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She stroked his hair, and the hand steadied him slightly.
“Ryan, we need to get to my helicopter. It’s at Jake’s,” Tex said.
“I have my car.” Ryan pulled out of her arms. He then placed a hard kiss on Faith’s lips. “I’ll call if I have any news. But get to the hospital as soon as you can.” He couldn’t explain why he needed her there, but he did. Desperately. “Let’s go.” He walked to his car with Tex and his parents on his heels. It felt weird thinking of his mother and father as a collective.
They drove in silence to the McBride house. His mother didn’t mention the speed he drove at, just made a few gasping noises. Soon they were pulling up outside the house.
“I need to check a few things. Go on to the house and tell Branna what’s happening,” the Texan said.
Ryan elected to do that so he didn’t have to stay with his father and mother. Plus, he needed to keep moving.
Branna opened the door after a single knock. She looked worried like all of them were.
“Hi, Ryan. Jake told me what’s happening. Give Hope and Newman a big hug for me.”
“Will do.”
“We’ll all be over as soon as we can.”
He nodded, knowing they would be. It was the Howling way. Everyone was there for everyone when needed. They would rally, put everything aside, and provide a warm, secure blanket of friendship until things had resolved. And this would work out for the best, Ryan vowed. It had to.
He waited in tense silence with his parents. The strain made his insides ache; all Ryan could think was that Hope was in pain and he’d not spent nearly enough time with her in his lifetime. He’d neglected her to further his career, and now suddenly none of that mattered. The fame and money—he’d give it all up to have his sister safe and his niece or nephew arrive healthy.
He paced back and forth while his father talked to his mother. Millicent had not raised them to hate his sperm donor; far from it. She’d just said he was gone and not coming back. If and when they were ready to see him again, she could give them the information to do so.
They hadn’t. Neither he nor Hope had wanted anything to do with the man who wanted nothing to do with them.
“You didn’t support us financially.” He faced the man called Jacob, but never Dad.
“I offered when I woke up to what a selfish bastard I’d been. Your mother refused.”
They’d struggled at times. He and Hope had nearly not gone on school camping trips due to a lack of funds. It had been humiliating when Lizzie and Walt paid for them.
“Why?” he demanded of his mother.
“You were mine, and I provided for you.”
They were hers. For some reason that eased the tight band around his chest a little.
“Thanks for being there.” He stepped up to his mother and hugged her hard. She held him. Millicent Lawrence usually hugged for no longer than two seconds; today she was stretching it out to ten. Clearly she was worried about her daughter.
“Ryan,” Tex said from behind him. “Let’s go.”
He took his mother’s hand, engulfing her small, soft fingers in his. When had his mother’s hand got soft? Had he ever held one before?
“Let’s go see Hope and your grandchild, Mom.”
Her reply was to sniff.
They were soon taking off, rising into the night sky with ease. Thewhomp whompof rotor blades was familiar to Ryan. He’d spent a lot of time in helicopters over the last few years. Coming and going from concerts in one was often the easiest and safest way in and out of venues.
“Thank you for this, Ethan,” his father said.
Ryan turned from the front seat and looked at him. “I’ve accepted you’re here, for Mom and Hope’s sake. But don’t try for more with me, ever.”
“Fair enough,” his father said calmly. Calm enough that Ryan’s fists clenched with the need to strike at him in some way. The man had caused him years of turmoil. Years of wondering why he didn’t want him. He wouldn’t allow that to happen ever again.
The flight was not a long one, and when they arrived, they climbed into the car Ethan kept here.
