I whack her arm. “No self-pity parties remember.” I give her a pointed look. “He doesn’t know what he’s lost. Plus, he probably has a limp dick anyway.”
Thea blushes and squeaks out a laugh, and before I know it, I’m joining in until my cheeks hurt and eyes stream with happy tears.
Tomorrow I’ll take her away from all of this.
Tomorrow we’ll start a fresh life.
Chapter 31
Nate
Present…
Fucking traffic jams.
The bane of my existence and the reason why we’re now holed up at the services is that Archie couldn’t hold his bladder and needed to pee. The rest of us decided to grab a bite to eat and a coffee, and I tried again for the fiftieth time to ring Hayleigh, but her phone was still off.
Someone nudges my shoulder, and when I look to the side, Ethan nods to the phone. “I know it’s easier said than done,but there’s probably a perfectly good explanation for why her phone's off. It’s most likely going to be her battery.”
I nod, but his words don’t make me feel any better. “Yeah, probably.”
He smiles, rolling his eyes. “She’s not been herself since everything went down, but lately, you can see the difference in her, Nate. You’re good for each other.”
He gets up and walks towards where the rest of our family sits, and I try again to ring her. I look up in time to see Emmy walking towards me. She sits down beside me and links her arm through mine, resting her head on my shoulder.
“I’m worried too, Nate. I even tried calling Thea again, but her phone is still off. I know Hayleigh’s capable of handling herself, but her parents get into her head. They’re so awful.” Her voice wobbles.
Patting her hand with mine, I say. “It’s going to be okay. I think she’s ready to finally tell them once and for all to go fuck themselves.” Emmy lets out a sharp laugh, and before I realise, I’m laughing along with her.
Archie rounds the corner with a bagfullof items clutched closely to his chest. His eyes dart around us all, his foot tapping the floor. “What are you all doing sitting around?Come on,we have to get a move on.”
Rafe balls up his burger wrapper and throws it at him, speaking around a mouthful of food, he garbles. “Stop rushing us.”
Archie dodges the wrapper and digs into the bag at his chest, pulls out walkie-talkies, and then hands them out. First to Cas. “Here you go, your code name is Eagle.” Then he hands one to Mum. “Here, our code name is Hawk.” Finally, he walks up to Rafe. “Here, your code name is Toucan.”
Rafe's face screws up. “Toucan? Why don’t we get a cool bird name like everyone else?”
Archie shakes his head. “Toucan, you know, because you’re twins. Two can, get it?”
Ethan grabs a handful of fries and chucks them at Archie while Rafe mumbles. “I was eating those.”
I cock my brow. “Where the hell did you find walkie-talkies in here? What else do you have in that bag?”
He clutches the bag closer to his chest and lifts his chin. “Important stuff. Now come on, we’re on channel two people, let’s roll.” He spins on his heel and marches off towards the exit.
I look at Emmy as she tries hard to hold her giggle in, and I shake my head. “He is so extra.” We all get up, Ethan grumbling about Archie being bossy and Rafe grumbling because he didn’t get to finish his fries.
Archie’s already in my car, so I open the door on his side, and he lets out a loud yelp and crushes the bag to his chest. “How the hell did you get inside the car already when I have the key?”
He shrugs. “I always take the spare with me.”
My mouth drops open. “I thought I’dlostit. You’re telling me you had it this whole time?” This guy is unbelievable. “What else is in that bag?”
He turns away from me. “Nothing. We don’t have time for this. Get in the car.”
“Give me the bag, Archie.” I try to grab at it, but he holds it tighter to his chest while trying to bite my arm to stop me.
I dive into the backseat with him, my legs hanging out the door of the car as I try to wrestle the bag from him, but he isn’t letting go.
