“At least you have each other, right?”
That does make Tuck look at us again, and his smile is soft and easy.
“Yeah, having three older sisters is insane, man, but the two hellions have more than made up for that. Come on, all the kids want to meet you, Lex. I earned so many points when I told them you’d be here.”
“Asshole,” Lex mutters. “As long as none of them kick me in the nose, I guess,” he says, as if terribly put out, but I know that he actually loves playing with little kids. He’s always been good at it.
We spend three hours surrounded by too many little boys and girls who hang onto every word out of Lex’s mouth. I also win them over eventually—maybe. Maybe I hack into the building’s network, and maybe I mess with the lights and the music. It has all the moms inside frowning and growing irritated, but the kids love it, so no regrets.
The constant running ends up being a bit too much for Lex’s still-healing face, though, so we take our leave with big smiles on our faces and promises to visit the kids’ school soon.
I should’ve known, though, that it couldn’t last.
Walking into the house, I’m thinking of pulling Lex into a shower with me, of kissing every inch of his face softly and then maybe kissing down the rest of his body when the door bangs open again, and running footsteps make the pit of my stomach harden up.
Then the shout, I’ll never forget it.
“Eli!”
Austin sounds scared, and looks it too, I see when he runs into the hallway.
“Wha—” I have to swallow hard to be able to speak. “What happened?”
“Your parents. They were in an accident.” He holds up his phone and I see he’s talking to Bryce, one of Lyla’s bodyguards. “They’re on their way to the hospital now. Your Dad ...” He pauses, and a cold I didn’t know existed freezes the blood in my veins. And though I want to collapse and cry, maybe hide behind Lex, I know I can’t. “Bryce said they T-boned them.”
“A-and Mom?” Lex asks, his voice shaking as bad as his hand. I realize when I grip it.
“I don’t know, they’re both?—”
Bryce’s voice comes through the tiny speaker of the phone and Austin pulls it up to his ear.
“What?” A nod, then another, then he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Okay, we’re on our way.”
“Don’t hang up,” I snap. “Tell us.”
Austin nods and holds out the phone for me to take but relays the information.
“Troy is in rough shape, he was driving, but he refused help and got into the same ambulance as your Dad who was unconscious. Lyla was awake but they also loaded her into the ambulance and Sil is going with her to Mount Sinai.”
21
Lex
I don’t know what, but even through the haze of worry and fear I see something come over Eli.
His shoulders snap back, his chin tilts up, and he nods once as if he’s suddenly made of stone.
“Get us to the hospital. Leave us in the ambulance bay.”
That’s fucking illegal, isn’t it?
Still holding my hand, he starts walking back out of the house as he brings Austin’s phone up to his ear, and I...
I can do nothing but trail behind him.
I don’t know how or why he’s so fucking calm, not when I can already feel the third tear streaking down my face.
“Bryce?” Eli’s hard voice snaps me out of my head. “Tell me everything.”
