“Good,” he says, and then he yawns loudly into the phone. “Shit, sorry. I’m so damn out of it. I woke up to Jayden in my bed. It was freaky.”
I laugh at that and my face hurts from grinning. “I’ll let you go.”
“Okay, go mingle with that family of yours.”
I pause. “Yeah, about that… I kind of told them to fuck off and that I don’t want them in my life.”
“Holy hell, that’s amazing,” he says and I laugh. “Or wait, am I supposed to say something else?”
“No, it’s good. Matty said something crappy, of course, and I hit him. Then he pushed me into the counter where I busted my nose.”
He pauses. “Excuse me? He did what?”
“It’s no big deal.”
“Um, yes, it is. What did your mom, dad, or hell, anyone do?”
“Nothing.”
“What? Are you serious? I’ll kill him,” he says, his voice full of venom.
“Whoa, killer. Siblings fight.”
“I’ve never put my hands on Lucy—neither have my brothers. You don’t hit girls.”
He really is perfect.
“Just stay in your room, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay, call me if you need me to come up there. Or better yet, I’ll send Jude to come get you.”
“They aren’t holding me hostage, Jace.”
“Fine, go to a hotel. I’ll get you a room.”
“Jace, be real.”
“If I’m real, I’d fly you home. Now I’m worried.”
“Don’t be. I’m fine.”
He pauses and then clears his throat. “Like really, really fine? I’ve been so worried that you would…”
He trails off and I know what he is talking about. The cutting. But he has nothing to worry about. “I haven’t hurt myself. At all.”
“Good. That’s really good.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Okay, will you text me later?”
“Yeah, text me when you wake up.”
“Cool. Okay, I love you.”
“I love you.”