After over a year of obsessing and practicing every chance he can get, Ian is so excited to be playing in his first real game. My parents decide to make a true event out of it, bringing a cooler full of pops and treats for us all to enjoy. We get to the ball park early so we can get a good seat, and when he sees us, he waves excitedly. He looks so cute in his little baseball uniform, and in this moment I feel almost like a proud big sister.

Baker is waiting for us when we arrive. He's been so busy working that he hasn't had much time to spend with his brother lately. I'm not sure if Ian knows why, but seeing them together in the dugout tells me that nothing has changed. The two are still exceptionally close, laughing together as they wait for all the other kids to arrive. Just before the game starts, Baker joins my family on the bleachers, reaching into the cooler to grab a homemade sandwich and a root beer.

"Thanks for making all these, Ashley," he says, smiling at my mom as he takes his first bite before sliding an arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him.

My mom waves her hand dismissively. "I was happy to. Just wanted to make sure we all had something to eat during his big day."

Baker grins and turns his head toward the field. But a moment later he looks to his left, as if doing a double take. The blood drains from his face as he sets his can of soda down and removes his arm from my shoulders, scooting a few inches away. I look at him, my brow furrowing in concern, but he doesn't notice me. He's too busy staring at something to the side of us. I follow his gaze, and my blood turns cold.

"What is he doing here?" I ask Baker, who is staring at his father with his mouth hanging open. I look at Baker again, but he just shakes his head, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and gets to his feet, leaving his sandwich and pop can forgotten beside him.

"I-I'll... uh...." He clearly doesn't know what to say. "I'm going to go... over there for a bit."

My mom turns to look at him. "Where are you going?" she asks, confused. "The game's just about to start."

He nods his head. "Yeah. I-I know. Um. My dad is here. So I'm going to go... over there. With him."

My parents have been dying to meet Baker's dad for months, so they both seemingly perk up at his words. "Well, invite him on over here," my dad says, smiling. "We've got plenty of food and drinks over here. And Ash and I would love to meet—"

"I have to go," Baker interrupts as his dad locks eyes with him. "I'll talk to you guys later." And before he can say another word, he hops down the bleachers and runs over to his father. The two talk in hushed voices for a minute before taking a seat at the edge of the bleachers together. A combination of horror and rage fills my soul at the sight of Jay Scott. Not surprising, considering the last time I saw him he'd just smacked the shit out of my boyfriend and made him spit blood.

For the rest of the game, I find myself keeping an eye on Baker's dad, watching his every movement for signs that he's going to get violent. But he seems like just a normal guy. He cheers for Ian when he hits the ball and runs to second base, and then applauds when he scores a point for his team. Ian is so busy waving happily at us that he hasn't noticed his father is here too. And it hurts my heart to know that he probably wasn't even expecting him to show up. We stay for the whole game, my parents jumping up every time is up to bat.

All those months of practice have really paid off, because it's clear Ian is the best on the team. Definitely the kid with the most passion for the sport. We cheer for him the whole day, but every time I turn to look at Baker, I see he's just sitting beside his father, lightly clapping with a stoic expression plastered on his face. I've never seen him so tense, and it scares me. I don't eat anything, because if I do then I might be sick. I'm just too focused on my boyfriend and making sure he stays safe.

Ian's team wins their first game, much to his delight. After the teams shake hands, he goes running off the field, not toward his father or brother, but toward us. He's all smiles as he throws his arms around my dad, who's beaming at him as he pats the hat on top of his head. "You did great, bud," he says as Ian takes his hat off to wipe the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "Hell of a game."

"We're so proud of you, honey," my mom says, and she pulls him into a hug, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "You're going to have to come over to tell Auggie all about it." We decided it would be best to leave my brother with a babysitter, as he's still a little too young to go to an event like this for this long and be comfortable.

"I will," Ian says breathlessly, his cheeks pink as he smiles up at my mom. Then he searches around, as if just now realizing someone's missing. "Wait, where's Baker?" he asks, confused. "He was here earlier."

"Oh, he's over there," my dad replies, pointing across the bleachers. "He's sitting next to your dad."

