The next morning, I walk downstairs, rubbing my eyes. My footsteps stop at the bottom when I hear voices in my dad’s office.

Hovering by the door for a moment, I hear my mom talking with a man who’s not my dad. They’re discussing Theo’s death. My mom informs him that she wants to change all the paperwork to my name only, instructing him to combine the two accounts. When they start saying their good-byes, I scramble into the kitchen where my grandma is sipping her tea at the table.

“Good morning, Sadie dear.”

“Good morning, Grandma.”

“Where is that hunk of a boyfriend?” she asks, winking my way.

“I assume he’s still sleeping.” I go to the cabinet to grab a mug for my coffee.

“What are you doing down here then?” she jokes.

“Grandma!” I scold her, laughing.

“We have to be respectful, Ida,” Brady’s deep voice declares as he enters.

I grab another mug for him, never turning around, although his mere presence ramps up my heart rate.

“Good morning, beautiful. I missed you last night,” he whispers in my ear before kissing me on my cheek.

“You didn’t have to get dressed on my account,” my grandma jokes.

Brady laughs and joins her at the table. “Good morning, Ida.”

“Good morning, Brady. I’m glad I caught you both before Theo and Maggie come down.” She pushes her tea to the side, waiting for me to join them at the table.

I set Brady’s coffee in front of him and take the seat next to him, his hand immediately finding my knee.

“What’s up, Grandma?” I ask.

“Brady, don’t take it personally, what Theo did last night. He just wants to protect his family. Hell, if I had a daughter and she came home with you, I would have been scared, too.” She shakes her head, imagining it.

“Grandma, it’s just outward appearances. I know we seem different, but—”

“God, Sadie, get over that. I couldn’t give a shit about that. Who cares about the clothes or hair? But I do think I would like you better with tattoos,” she says as she winks at him. “It’s the two of you. There’s something there that doesn’t come around often. God knows Theo and Maggie don’t have it. You two have it though. I can’t explain it, except to say that, when you look at each other, everyone else instantly feels like an outsider, as if you two hold some secret they don’t know about.” She finishes her tea and stands up.

“Don’t let Theo bully you, Brady. I raised him to be a prissy bastard. I should have kept him in Detroit,” she says before venturing out of the room.

“Wise grandma,” Brady says as he leans forward.

“Kiss me,” I say.

And he happily obliges.

My mom comes in a few minutes later after I hear the front door shut. She makes us all breakfast, and my dad joins us a little later. We spend the day lounging around the house until my parents tell me that they want us to join them at the country club for dinner. I insist we will not be going, but Brady contradicts me, saying we will. He has no idea what he’s in for. I’m positive that most of my high school class will be in attendance, whispering about the girl who got her brother killed. I wish Brady would stop trying to please them.

---

We enter the dining room, and there are way too many familiar faces here. Brady entwines our hands, and I smile up at him. He’s always so in tune with my feelings.

I was upset he took off his bracelets and combed his hair down tonight while sporting a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt. You would think he had been born in this crowd if you didn’t know better, but I hate it. I love him the way he is, and I don’t want him changing for anyone, especially these people.

My parents work the room while Brady and I follow behind on the way to our table. I’ve been coming here for years, so I know where our usual table is, but I’m trying to be respectful to my parents. To my amazement, they introduce Brady to every person we come across, but I’m sure it’s because of his new appearance tonight.

My grandma talks with a couple of older gentlemen at a table by the front of the room. She already told me she was going to eat there instead of at our table.

Her exact words were, “Sadie, I’m going to try to get lucky, so I’m sitting here rather than with your boring father.”

I just laughed and walked away. She loves men even though I know she misses Grandpa Pat every day.

Relief washes over me when we finally reach the table. Brady scoots my chair out for me before he sits in his own. My dad follows suit with my mom, but she doesn’t give him her usual smile.

Instead, she gives just a curt, “Thank you.”

Something is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it. My mom has always appeared to be enamored with my dad.

Dinner is filled with long streams of silence. I’m still mad at my dad for last night, so I refuse to talk, and therefore, barely any conversation is spoken. I feel bad for Brady. He looks uncomfortable while glancing over to me every once in a while. Then, the unthinkable happens.

“Brady Carsen, is that you?” a gentleman from two tables over calls out.

Brady turns around, and an instant frown appears across his face before he quickly replaces it with a fake smile. “Jack, how are you?” He stands up and holds out his hand.

“I’m great. I thought I recognized you. What on earth are you doing here?” His enthusiasm is refreshing to our table.

“I’m here with my girlfriend and her family,” Brady answers quietly. He turns toward our table. “This is my girlfriend, Sadie Miller.”

