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There’s silence, and I open my eyes again to see Aspen gesturing at me as Caden stands over me.
“Holy shit… Pike, what’s going on, man?” the concern in his voice is palpable. “You never get drunk… and today of all days?”
I raise my head and smirk at Caden. “As if you don’t know.” I wag my finger in his face. “You know! You know what’s going to happen!”
“Why don’t you tell me?” Caden asks patiently.
The smell of coffee makes my stomach churn, a steaming mug suddenly in front of my face.
“Drink it, please,” Aspen begs, looking out the sliding glass toward the party.
“I want to see Lily!” I growl, trying to stand.
Strong hands set me back in place.
“You’re not going anywhere like this but back to your room,” Caden says flatly. “But I want to know why the hell you’re in this state to begin with. This isn’t you.”
Shame overwhelms me, and I look at Aspen’s concerned but disappointed face.
“YOU KNOW WHY!” I yell.
“All right,” Caden says firmly. “We’re taking him upstairs.”
He grabs one of my arms, and I resist him, but Aspen whispers in my ear, “Please, Pike, think of Lily. It’s her special day.”
“I am thinking of Lily,” I moan, dropping my head miserably. “They’re going to take her. We’re going to lose her!”
“He’s out of it,” Caden sighs. “Help me get him out of here, Aspen, before the guests see him.”
“Who cares about the guests?” I mumble, but when Aspen takes my other arm, I don’t fight her. I’m suddenly insurmountably sleepy. “We’re going to lose her.”
“Shh, stop saying that,” Aspen urges me. “You’ve had too much to drink.”
“No one is taking her from us,” I slur.
“You’re damn right,” Caden concedes. “And when you sober up, we’ll talk about it, all right? But for now, you need to get your head on straight.”
“My head is on straight,” I argue, but I can’t be sure if I say the words aloud or not. I can barely see as I’m led up the stairs.
I have no idea how long it takes to make it up to my room, Caden and Aspen flanking me. Their voices fade in and out of my consciousness, my feet stumbling several times in the walk. Eventually, I land face-first in my unmade bed. I hear Caden say something about letting me sleep.
“I want to see Lily,” I mutter one last time before the world around me goes completely dark.
CHAPTER 28
Aspen
Staring pityingly at my passed out lover, I debate what to do with him as Caden sighs heavily.
“I’ve never, ever seen him like this,” he says again. “All the stress of this adoption is getting to him.”
I spin around to face him, taking in the absolute disaster of Pike’s bedroom. “He’s not the only one, Caden. Your accident is related to the tension in this house, too.”
“Come on. We should get back to the party before people wonder where we are,” he grumbles, not enjoying being called out about his own flaws.
He starts down the attic steps as I give Pike a last glance.
“Don’t worry about him. I have banana bags in my room. I’ll hook him up after the party’s over,” Caden tells me, glancing back from the landing.
