“Keep him there. I mean it, Ash, don’t let him leave.”
“Come on, man, you know he’s going lose his shit when he sees this, if he hasn’t already.”
My notifications started blowing up, the persistent bleeping making it difficult to concentrate.
“Shit, it’s everywhere,” Asher let out a long breath. “My notifications are going off like crazy.”
“Mine too,” I said quietly, glancing over at Xander who was still playing with his toys. “I have to go.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, but Hailee...”
“Shit, she’s going to freak when she sees this, if she hasn’t already.”
Which is exactly why I needed to get to her. “I’ll call you later. Just make sure Jase stays put at yours, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
“Hey, buddy.” I went to Xander and scooped him up. “Let’s go find Mom and Dad, shall we?” She’d spent the day at the hospital yesterday for monitoring, but they’d released her in the end, and this morning she’d seemed brighter.
“I’m Aze the Monster Achine.” He looped his car through the air as I carried him down the hall to the kitchen, where Mom and Dad were seated at the breakfast counter looking over some papers.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Everything’s fine.” Mom gave me a warm smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she pushed the papers to my dad and held out her arms for Xander. “And how is my favorite little man?”
“Mama, I’m Aze,” he shrieked with delight.
“Sure you are, baby.” She ruffled his hair, pressing her face closer to him.
“I need to go out, are you going to be okay—”
?
?We’re fine, Son.” Dad had collected the papers into one pile now. “You do whatever you need to do. We’re going to take this little monster out for ice cream and then to the park, but we’d like to sit down later to talk to you about some things, okay?”
My stomach dipped. “What things?” I looked between them, trying to read between the lines. But when Mom dropped her gaze, shielding herself behind my brother, I knew. And the pit in my stomach split wide open.
“I can stay,” I said. “If it’s important, I can—”
“Go,” Dad rose and came to me, squeezing my shoulder. “It can wait until later. Tell the guys I said congrats on the win Friday night.”
“I, hmm... yeah, okay.” My eyes flicked over to Mom and Xander again, and she gave me a weak smile. Something was wrong, something they needed to sit down and tell me about. I felt winded. I’d been waiting weeks to know and now the day they decided I was ready to know the truth, I needed to get to Hailee.
Fuck.
“It’ll be okay,” Dad added when I didn’t move. “Everything will be okay, Son.”
But I didn’t believe him anymore.
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up outside Felicity’s house and cut the engine. I had been about to text her to find out where Hailee was, when she’d beaten me to it. Grabbing my cell phone, I quickly sent a text to Asher letting him know I was with Hailee. His reply came straight back.
* * *
Ash: Jase is here but he’s ready to kill something. I might need reinforcements
* * *