AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I groan and roll over, knowing I’ll have to tell them sooner than later. “Sarah said she needed to talk to me—”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Cash growls. “Please, tell me you didn’t go over to her place.”
I nod. “I did.”
“Jesus. What the fuck did she want? We told you to stay the hell away from her.”
Tucking Avery’s pillow safely behind me, I sat next to him on the edge of the bed. “It wasn’t like that—I mean, not on my end. She tried,” Cash glares. “And didn’t succeed.” He physically relaxes, which pisses me off. “You really think that highly of me, that I’d try hooking up with my ex while the love of my life is missing!”
He snags my shoulder, keeping me rooted, before I can bolt off the bed and punch his condescending face. “Sit the fuck down. No, I don’t think you’d do that, which is why I’m confused as to why you went there.”
Leaning forward, my elbows rest on my knees as my fingers tighten their grip on my hair. “I fucked up, Cash.” Exhaustion is apparent when my voice cracks and the rocking starts.
“Hey. Hey, bro. What is it? Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together.” He clamps down on the back of my neck and the arm closest to him. The contact grounds the skittering emotions running ramped and bouncing off my insides like monkeys in a jungle.
“Not this time—Sarah says she’s pregnant—with my kid.” The words taste like vomit crawling up my throat.
“Fuck,” he whispers, understanding that if this is true, we’re stuck with her ass one way or another for a very long time. “Are you sure?”
No. I wasn’t.“No. She only told me last night. Says she’s almost five months.”
“Why the hell is she telling you now? How long has she known?” Cash is your typical surfer boy with an easygoing attitude, but fuck with family, and he turns vicious.
“I asked the same thing—she swears it’s because of Avery—not wanting to add more to my plate.”
Cash grunts. “What’s the timeline? Does it match up?”
Again, I nod. “I fucked her not long before I met Avery.” Shame weaves within the admission. Even though I didn’t know her yet, it still seems like cheating. “We used protection, so I’m not sure what to believe.”
Cash doesn’t respond. Instead, the heavy sigh relays the fact that he thinks I’m fucked, too. “Sounds like you need to go to a doctor’s appointment with her. Find out for sure.”
The lump grows larger, picturing a family with anyone other than Avery. “Yeah.” My throat tightens around the word, roughening its edges.
Cash tightens his grip on my shoulder, pulling me against his side. “We’ll get through this, brother. I promise.” The sincerity of his voice is the last straw, breaking the last of my restraint, and crumbling into my big brother’s lap.
“She has to come back, Cash. She has to.” A breathless plea escapes, sending it into the universe for whatever God to answer, happily selling my soul for her return if that were the cost.
~~~~~
Another two months have passed, casting life into unbearable territory. The only saving grace is my brothers and their constant presence in this living hell. There’re no updates on Avery’s case and the media have all but moved on, barely casting light on her disappearance. I’ve all but vanished from the Hollywood scene, lessening the clingers enough to travel safely to Avery’s or her fathers. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t talk to him on the phone, or my brothers and I stop over to visit. His health has taken a hit from the stress of Avery’s loss, but slowly we’re helping him back in the right direction.
Then there’s Sarah and our predicament. She’s around seven months pregnant now. She’d brought me the paperwork and an ultrasound of the baby to prove its existence. Doubt lingered, one I’d have her resolve through a paternity test, as soon as she stops canceling. She wants to wait until after the baby’s born, but I can’t wait another minute. The sooner the better, if you ask me. She’s tried to spend more time together, but watching her belly grow when I wish it were Avery’s isn’t helping my mental health. Telling Avery’s father that I may have gotten another woman pregnant while his daughter—my love—is missing wasn’t the funnest thing to do. Especially when he decked me so hard my teeth snapped closed and knocked me to the ground. Luckily, my brothers were with us, and stepped in the way of his advance. They explained the situation, and he calmed easily, helping me to my feet and yanking me in for a hug.
We sat outside drinking the day away, barbecuing, and trying to avoid the fact we’re missing one intricate piece of our family puzzle. Even the three brothers who’ve never met her sense her loss, judging her character through our memories, and find her more than deserving of the sister role.
The only solace that I find is the silence of Avery’s home. It’s where I feel closest to her. Which is exactly where I am when my brothers track me down.
They don’t bother knocking, knowing her place as well I as do, and barge in bellowing, “Jax! We gave you a couple of hours—no more hiding out.” Comes Kam’s authoritative voice, demanding compliance without force.
“In here!” I call out from the comfort of her bed. It’s where her scent is most potent and where I come to think about her and be alone.
Kam’s head pops around the corner, Cash below him, then Liam and Lennox. The four heads peeking around the door causes laughter to bubble, reminding me of our childhood. It’s how we’d come around the corner to Ma when we knew we were in trouble. She couldn’t help but laugh, making punishment minimal.
Their laughter joins mine, echoing around the empty house. Lennox and Liam plop down on either side of me, leaning back against the wall like they’ve been in her bed a thousand times. The thought irritates me, and by the smirk on Liam’s face, they’re doing it on purpose.
“Get the fuck off my girls’ bed, dickheads.” I shove them both, toppling them sideways in laughter, and achieving my goal as they bounce to their feet.
“We’re going over to Henry’s for the evening. Wants me to remind you to water her flowers.” Liam smiles sadly, glancing out her bedroom window at the sprinklers showering her plants. “I started before we came inside.” Liam’s been a rock for me to lean on, but I know how much he loves Avery, and her disappearance has taken a toll on him, too—on all of us.
