“Are you in love?” my mother asked.

I closed my eyes. “Yes. I am.”

“And if you begin a relationship with this woman, this other woman will…” My mother sank her head into her hands.

I swallowed—or attempted to—the lump that had formed in my throat. “I won’t sacrifice you for anything, Tyler. I promise that. You either, Mom. I won’t pursue a relationship with Heather.”

“Heather. A beautiful name. What is she like?” My mother asked.

“She’s intelligent. And beautiful. And headstrong. And determined. She has a master’s in creative writing from Northwestern.”

“Sounds perfect for you,” Tyler said.

She is. But I didn’t say it aloud.

“I have an amazing career, and I have you guys,” I said. “I don’t need a relationship. You know me. I never saw myself as a husband or a father.”

I did now, though. God, did I. I never thought I’d want kids, but the thought of a little girl and little boy with Heather’s auburn hair made me feel warm and gooey inside. I’d start them on guitar and piano as soon as their manual dexterity allowed, probably by age five. Maybe one would like to write like Heather. Maybe one would have a singing voice, like I did.

A beautiful fantasy. It would never be my reality.

My brother was saying something, but I hadn’t heard it.

“Well, Jeremy?” my mother said.

“I’m sorry. Say that again, Ty.”

“Have you tried talking to this Alicia? Can’t you reason with her?”

I laughed. “Reason with her? That’s not an option, Ty. This is a woman who always gets what she wants and enjoys playing with other people. She does it for sport. She’s never had to work a day in her life.”

“What if I went out to LA with you,” he said. “We could talk to her together.”

No way would I put my brother in touch with Alicia. He was doing well, and I wouldn’t risk his mental state.

“That’s not an option,” I said.

“Why not?”

“It’s just not,” I said with force.

Neither of them questioned me on that again.

“I’ve arranged for us to see an attorney here in Chicago tomorrow afternoon to talk about options. He comes highly recommended. I have plenty of money and will pay for the best attorneys for all of us. So at least we have that.”

“I can’t let you go down for something I did,” Tyler said. “I can’t.”

“We all did this, Ty,” my mother said. “Jeremy agreed to give you an alibi, and I agreed to keep the whole thing under wraps. We had clear heads when we went into it, and we knew what we were doing. It felt like the right thing at the time.”

“I wasn’t right in the head. If I had been, I wouldn’t have let you do it. Once I got mentally healthy, I considered going to the cops.”

“Why didn’t you?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t allow it,” Mom said, her eyes protective and feral. “I begged him not to.”

I smiled at her and patted her hand. “Hey,” I said to Tyler. “I’ll never regret it. Look at you now. And we don’t know what will happen. It’s been almost seven years. It’s possible that Alicia is bluffing and won’t do anything. If I stay away from Heather, which I will, why would she? And even if she does, maybe the DA won’t prosecute. Or maybe the attorney can make a case for self-defense or something.” I turned to my mother. “And you’re the most innocent in all of this. All you did was keep a secret to protect both of your sons. You most likely won’t be prosecuted at all.”

“I’d gladly face life in prison to protect both of you,” she said.

“We know that, Mom,” Tyler said, “but neither of us will ever let that happen.”

He was right on that point. If Alicia went rogue, I might not be able to get my brother out of this, but I’d find an attorney who could get my mother off with no more than a slap on the wrist. Then Tyler and I would have to face the consequences of our actions that long-ago night.

I could take it. I had to. My career would wait.

But Tyler? Right now he was mentally fit. I hoped he was strong enough to endure what might be coming.