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I’m sorry for this right now. And I’m sorry for what I said the other night. And for all the lonely nights after that.
But I don’t know for certain whether he gets the message. And now the ambulance doors are closing.
The last thing I see before someone slams the doors is the shocked look on my brother's face. Felix is standing right next to Mason. Then the ambulance takes off in a red and blue flurry.
Well, whoops.
47
MASON
At the end of the day, I get back to the house haggard, famished, nerves frayed down to bare threads. I head into the kitchen and pop open a can of tuna. My head is throbbing—of course—but to be quite honest, that’s the least of my problems right now.
Today was an absolute clusterfuck from start to finish.
I was already in a bad headspace from having to see Karli at work. It’s been torture to see her sitting at her desk, looking all miserable and wondering how she’d react if I even tried to do something about it.
So when Layla’s man stumbled in with Skylar in distress, I wasn’t ready for the surge of adrenaline that shot into my head. In the commotion of everything that was happening, all I could see was Karli freaking out.
That’s why when she pressed her lips to mine from the back of that ambulance, I did the only thing that made sense. I kissed her back.
And—boom—my whole life exploded like a shit-filled piñata. Right in my face.
Poking at the smelly canned fish with a fork, I pace around the kitchen on high alert. Because although Felix didn’t utter a single word to me all afternoon after Karli left in that ambulance, I know I’m not off the hook. The guy saw me kissing his sister. There’s no way he’s going to just let that slide.
In the heat of the moment, I could tell he was struggling to keep it professional in front of the clinic’s patients. But judging by the look of betrayal that sat on his face as the ambulance sped off, I consider myself lucky to still be in possession of all my limbs and teeth. For the moment.
I know Felix. The hammer’s going to drop. Right on my head. It’s just a matter of when.
If I were smart, I’d be cooking up a plan for how I’m going to deal with the Brighton brothers. But I’m a dumbass in love, so the main thing I’m worried about is Karli.
Karli. Karli. Karli.
As always, my self-preservation takes a back seat when it comes to that girl.
Is she okay? Did she manage to track down Layla? Did the doctors at the hospital figure out what’s wrong with Sky?
I hope the little guy is okay. I haven’t heard a word about the poor child since he was taken to the hospital. And if Felix got any updates over the course of the afternoon, he definitely didn’t feel the need to share them with me.
I tried calling Karli a time or two but she didn’t answer. I’m not surprised. With everything going on, she probably doesn’t have the time to chitchat with me on the phone. I’m just going to have to wait to hear from her when things settle down.
I’m so lost in my head that I almost missed the sound. The distinct whirring of engines and the crunching of tires on the gravel driveway outside.
This is it.
I quickly chew and swallow the mouthful of tuna sitting heavy like a brick on my tongue.
Abandoning my pathetic dinner on the kitchen counter, I pad into the living room and peek through the curtains. Shit. It’s just as awful as I expected.
A procession of vehicles is slowly rolling into the yard. The Brighton brothers are here. All of them. It’s a goddamned ambush.
Before long, there’s a rap of knuckles on the front door. My tuna churns in my belly. Still, I suck in a deep breath, straightening my shoulders and holding them high.
I created this mess like a coward, denying my feelings for Karli and running around behind Felix’s back. But it’s time to face the consequences. Like a man. With my chest up.
I brace myself for the moment of reckoning. When I open the door, Archer is the first person I see, his fuming lumberjack build filling the whole damn doorframe.
Well, damn. Might as well just stick a fork in me straight away. I’m done.
