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Sabrina
As I watch Sebastian follow Murphy up the stairs, my heart aches for him. The crazy ups and downs of the last forty-eight hours have been some of the highest highs and lowest lows I can ever remember experiencing in my life. Moments later, Nattie comes downstairs, and Declan hands her a cup of coffee. She shakes her head no and leans against his shoulder. “Don’t you have to get to the stadium?” she asks.
He rubs her back. “Game’s at eight tonight. I’ve got time. I let Dad know what’s going on. I’m good for now.”
“I’m glad you’re here, Declan.”
“Me too, kid. Me too.” Feeling like I’m intruding on a private moment, I step away.
Wait a second. I look around for Annabelle, who’s sitting at the counter, nursing a cup of coffee. Moving quietly, I sit down next to her and steal her mug.
“Hey! Give that back. My head is killing me in a way only caffeine can fix.”
I move it further away. “I’ll give it back when you tell me what Declan is doing here.” Belle inspects her nails. Then I finally notice what she’s wearing. Annabelle Hart does not wear oversized sweatpants and a giant Notre Dame hoodie. “You’re wearing his clothes? You slept with him!”
Belle grabs my hand and pulls me off the stool and into the dining room. “Could you please keep it down? I don’t think Nat caught on to that fact just yet, and I’d like to keep it that way if I can.”
“Oh, come on, Belle. You’re wearing his clothes. I’ve never seen you in men’s sweatpants before, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t play football for Notre Dame.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t exactly plan to pack a bag for last night.” She drops my hand and starts to pace. “He was supposed to be dropping me off after the fundraiser. But then one thing led to another, and we ended up going back to his place instead. Even then, I thought he’d be dropping me off at my own house this morning. I thought I’d have time to get changed before I came to get Tommy. I figured I’d just wear my dress from last night home. It was supposed to be a classy walk of shame, okay?” She’s managing to whisper and yell at me at the same time.
“So, you giving up those batteries?”
“No. It was a one-time-only thing. A mistake that will not be repeated. What sucks is it was a really good mistake, like, fucking amazingly good. Seriously—I’m going to have to buy a new vibrator, I’ve never come so hard in my life—good.” Annabelle thunks her head against the wall, then groans, “Declan Sinclair ruined me. Fuck me.”
“Nope.” I raise my hands up. “Not fucking you. Sounds like Declan’s already been there and done that, and I’m not into sloppy seconds.”
“What the hell, Brina?” She holds in her laugh. “Just do me a favor, and don’t mention this to Nattie. I’d like to act like it never happened.”
We hear Rocky howl. “Oh shit, Tommy,” Belle yells. The two of us rush back into the family room. Tommy’s happily sitting on the couch watching Jurassic World ...again. Rocky’s scratching to be let outside, and Nat’s trying to attach the leash.
I hear footsteps and glance up at the stairs to see the guys heading our way. “Oh, God.” I cover my mouth with my hand in an attempt to hold in the sob that’s working its way up my throat. It’s written all over all of their faces.
This isn’t good news.
Murphy moves toward me, and I walk right into his arms. I feel the sobs he’s holding back. They wrack his body. His arms tighten around me. “I can’t believe this is happening. He’s gone. They’re both gone.”
“I’m so sorry, Aiden.”
We stand there until I feel his breathing beginning to even out.
I hear Annabelle in the background. “Come on, bud. Let’s take Rocky for a walk. Grab your coat for me.” Looking up, I see Tommy and her disappear down the hall. Moments later, the back door clicks shut.
Good. Tommy doesn’t need to see or hear this. I can’t imagine the feelings this must bring up for Annabelle about their parents’ deaths.
When Murphy’s arms begin to loosen, I link mine through his and join the others in time to hear Declan ask the question I’ve been dreading. “What happened?”
Sebastian is flipping his phone around in his hand. I’ve never seen him fidget before. Bash always seems to be in complete control of any situation. Even when the Train Wreck was wreaking havoc, he didn’t seem upset or show any lack of composure. “Jamie’s roommate, Dixon, just called.” Bash clears his throat. “They had to perform a craniectomy, and Jamie went into cardiac arrest while they had him open on the table.”
Murphy interrupts him. “English man. Translate for those of us who aren’t pre-med.”
“They had to relieve the pressure on his brain. It was happening because of the fluid building up in his skull. Dixon said he thinks Jamie’s head hit the driver’s side window. You know there were no side airbags in that truck. That thing was fucking ancient.”
Murphy makes a sound that is a mix between a laugh and sob. “He loved that old Chevy.”
The sad smile on Murphy’s face disappears when Bash continues, “He went into cardiac arrest twice while they were in the OR. The second time, they couldn’t bring him back.”
Nat sniffs. “So, they’re both gone?”
