stay with a man whose family had tried to kill his little girl?

“I can’t do this anymore.” Freddie took a step forward, closing some of the space between him and Luke. It didn’t matter how well they got along or what Freddie felt for him — he’d endangered Reagan Ann, and that was unforgivable. “You need to leave.”

“Freddie!”

“I’m serious. You need to get out right now.”

Luke’s face didn’t twist with ugliness like Mel’s had. Instead, his lips grew heavy with sorrow and his brows knitted together in frustration. “You’re acting rashly on an impulse. You’re going to regret this later.”

“Get. Out.” Freddie pointed at the door. “Get out of my house right now.”

“I came to you with this out of kindness.” Luke’s voice was strained. “I’m sorry you feel this way, and I’m sorry the choices you’re making now will leave you feeling hollow in the future.”

Freddie’s temper was about to explode. He pointed at the door again.

Luke shook his head and turned. He headed for the door without a fight. “When you come down off your anger high and realize what you’ve done, I’ll be waiting for you. I’m falling in love with you, Freddie, but the way you’re treating me makes me wish I wasn’t.”

Freddie’s heart cracked, and he choked back a sob. “Just. Go!”

The door slammed. The house was silent. Freddie turned back to the kitchen counter, anger and dismay rushing through him at once, sickening him. He lashed out at the nearest thing he could — the cooling rack with his most recently baked batch of cupcakes. The rack flew off the counter and the cupcakes tumbled to the floor.

He curled his arms on the space they’d left on the counter, buried his head in his arms, and sobbed in despair.