Blood Moon Read Online Free PDF Page B

around.”
    “He's a good kid,” my dad said, causing my
focus to shift from David's retreating form back to him. “You could
do worse.”
    Unsure what to say, I took a sip from my
almost-empty glass and smiled at him as I swallowed my wine. “Yeah.
He's a great partner.” While I already suspected he knew about my
little tryst with David, I wasn’t quite ready to confirm it just
yet.
    My dad looked at me knowingly; I was foolish
to think we'd gotten away with it this long. “Brookie,” he began,
using the nickname he'd given me when I was three. “I just want you
to be happy.”
    “I am happy,” I assured him shakily.
“Really.” It wasn't a complete lie; most days I was—with the
exception of today, of course, because when this day rolled
around, I found it hard to take a breath, let alone function at
all. Usually, I was able to get up, shower, dress, and carry about
my day just like everyone else. I laughed when something was funny,
made jokes, and hung out with David without having him constantly
worried that I was going to go into some kind of catatonic
state.
    Yes, most days I was as close to happy as I
guessed I ever would be.
    “So, are you enjoying yourself?” Dad asked
tentatively.
    And, just like that, my distraction from
what today really meant disappeared, thrusting me right back into
reality with one loaded question.
    I took another sip of my wine and shrugged.
“You and Mom did a great job decorating. The wine is good. And the
food smells delicious,” I replied, sidestepping his original
question.
    I knew if I lied he’d see right through it,
and then this conversation would take another turn entirely.
    Too late.
    My father’s eyes narrowed, and he scoffed
lightly at my response. I dropped my eyes from his knowing stare,
admiring the dark polish on my toes as they peeked out from the
tiny holes in my shoes, and fingered the stem of my wine glass
nervously. “You know how hard this is for me,” I reminded him
softly, feeling the prickle of tears stinging my eyes. Had this
party been thrown on any other day and not my actual birthday, I
may have been a little more mentally sound.
    May have been.
    When I raised my head, his eyes saddened as
he acknowledged his own empty glass. “It's hard for all of us,
Brooke.”
    I nodded in agreement. It wasn’t that I
meant to be selfish, thinking that I had been the only one affected
by the loss of Bobby. I wasn’t. My parents lost him, too. I knew
this. The thing was, though, that Bobby and I were close. Closer
than most siblings. Maybe it was a “twin thing” or maybe it was
just a “sibling thing.” No one could be certain—all I knew was that
when I lost Bobby that night, I lost the other half of myself, and
I couldn’t be sure if I’d ever find it again.
    The rest of the room was abuzz with
laughter, talking, and music, but a heavy silence hung between my
father and me, numbing me to everything else. When he cleared his
throat, I looked back up at him to find the worry he had for me
clearly etched on his face.
    He opened his mouth to speak, but I wasn’t
sure I would be able to handle it in my current state of mind. The
last thing I wanted to do was become hysterical in front of
everyone. Choking back a quiet sob and blinking away my tears, I
stood on my toes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to
go out onto the patio for a breath of air. I’m fine, Daddy. I
promise.”
    I set my empty wine glass down on the
kitchen table as I quickly passed through the abandoned kitchen and
slid the patio door open before stepping out into the brisk night
air. Being the tail-end of October, the night was always a bit more
frigid in the desert, and it was only going to get colder. In an
effort to keep warm, I wrapped my arms around myself and roughly
rubbed my hands over them, hoping the friction would help a
little.
    The night sky was clear of clouds as I made
my way toward the pool, and I could see the stars and the waxing
crescent moon