“Yeah.”
“How did it go?”
“I never went inside. I rode the bus all the way down there and chickened out. So, I spent Christmas in the bus station feeling sorry for myself.”
I didn’t know what to say. I tried to put myself in her shoes, and I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be after all the time that had gone by.
“Now’s my turn to butt in. I know our circumstances are different, but having lost my mother when I was young, I would give anything to see her one last time.” My mind went back to me twirling my finger around a lock of my mother’s soft brown hair and the scent of fresh flowers. That memory I knew for certain was mine. “I know your mother probably feels sorry for missing out on so much of your life. I can’t pretend to know what you’ve gone through, but I would at least hear her out. You shouldn’t hold on to that kind of resentment forever because when she’s gone, she’s gone.”
“Baby?” Fox opened the door to the patio, letting all the laughter escape from inside. “You okay?” He took a step forward with concern on his face.
“Yeah,” she replied as I handed her the letter. After tucking it into her apron, she quickly wiped at one of her eyes before spinning around. “I’m okay, Drew.” She flashed me a sad smile. “Thanks for listening.”
I watched the two go back inside. I wasn’t the only one with a heavy decision to make.
Chapter Sixteen
“Leave me alone, Blake,” I hissed over my shoulder once I’d closed the register and handed the customer his receipt.
“Tayia, you haven’t been home in two days.”
“I’m an adult. I can sleep wherever I want.”
“You can’t keep avoiding me forever. I want you home tonight. If I have to come out to Jonna’s place and throw you over my shoulder, I will.”
“Hmph.” I stepped away from the counter, distancing myself from him. I liked when he got all alpha with me, except I couldn’t afford to give in just yet. “Well, you know what you need to do to change this situation.”
“You know why we can’t,” he growled.
The chiming of the bell at the front door interrupted our heated exchange as Jonna appeared in a flurry of wild blonde curls, her face splotchy and her eyes bloodshot. Instantly, I stepped around Blake and rushed to her side.
“Jonna? Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Mack . . . er, I mean Adam.” She hiccupped. “I’m not on his list.” I furrowed my brow at her, confused by her statement.
“List? What do you mean?” I knew Jonna wasn’t a racer, and I couldn’t imagine what other list she was referring to.
“The visitation list. He has a list and I’m not on it.” Then understanding dawned on me. A few weeks ago, King was arrested just before he was set to race Knight. The whole thing smelled of a set-up, and it had taken Jonna a while to figure out where they’d taken Mack.
“Well, that doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t you be on his visitation list?” The two of them had been pretty hot and heavy for weeks, which was the reason I hadn’t seen much of her. It was as if any free time away from Catch was specifically designated for Mack. While I was happy that she was happy, I also missed my best friend.
“Mack doesn’t want me to see him as a . . . prisoner.” She looked around as she whispered the last word like it was shameful.
“So what if he is? You don’t care about that.” My voice came out a little louder than was probably necessary.
“I know!” Jonna shrieked and threw her hands up. “That’s what I said, but Brando wouldn’t listen.”
“Brando? Who’s Brando?”
“You know Brando. He’s Mack’s brother.” I took a second to recall the name and was able to place him as the guy with the tattooed forearms and messy black hair from th
e night Mack and Jonna met.
“Oh, yeah. I remember him.”
I spent the rest of the evening with Jonna, soothing her. She was really gone for King. I was genuinely happy for her because I knew exactly how she felt.
It was late by the time I arrived home and the entire house was dark. Music was coming from the garage, and I knew Blake was in there. Part of me wanted to go in there while the other part told me to stay away. Life had become a constant battle of my brain versus my lady bits.