I stand up and shake Jack’s hand.

“These are her parents. This is Maggie, and I think you know Sadie’s father, Theo.”

“Yes, nice to see you again, Theo. Pleasure to meet you, Maggie.” Jack shakes everyone’s hand.

A couple of heads turn in our direction, wondering how my boyfriend knows the famous Jack London. Everything is about whom you know and what you have around here.

“Will you accompany me tonight? I play in about an hour. Nothing spectacular, just some ballroom dancing pieces.” Jack appears hopeful.

“I don’t think so,” Brady answers. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, and his eyes are fixed across the room.

“You should play, Brady. I’d love to hear you perform.” My mom tries to change his mind.

Brady’s eyes veer my way, and I smile, encouraging him to play.

“All right, maybe a couple,” he grudgingly agrees.

“Great. Finish your dinner, and I can meet you in forty-five minutes. Sound good?” Jack doesn’t wait for the answer.

Brady sits back down, and I grab his hand under the table. It’s clammy and cold, and I look at him with confused eyes, but he shakes his head, dismissing my concern.

“I can’t wait to hear you play, Brady,” my dad says with way too much sarcasm in his voice, as if he’s hoping Brady fails in some way.

On the other hand, perhaps he wants this stranger across from him to prove that he is worthy of sitting at the Miller table.

---

I’m eager to hear Brady play, so I take a seat next to my grandma at her table where I can be right up front. My mom grabs the chair on the other side of me, earning a scrunched eyebrow from me. I’ve no idea where my dad is, but I really don’t care at this point.

Brady and Jack are onstage, fiddling with instruments and talking about what pieces they will play.

“He really is attractive, Sadie,” my mom whispers in my ear.

“I know!” I exclaim.

The smile won’t leave my lips because I love watching Brady play.

“He seems to really love you. Do you love him?” she asks.

I stare at my mom, stunned by her question. There’s something different about her since I have been home, and it is a welcome change.

“Yes.” I nod my head, biting my lip. “I’m sure he’s not what you expected from me, but I do love him, Mom.”

“I thought so, honey. If you love each other, that’s all that matters.”

Her comment makes me skeptical, and I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is the same woman who told me, when I was eleven, that I should stay away from Kayla Jacobs because her parents couldn’t afford to belong to the country club. Shallow and vain have always been my mom’s most remarkable qualities. But, now, she’s almost…loving.

“Good evening, everyone. I’m Brady Carsen.”

Brady’s voice brings my eyes back to the stage. He’s gorgeous in his black slacks and button-down.

My grandma whistles, making him chuckle into the microphone. The nice shade of pink is refreshing on him.

“I know that none of you know me, but I’ve known Jack here for quite a number of years. He has asked that I accompany him tonight, and I hope you don’t mind.” He strums his guitar a few times.

“You know that moment when someone comes into your life, and you wonder where you were headed before you met them? Then, your whole life takes on a different meaning, and you start living for them instead of yourself. Well, that happened to me months ago when Sadie Miller fell into my arms. This is for you, beautiful.”

His sultry voice fills the room, accompanied by his guitar, while he sings “When You Say Nothing at All” by Ronan Keating.

I notice the stares from the corners of my eyes, but I don’t care. I want to run up onstage and jump into Brady’s arms, showing these people that he’s mine. For the first time in all the occasions I have seen Brady sing, his eyes stay open the whole time, staring directly at me. He never looks down at his guitar while he strums along with Jack.

Heat resonates through me, and it’s as if we are the only ones in the room. I imagine, if this were a movie, everyone else would fade into a black abyss, leaving a spotlight on us.

As the song draws to a close, Brady puts his guitar down, allowing Jack to fully take over. He walks over and bends down in front of me. Taking my hands in my lap, he sings solely to me. A tear falls down my cheek, and he cups my face to catch the next one with his thumb. When the song is over, he leans forward and kisses me.

“I love you, baby,” he whispers in my ear.

Before I can say it back, he’s already onstage, grabbing his guitar again. When he turns around, he gives me his signature wink.

“Sadie, you need to marry that boy before he gets away,” my grandma says loudly.

“Thanks, Grandma.” I giggle in return, my eyes only on Brady.

The rest of the night, Brady plays a variety of songs with Jack. Numerous songs are popular hits that they turn into an acoustic mix for this stuffy crowd. I happily agree to dance with an older gentleman from our table. He spins me around the dance floor, making it hard for me to keep up. Brady laughs every time his eyes land on us, and I tighten my lips, worried at what I’ve gotten myself into.

