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“I don’t like this. I should be there. Maybe James and I should cancel our vacation.”
That was the thing about my foster family. They always supported me. “Ahh—no. This is the first time you guys are going away without me and Jaxon. And it’s Hawaii. You cannot cancel. Besides, you are helping by being on the phone with me. I promise I’m fine, just tired.” And if they cancelled, Jaxon would call off meeting Max’s parents. That was coming up also and was a big deal. I was not screwing with either of those huge events.
“Are you still drawing that—”
“Yeah.” I didn’t want to revisit the faceless man. “I went to the police station to see if they could somehow place him in relation to my mom’s case. The detective wasn’t in, but I may try to get ahold of him another time.”
“That’s a smart idea.”
“We’ll see.” I didn’t have high hopes that it would result in anything. “Thanks, Brooke. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Winter. Please call me anytime you need me.”
“I will.”
We said our goodbyes, and I tossed my phone on my bed. After I put the letters away, I felt better. They were out of sight. What I wanted more than anything was to fall asleep in Landon’s arms and forget about everything I’d just read, because my mother would never take responsibility for Summer’s death.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SHANE
Unease sat heavy in my gut as Phoenix paced the hospital room like a caged animal. I’d never seen him so shaken.
“Hey.” Aspen drew Phoenix’s attention. “Everything’ll be fine.”
But she was pale, and I wasn’t so sure. They’d thought the baby was coming early. Not due until March, their little girl would have been born a month and a half too soon.
The nurse came back in and checked the monitor. She adjusted the strap around Aspen’s stomach. It fed data to the screen, keeping track of her contractions. “The doctor will be in shortly.” She patted Aspen’s arm.
“Thanks,” Aspen said as my phone rang.
Mom’s name flashed across the screen. We’d gone to the hospital closest to campus rather than where she worked.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Phoenix isn’t answering his phone.”
Because my brother has lost his mind.I couldn’t blame him, though. I doubted I would’ve reacted differently if the situation were reversed.
“What’s going on?” Mom prompted.
“We’re waiting on the doc, but Aspen’s having some contractions.”
“How close are they?”
“Aah. I think ten minutes?” I looked to Phoenix, who nodded. “They’re not regular, though. That’s the only thing the nurse said.”
“Okay, good. Put me on speaker.”
I pulled the phone from my ear and hit the button. “You’re on speaker now, Mom.”
Phoenix whirled, his body so tense I swore I could see the air vibrating.
“If the contractions aren’t regular, it’s probably a false alarm and Braxton-Hicks contractions. If Aspen is in actual labor, they can give her a shot to stop it.”
“Thank you.” Some of the worry melted from Aspen’s face, and she released her death grip on one of her blond braids. “I wish you were here, Cece. We were worried and didn’t know if we should drive to the other hospital.”
Mom loved Aspen. We all did. Damon, Cole, Riley, and Sky were on their way. I’d had to come immediately because I felt what Phoenix did. I was on edge, too, but trying to hold it together for my brother.