Ian follows his gaze, and the smile wipes off his face in a moment. "Oh," he says simply, staring ahead and watching his older brother talk to their dad in hushed whispers. "Um. I'm going to go over and talk to them, okay? But if it's okay, can I come over later?"

My mom pats his shoulder. "Of course, honey. You're always welcome." Then she leans down and presses a quick kiss on his cheek. He gives her a soft smile before turning around, taking a breath, and running over to his brother and father. I watch him as he reaches his family, and I see Baker light up a little as he ruffles his brother's hair playfully. But the smile he's giving doesn't reach his eyes, and only I know why. He's scared of the man standing beside him. The man who keeps leaving all the bruises.

When I look up at my parents, I see they're watching the three of them interact too, curious expressions on their faces. "We should get going," I say, trying to pull their attention away from Baker and Ian. But they don't look away. "Guys!" I half yell, and they both jump, startled, as if they've completely forgotten that I'm here too. "We need to go. Mully going to want to leave soon."

"You're right," my mom replies. "I'm going to have to pump soon too." She turns and looks at my dad. "Are you ready?"

My dad hasn't stopped watching Baker and Ian. His lips are curved down in a frown as he nods his head, his eyes dark with what looks like suspicion. "Yeah. Sure. I'll... I'll pull the truck around. You ladies want to gather all of our things?" We nod our heads, and my mom and I silently pack up our stuff while my dad goes to get the truck.

It takes twenty minutes for us to load everything up and drive home, which wouldn't be so bad if we didn't do it in total silence. The tension in the car is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. For some reason I feel nervous. Like I'm a kid who just got caught doing something wrong. Which is silly, I know. But something has felt off since the moment Baker left us to go sit with his dad. I send him a text message asking if he's okay, but he doesn't respond quickly like he usually does, which doesn't help my anxiety about this whole situation.

I feel nauseous thinking about how his dad could be hurting him right now. Leaving a new bruise or cut on his poor, tortured body. I want to go to his house and stop him. Pull him off of my boyfriend. Protect him. But we're one week shy of Baker's birthday, and I know he would never forgive me if I messed this up now. So I bite my cheek as we pull into the driveway of our house and jump out of the trunk to grab our things from the bed.

"You can leave that for now," my dad says, his voice more serious than I've ever heard it before. I open my mouth to argue, but he gestures toward the front door. "Come on. Your mom and I need to talk to you about something."

I nod my head, definitely feeling like I'm in some kind of trouble now. "Okay," I say, and the three of us head into the house together. I'm not used to feeling this way, so I don't know what to do. My mom takes Auggie from Mully, our seventeen year old babysitter, and carries him upstairs to his crib. My dad stays downstairs to pay the sitter for his time, leaving me wondering what I should do. I decide to go into the kitchen to find a light snack that won't have me throwing it back up again, and land on a lonely apple in our fruit bowl.

I've just taken my first bite when my parents come into the kitchen and take a seat at the table opposite me. We sit in more silence for a bit as I chew my apple and set it down on the table. "Is everything okay?" I ask, because the anticipation is killing me, and I'm already stressed to the max.

My mom closes her eyes and sighs. "Summer, there's something we need to talk to you about."

My stomach feels like it's in my throat now. "About... about what?" I ask, still tasting the remnants of the apple in my mouth and wishing that I hadn't eaten any of it at all. Already it feels like it might come back up.

"Well," my dad says, looking at my mom for guidance. She bites her lip, and he continues. "Your mom met with an attorney the other day. Actually, she met with your attorney. Heather Murphy?"

"Why would you meet with her?" I ask. And then my mind goes to the absolute worst case scenario. "Oh my God. You aren't getting a divorce, are you?" No. My chest grows tight at the very thought. I can't lose Bert. Not now. Not ever. He's my dad. The only dad I've ever known.

"God, no," my mom says with a nervous laugh. "Absolutely not." I breathe a sigh of relief as I lean back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest protectively. "No, actually...."

She looks at my dad, who stares me down in a way he never has before. Then he sighs and says, "Do you know what's going on with Baker?"