Brady and Jack announce that they are playing their last song, making me grateful to have my boyfriend back. I’m done sharing him, especially with these self-absorbed people who most likely don’t appreciate his talent.

Breaking my train of thought, I hear a familiar deep male voice behind me, asking if I want to dance. I reluctantly stand up and take my father’s hand.

He leads me to the dance floor while Brady switches over to the keyboard and starts playing “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” by Chicago. For the first time, his song choice is off because the last thing my dad will ever do is apologize.

“Sadie, I’m not sorry for last night. I see how much you care for him, but he won’t be able to give you the life you deserve,” he says softly so that no one else hears him.

Why he feels the need to quietly state his feelings is beyond me. Most of the socialites here would likely feel the same way.

“What kind of life? A happy one?” I sneer at him.

“How will he support you? Eventually, those looks will fade.”

I roll my eyes. “Dad, Brady is talented, and he doesn’t rely on his looks. Did you ever think that I don’t want someone to support me? I don’t want this life,” I say, looking around.

“Why the hell not? Was your life so bad, Sadie? Was your closet too full of high-end clothes, or was your new Mercedes at sixteen that terrible? I can imagine that having your college tuition plus spending money must be a nightmare. Did I give you such a horrible life that you want to spit in my face now?” His sarcastic voice escalates, but for the first time, I don’t care if we make a spectacle of ourselves.

“I want someone who loves me, and Brady does. He accepts me…fully,” I confess.

“Really? Does he know you were a slut in college? Does he know about Theo and why he died? Does he know that you got your brother killed?” he asks me between clenched teeth, tightening his grip on my hip.

I might have always felt the guilt, but hearing the accusation out loud for the first time hurts much more.

I twist from his arms and run out of the room. In the hallway, I hear the music stop abruptly. When I escape outside, Brady is right behind me, already wrapping his arms around me.

“Take me home,” I whisper through tears.

“Okay.”

He whistles for a cab, and when we climb in, I give the driver my parents’ address. Brady holds me the entire ride, not asking any questions. He’s the only one who hasn’t judged me or treated me differently after knowing what happened.

When we pull up into the drive, I open the door and inform the cab driver to stay. Then, I tell Brady to pack his bags. We’re fleeing this horrible town tonight.

“No, Sadie, I will not let you run from your family on account of me,” he says, grabbing my arms.

“I asked you to take me home,” I say.

“You are home, Sadie,” he answers, confused.

I violently shake my head. “No, take me back to Western. This is no longer home to me.” I run up the stairs to grab my bag.

“Okay, Sadie,” he calls up. His footsteps are behind me before entering the room across the hall to get his belongings.

Just as I shut the front door to leave, my dad’s BMW pulls up, and my mom, grandma, and dad file out of the car.

“Sadie Marie Miller, you’d better think twice before leaving here!” my dad screams.

“What are you going to do?” I yell back, throwing my bags in the trunk.

“This life that you hate so much? Let’s see you live without the privileges it provides. You walk away right now, and it’s gone. All of it,” he hisses.

“Relax, Junior,” my mom pleads. “Sadie, stay. We can talk about this,” she begs, her eyes soft and concerned.

“What’s it going to be, Sadie?” he asks, the ultimatum clear.

“Stop this, Theo.” My grandma steps up and places her hand on her son’s arm. “Brady, talk to her,” she instructs him over the dark night air.

“Sadie, let’s go inside and talk.” Brady links his hand with mine in a kind gesture.

“Listen to him, Sadie. I don’t think you realize what you’re deciding here,” my dad responds.

“Do you really blame me?” I ask. “You think I killed Theo,” I state, my voice shaking.

My mom and grandma gasp between us.

“Of course he doesn’t, darling,” my grandma speaks up.

“Do you?” I demand. “Are you too much of a coward to tell them what you told me not even ten minutes ago?”

My dad remains silent, standing in the headlights of the cab.

“Take it. Take everything. I don’t care!” I yell as I get into the waiting car.

“Sadie, just so we are clear. Your car, your credit cards, your tuition—all of it, gone.” My dad stands outside the cab door now as Brady stands in limbo between us.

“I don’t want anything from you.” I look straight ahead, disregarding all of them.

My mom comes around to the other side of the car. “No, Sadie, please don’t do this,” my mom pleads with me through the window.

“We can deal with this, darling. Come in the house,” my grandma begs right beside her.

“I’m sorry, Mom…Grandma. I love you both. Good-bye,” I say.

Brady enters the cab in silence.

He tells the cab driver to pull away, and I curl into his chest, not looking back. Sobs escape me and wet his shirt as I hear my mom’s screams get fainter with every second.