Page 109 of Shattered Hearts

Paisley walks away with the tray. Cole smiles before wincing as Macie hits his shoulder.

“You’re a moron,” Holden grumbles.

“Am not,” Cole retorts.

Reid chuckles. “You’re the epitome of a moron. In the dictionary, your name is the explanation of the word.”

Cole glares at our brother. “You nerd.”

“He’s a hot nerd,” Macie adds, grinning.

Reid kisses her hair. Cole pretends to gag.

Holden reaches around the back of the booth, clipping Cole’s head.

Paisley returns with plates of food. Wedges for Macie. Garlic bites for Laynie. Chicken wings and chips for the rest of us.

Taking some chips, I push the rest in front of Sadie, knowing that she doesn’t eat meat. Sadie reaches for sauce when she knocks her drink over. It spills across the table, landing on Holden’s lap. Grunting, he tries standing, but it’s awkward in the booth. Sadie claps a hand over her mouth. Macie throws napkins their way as Holden glares down at her.

“I am so sorry,” she lets out, grabbing some napkins and dabbing them on his jeans.

Holden’s jaw ticks. “These are my favourites.”

Sadie swallows, hands stilling on his pants. He takes the napkins from her before wiping down the seat.

“I can clean them for you. Or I can pay for you to buy some new ones,” Sadie insists, her tone wobbly as she reaches for her bag and tosses a fifty on the table.

Holden stares at it for a beat before glaring at her. “These are Wranglers. You think fifty will cover it?”

Sadie’s gaze travels to Laynie beside me, screaming for help.

“It was an accident,” Reid cuts in.

I slide out of the booth, followed by Laynie and Sadie, who is still apologising to Holden. He just listens, not saying anything as Macie wipes down the table.

“Holden, she didn’t mean it,” Laynie says, lifting a hand to rest on his shoulder. Holden shrugs it off, stalking over towards the bathroom.

I follow after him, reaching him before he disappears inside, clamping a hand down on his shoulder. “She didn’t mean it, man. What is going on? You’re not normally this grumpy.”

My brother stares at me before rubbing his eyes. Swallowing, he pulls his wallet out of his pocket, and I can see the slight dampness coating it. Opening it, Holden stills at the photo of Ryder and Wynona, the edges frayed and wet as he pulls it out, wiping it on his shirt. “I didn’t want this to be ruined,” he admits, tone low.

I bite down on my lip, the memories of Holden crying in the hospital flooding my mind as he stares down at the photo of his friends. “It wasn’t ruined, though,” I say, trying to sound optimistic.

“Yeah,” he grumbles, placing it back in its spot before looking at me with glassy eyes. “Thank God for that. I need to dry my pants.”

I return to the booth to everyone concerned faces. I hold up my hands. “He’ll be fine. Just let him be for a minute.”

Sadie sinks back in her seat, stirring the straw in her replacement drink. I slide in beside Laynie. Her hand rests on my thigh, and I look at her. “Is he okay?”

My chin dips. “He will be. Think he was just shocked,” I say, leaving out the part about the photo. That’s Holden’s story to tell, not mine.

“All right.”

My chest aches a little. I feel for my little brother who is battling his emotions in the bathroom. He’s built so many walls around himself, it’s hard to break through them without a battering ram. He’s protecting himself. I can see that, because nobody should have to go through what he did. The trauma. The dependency. The loss.

Fingers dig into my skin, gaining my attention again. Laynie’s blue eyes find mine, and I lean over, kissing her cheek that blooms with colour. “I’m lucky to have you, Biscuit.”

She lets out a small breath, grinning calmly. “I’m lucky to have you too, Blondie.”