I groan.
When Madison sends texts this early, she’s on a mission to get a reply. Also, she reserves Sunday mornings for long sleep ins. If she’s awake this early, something’s up.
I roll onto my back as I take my phone from Scott who then brushes a kiss across my lips and leaves the bed to walk into our en suite. His naked ass almost draws all my attention, but honestly, I’m too tired for that. I read the texts instead.
Madison
Do you know what happened at the party last night?
Madison
Savannah slept here after the party, and I just found her with a black eye.
Madison
A black fucking eye that I didn’t notice last night when the girls got home! What am I going to tell Scarlett and Wilder????
Another text comes in as I’m reading.
Madison
WAKE UP, HARLOW! I’M STRESSED THE FUCK OUT HERE. WE ALL KNOW HOW PROTECTIVE WILDER IS. AND OMG SCARLETT WILL KILL ME!
I sit up, fully awake now, and call her.
She answers immediately and I hear every ounce of her stress. “Did Keaton say anything when he got home from the party? Savannah’s not talking, and neither is Jewel. I may needyou to come save my daughter if she decides to stay silent. Honestly, that’s the last party I allow her to go to. J can finally get his way and lock all our girls up and never allow them out again.” She exhales a long breath when she finally stops talking.
“I didn’t see Keaton when he came home. Scott did, though, so I’ll ask him.”
“Ask me what?” Scott says, coming back into the bedroom.
My gaze is drawn to the muscles in his arms as he pulls a black T-shirt over his head. My husband doesn’t look anywhere near his age. Scott makes fifty-four look like forty-four.
“Did Keaton say anything about the party when he got home?”
He shakes his head. “No. But he wasn’t happy about something.”
I frown. “How not happy?”
He grabs a clean pair of jeans from the wardrobe before eyeing me again. “He looked like he wanted to punch the shit out of someone.”
Oh God.
Our seventeen-year-old son is like his father when it comes to using his fists: he has no patience for dickheads and is more than capable of winning a fight. Unfortunately, he’s found himself in more fights than I care for becauseunlikehis father, he’s not capable yet of controlling his urge to brawl.
“You didn’t ask him about that?”
Scott gives me a pointed look while he dresses. “No. He wasn’t in a mood to talk, and I wasn’t in a mood to be pissed off by that.”
Keaton and Scott have always been close, but Keaton’s teen years have caused issues between them. Scott has little patience when Keaton shuts down on him during conversations and this is often a source of their arguments.
“Okay.” Madison brings me back to our conversation as I watch Scott stride out of our bedroom. “So, we still know nothing. Can you go and ask Keaton if he knows anything?”
I rub my temple where a headache is threatening. I’m already sensing today isn’t going to be my favourite day of life. “Yeah. I’ll call you back.”
We end the call, and after using the bathroom and dressing, I make my way to my son’s room. It takes a few minutes of knocking to wake him, and by the sound of his grumbly “What?” he’s as happy as I am to be awake.
“I need to ask you something,” I say through the door.
