I had never told my father any of this.

After my mother died, Dad had grown fiercely protective of Ruby and me, and I knew that the day he learned the truth, he would never see Travis the same way again. Now there was no hiding it.

Chapter 3 — He Took Off His Jacket

Dad slowly slipped off his jacket. Travis straightened, suddenly less sure of himself.

“What are you doing?”
My father draped the jacket over the back of a chair. Then he rolled his sleeves up.

For one frightening second, I thought he was about to hit Travis.

He didn’t.