Casey’s long overdue and it’s causing me to have heart palpitations every time I hear a door open.
“Emmett!” Bear shouts at me from the front of the gym when I’ve finally given in to ignoring the door like a boiling pot of water.
Eventually the fucker’s going to boil.
Bear ushers Casey a couple of feet toward me before he pulls back to stand next to Tommy’s mother, Helen.
Dammit. I’m fucking craving a shot of rum so bad right now that it’s good Bear is standing next to Casey’s grandmother. He’s positioned both her and himself between me and the doors out of here.
Time and again Tommy would jokingly say to me Casey got his good looks from his mom, and he was right. Casey looks a lot like her… everywhere except the eyes.
Casey has Tommy’s eyes.
Those stormy dark blue eyes that show the whole world what he’s feeling stare at me with unrestrained anger and contempt.
He looks so much like Tommy, all the alcohol I had last night wants to come back up.
Sweat beads across my forehead and down my spine when I see the anger on Casey’s face. He’s mad and he’s looking at me like the piece of shit I am.
He’s grown bigger since the last time I saw him, but just like his dad, he’s on the smaller side for his age.
Jesus, my fucking heart feels like it’s skipping beats as I slow to a stop before him. There’s a huge fucking ache behind my ribs.
Fuck, am I having a heart attack right here, right now?
“I’m here,” he grunts at me.
He’s looking up at me with those damn eyes and I feel like I’m slowly falling into the deep black as I stare at him.
My throat catches before I can speak, and I have to take a breath before I say, “Me too.”
Dropping to the floor, I kneel before him and look into his eyes. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
The fist comes out of nowhere, and I’ll be damned if my head doesn’t rock back and then to the side.
Looking up, I see his loathing, his pain and suffering. But most of all, it’s his broken heart that makes me feel every bad emotion I can think of. He doesn’t say another word before he breaks away from me and runs out the front doors of the gym.
“Fuck,” I hiss as I stand up from the floor.
“That could have been worse, I guess,” Dale mutters as he grabs my arm to keep me from following. “Give him a f
ew minutes before you go chasing him down.”
A few minutes of hell. Now I’m straight up the center of attention in this crowded gym. Center of attention and I feel like I’m going to puke.
I’m going to go on one hell of a bender tonight, I can feel it.
Chapter Six
Bree
Waking up at five in the morning is rough, especially for a natural night owl like me. So when Chase lets me know it’s time for my second break of the day, I nearly fall over with relief.
It’s been a long day. A satisfying, eye-opening day, but a long day regardless.
Feet dragging, I hear Chase chuckling behind me as I somehow manage to haul my ass over to the office to grab what remains of this morning’s coffee. After gulping down a few mouthfuls out of a mug, I pour it into a paper cup to take outside with me.
I’ve been cooped up inside all day, and I’m hoping some sunlight will rejuvenate me.