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“I caught Poppy, Sofia, and Ashleigh in Bryan’s room.”
“Damn. I’m surprised Hughes still has his balls.” I fought a smile.
“Yeah, well, I told that horny motherfucker he’d better report to the gym first thing Monday morning for his punishment.”
“Where was Lil—she was with Kaiden.”
“Fuck, I’m not ready for this.”
“Remember what you were like at eighteen.” I gave him a pointed look. I might have only been a kid back then, but I’d heard the stories. Everyone had.
“Which is exactly why I don’t like it. Kaiden is a good kid. He’s good for Lily. But the idea of them… nope, can’t go there,” he gritted out, running a hand down his face.
“She’s eighteen, Jase. It was bound to happen one day.”
“You sound like Fee.” His brow arched. “I expect it from Peyton. I don’t expect it from Lily and Poppy.”
“She wasn’t with them?” Fuck, the words were like cotton in my mouth.
“Nah, she’d stayed behind. She’s struggling.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“What the hell am I supposed to do with her? It’s senior year. She has some big decisions to make, and she’s got nothing.”
“She has you.”
“But is it enough? I always knew her mom was trouble, but I never thought… fuck, Xan.” He lowered his voice, but the rumble of the engine beneath us drowned out his words. “What she did… How could she do that knowing Peyton would be the one to find her?”
“Has Peyton talked to anyone about it?”
“She’s talked to Mya, but she doesn’t want to see a grief counselor or a therapist.”
“It’s a lot to confront.”
“Yeah, but if she doesn’t confront it… how does that end?”
“Give her some time. It’s still raw.”
“Maybe you should talk to her?”
“Me?” I balked.
If he knew I’d already been talking to her, the circumstances of those conversations, I was pretty sure he’d be warning me to stay the fuck away from her.
“Just thinking out loud. I’m not actually suggesting you do it. I wasn’t prepared for teenage daughters, let alone one with as much baggage as Peyton.”
“You’re doing a good thing, Jase.”
“She’s lost everything. Her mom just—fuck.” His voice cracked as he ran a hand over his face, blowing out a steady breath. “Sorry, man, I know this can’t be easy for you either.”
“What makes you say that?” I tensed.
“I just figured it would bring back some of those bad memories.”
Bad memories.
I swallowed a strangled laugh. I didn’t have bad memories; I had eviscerating nightmares. I don’t know why my grief had embedded itself so deep, but I’d long accepted it was never going to disappear.
