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Willow quickly looked down at her mug when he glanced her way, and Ethan at the ceiling. Ryan was an astute kind of guy most of the time, and right now warning bells were clanging in his head. These guys didn’t want to talk about his mom. He watched Brad wipe a nonexistent speck of food off the table.
“What?” he asked the room.
“What?” Tex said, looking at him first.
“What’s going on?”
“In what way?” Brad said, trying and failing to look confused.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“No clue what you’re talking about,” Branna said, examining her nails.
“Okay, someone spill. Is it Hope or Mom you’re not telling me about?”
Buster slapped a coffee down in front of him then a plate of chocolate muffins in the middle of the table.
“Not Hope. Your mother is having a thing with Mac. These wusses didn’t want to mention it. But I saw them in a clinch when I passed The Roar earlier,” Buster said.
There were several throat clearing noises and a bit of chair scraping.
“Mac.” Ryan whistled. “Hope and I wondered. Mom had lipstick and perfume on the other day. When I called at the house, she wouldn’t let me in, and I was sure there was a man in there.”
“It’s weird, is what it is,” Brad said. He then grunted as Branna elbowed him in the ribs.
“That’s rude,” she said, shooting a smile at Ryan, who was busy biting into a muffin before they all went. The middle had caramel in it, and it was sweet and gooey. He sighed. Sex with Faith, and now an outstanding muffin. He just needed to know his sister was okay, and all would be right with the world. Well, nearly everything, he thought, remembering the box in the back of his car.
“Look, we’re happy for your mom. It’s just gonna take some getting used to,” Ethan said.
“It’s okay, I understand. She’s not someone you ever expected to hook up with a man like Mac.”
“That.” Brad pointed his muffin at Ryan. “But we wish them well.”
“I’ll be sure to pass that on,” Ryan said.
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Brad said, which had them all laughing.
He laughed too. Then wondered if leaving here would be as easy as he’d thought it would be. What would he be leaving behind this time?
It worried him that it just might be his heart.
Chapter 17
Ryan’s fingers shook as he called Faith.
“’Lo,” she answered, sounding sleepy.
“It’s Hope. Things are not going well, Faith. I-It’s bad.” God, it was bad. Jake had told them Faith was struggling to have the baby naturally. There were complications, and they needed to get her to Brook ASAP.
He heard a thud, then cursing before she said, “I’m coming. Just try and stay calm, Ryan.”
“How the hell am I supposed to do that?”
She cut the call, and he slumped back down on the waiting room seat that now had the imprint of his ass on it. Beside him was his mother, and to her immediate left was Jacob Robertson. AKA sperm donor.
Buster and Tex arrived, the latter telling him Brad was getting the helicopter ready and it would be here soon. Buster sat in the chair between his mother and him. Tex sat on the other side. Ryan felt them, his friends. Felt them and needed them right in that moment.Where the hell is Faith?He needed her too.
Anger and fear had him regaining his feet. He moved to stand before his father, needing an outlet.
