“Right, right. Sorry. Meet me at the Speed Zone. You know where that is?”
He did. It was a coffee place only a couple of doors down from O’Malley’s, right on the main drag.
“I’ll be waiting out front,” Lyric said before she disconnected the call.
“Holy smokes!” Lyric said when she saw Jace. “You aren’t kidding; your nose is broken. Jeez! What’s the other guy look like?”
“Not a scratch on him, except maybe where his hand connected with my face.”
“We gotta get you to an emergency room.”
“Is there another hospital, other than the one Blythe is in?”
“I think so, but why? Wait, you know what? Never mind, forget I asked. Get in the truck, and I’ll see if I can figure out the next closest.”
Jace wanted to thank her, but it hurt so much to talk. “Thanks,” he managed anyway.
“You got it. I tell ya, someday I am gonna write a book about you crazy Rice boys, might even throw Patterson into the story.”
“Not funny.”
“Wasn’t tryin’ to be. I am gonna write a book. You guys are too good of characters to pass up. Mark my words, it’ll be a runaway best seller.”
“Where do you want me to take you?” Lyric asked Jace when he came back through the door to where she sat in the waiting room. He didn’t feel much better than he had when he’d gone in. In fact, he felt worse.
“Back to my truck.”
“Sure you can drive?”
“No. Probably not.”
“Are Billy and Renie at the ranch, or are they in Crested Butte?”
“They’re in Crested Butte. Liv had the baby yesterday, or was it the day before. I have no idea, days are kinda runnin’ together on me.”
“You have a key?”
“Nope, but I know where they keep it.”
“Think they’d mind if you crashed there?”
They already thought he was staying there, but last night he’d fallen asleep on the couch with Bree. He wished now he hadn’t left her this morning. But Tuck had needed him, and he had to go to him, even if it meant his secret was now exposed.
He may have severed his relationship with his brother forever, but by doing so, he may have finally given Tucker what he needed to move on with his life. If he did that, he’d be able to be with Blythe and his baby, like he should be.
“You wanna talk about it?”
Did he? No, he didn’t want to, but he needed to.
“Guess I better.”
Lyric pulled out the bottle of Jack from where Renie and Billy kept it, and set it on the kitchen counter in front of Jace.
“How you feelin’?”
“Been better. Although it’s been a long time since I have.”
“Let’s hear it.”