I feel sick. "What do you mean?" I ask, unsure of where they're going with this line of questioning.

"The bruises," he explains, and I visibly wince. "Do you know why he's always getting banged up?" I don't answer. I can't. If I tell them the truth, then I'll be ruining everything. If I don't, then I'm lying to my parents. And I don't lie to them. I wouldn't even know how. But my lack of response seems to give them the answer they're looking for. "Ian actually told me, Summer. About their dad and the abuse."

My mouth has gone completely dry, and I wish I had some water or something to help steady my nerves. "Okay," I say stupidly, because what am I supposed to say? They know now. And I should feel relieved that someone else knows the big secret, but I don't. Because we're just one week away. One. And now... I don't know.

"That's why we spoke to the attorney," my mom explains. "I think we're going to file for guardianship of Ian."

I'm stunned by this news. Blindsided. All this time I thought I was carrying this heavy secret, when all along my parents not only suspected, but were actually working on solving the problem. I want to cry with relief. Tears well up in my eyes as I make a sorry attempt to swallow the lump in my throat. "But then what about Baker?" I ask, my lip quivering. "What's he going to do?"

My mom sucks in a breath and says, "That's a little trickier. I mean, he's about to turn eighteen, so he's not really going to need a guardian. But he can't stay there. So your dad and I have discussed it. And we've decided to turn the guest room into a room for the boys to share for the summer. Until Baker goes off to school."

"Wait, wait," I say, holding my hands up to stop them. "You want Baker to move in with us?"

"There are going to be some ground rules," my dad says firmly, and my mouth falls open. "We obviously understand that you're eighteen now. And soon you'll be adults. But, that being said, we will be keeping a close eye on both of you. No sneaking into the other's bedroom after everyone else is asleep to do... things you aren't supposed to be doing." His face goes red at the thought, and for the first time I feel a smile begin to take shape on my lips. "But we can't just sit by and allow this to continue happening. Not now that we know."

"We've already retained Ms. Murphy," my mom says. "And her team is working on drafting the petition for emergency guardianship of Ian. I don't know when it's going to be finished, but hopefully it'll be done within the next few days. And I know we didn't exactly discuss it with you first, but once Ian told us, there wasn't really anything to discuss. We just had to help them."

A tear escapes, sneaking it's way down my cheek like the world's worst ninja. All this time, I've been so scared. So worried for my boyfriend's safety. Dreading waking up every day and seeing another bruise or busted lip or swollen nose. I've had a pit in my stomach since Christmas, not knowing who to tell, or if I even should. And my parents. My amazing parents. They knew something was wrong. And before they even told me, they already had a plan in place to resolve the issue.

"Don't cry, honey," my mom whispers softly, but I can't help it. I'm so relieved. A sob cracks my chest wide open, and I start bawling at the table. My mom gets up and wraps her arms around me, and I cry heavily into her shoulder while my dad holds my hand. "It's going to be okay. We're here. Shh." Her words are so soothing that they calm the ache in my heart. I don't tell them that I've known for almost five months. That's not important now. What's important as this mess is almost over. In a few days, the love of my life will be safe. And I don't care about the ground rules. I'll follow any rule I need to follow to protect him. To protect them.

That night, I toss and turn in bed again, going back and forth on whether or not I should tell Baker about my parents' plan. I decide, for now, to keep it to myself. If he finds out, then he might try to fight it or stop it. Tell my parents that it's not their problem to fix. That it should fall on him to keep his brother safe. But I'm done allowing him to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. I've done things his way for this long, and he has nothing to show for it other than more bruises. Now... now we're doing things the way they should've done all along. Option A was his guardianship, and option B was foster care. I don't like A, and he doesn't like B. So... we're going with C, whether he likes it or not.

Author's Note:
SUMMER'S PARENTS TO THE RESCUUUUEEEE! Are they not just the best? In my original draft, they had a very bit part to play in her story, so I'm glad I expanded on them a bit. I hope you all love them as much as I do. Next chapter coming as soon as I can write it! Stay safe and healthy until then, my dears!
XOXO,
~Aly