Page 34 of Unfinished Noise

Jamie sighed. “Probably we shouldn’t have left.”

“And Daddy Spencer?”

Jamie’s heart squeezed. “He’ll be upset. But… he’ll understand. I couldn’t leave you alone.”

Alfie nodded slowly. “We shouldn’t turn our phones on.”

“Not until morning,” Jamie agreed. “They need to focus on the band. We shouldn’t interfere.”

Jamie settled onto the patio bench, the evening air warm against his skin. Alfie hovered near the railing, arms wrapped around himself like he was holding his own nerves in place. Alfie hadn’t stopped pacing since they got home, each step sharp, restless, too loud for the quiet night.

“What are we gonna do tomorrow?” Alfie asked, voice small but buzzing underneath, like he was bracing for bad news.

Jamie felt that familiar tug in his chest—the one that made him want to wrap the entire world around Alfie until he stopped shaking. But he also felt the ache for something steadier, something that grounded him the way the ranch always did.

“I was thinking we’d spend the morning at the stables,” Jamie said. He kept his tone soft, slow, something Alfie could lean into. “Brush the horses, take them out to the pasture. Just… be around them.”

Alfie stopped pacing. His head snapped up, eyes brightening with a sudden, almost desperate eagerness. “Can we ride?” he asked, too fast, like he needed the answer immediately or he’d fall apart.

Jamie smiled, but it was a gentle one—meant to steady, not hype. “Yeah,” he said. “We’ll ride. Not a long trail, just enough to get out under the sky.”

Alfie nodded, but his fingers twitched at his sides. “And maybe after… maybe we could go shopping? I need new jeans. And maybe a jacket. And maybe—” He cut himself off, swallowing hard. “I just… want to do something normal.”

Jamie’s heart squeezed. That frantic list wasn’t about clothes. It was about control. About pretending the day hadn’t been a mess.

“Okay,” Jamie said, voice warm, grounding. “We can do that. Horses first, though. I need that part.” He didn’t hide the truth—he wanted the quiet, the rhythm, the smell of hay and leather. He needed the ranch the way Alfie needed a mall.

Alfie exhaled, shoulders dropping a little. “Yeah,” he said. “Horses first.”

Jamie nudged him lightly with his knee. “And after that,” he added, “we’ll get ice cream. The good kind. The place with the waffle cones Spencer likes.”

Alfie’s mouth twitched into something close to a genuine smile. “Okay,” he said. “Yeah. That sounds… good.”

Alfie settled down a little as the night eased around them. Tomorrow won’t fix everything. But it would give them a place to start.

Chapter Fourteen

Spencer

They piled into the van, instruments rattling in the back, and Spencer checked his phone for the tenth time. Still nothing from Jamie. Not a text. Not a missed call. Not even one of Jamie’s little heart emojis he always sent when they were apart.

Something was off. Wrong. It sat in Spencer’s chest like a stone.

Why wouldn’t Jamie answer?

They hadn’t fought. They’d been fine, better than fine. So, what the hell was this?

Nathan pulled out of the parking lot, driving with that tight‑jawed focus he got when he was irritated. Spencer stared out the window, but his mind kept circling the same question: Where are they?

“Hey,” Spencer said, trying to sound casual. “Did you hear from Alfie?”

“Nope.” Nathan didn’t look away from the road. “I sent him several messages. Guess he’s still pissed.”

Billy leaned forward between the seats. “I sent a text to Alfie and told him I was sorry for upsetting him. When he didn’t answer, I sent Jamie a text, but he didn’t reply either. Radio silence.”

Spencer’s stomach twisted. Jamie didn’t do radio silence. Jamie did overcommunication. Jamie did check‑ins, updates, and I miss you already messages.

“Maybe they forgot to charge their phones,” Farlan offered from the back.