RYAN
Today has beenwithout a doubt the most stressful and awful day in my life. How everything can go from perfect to outright horrible is beyond me. And all that within a matter of hours. When I got back from the bathroom last night, Harper was already fast asleep, so I watched her for a while, trying to wrap my head around the fact she’s Coach’s daughter and she lied to me this whole time.
Why wouldn’t she tell me who her dad was? Was all of this some sort of ploy?
The questions piled up, and I quickly regretted telling her we’d talk the next day. But she’d looked so anguished and stressed that the words slipped out. I’d never do anything that could hurt our baby.
Now I’m back in California with my stomach in knots because of my brother.
“Ryan, here.”
Something cold touches my hand, and I look at Jace and the glass of orange juice he bumps against my hand once more.
“Drink this. You’re a little pale.”
“Thanks.” I gulp down the whole contents and put the glass on the couch table.
Hunter walks into the room with the phone in his hand. “Jack said they’re letting Zane go right now, so they’ll leave the police station soon.”
“Thank fuck.” I let my head fall back on the pillow and close my eyes.
I had half a heart attack when Zane called me in the middle of the night because he got arrested for possible manslaughter. He was beside himself, telling me how he’d saved a girl from being raped on campus by a professor. But somehow it ended in a scuffle between the professor and him, and the professor ended up falling and hitting his head so hard that he was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Trying to be as calm as possible, I assured him I’d be there as soon as I could and called Hunter right away since one of his brothers-in-law is a lawyer. Once that was taken care of, I shoved my things into my suitcase and got a cab to the airport.
I did all of that without waking Harper. I didn’t think there was a point in waking her up just to freak her out. She needed a good sleep, and I was planning on calling her as soon as I could, but. Then my phone died, and I didn’t notice it until I was up in the air and it was too late. And of course I didn’t memorize her number. Jace picked me up from the airport, and now we’re waiting for my brother to come home.
As happy as I am he’s fine, there’s also this unnerving feeling in my stomach because I haven’t been able to reach Harper. Her phone has been off ever since I got my hands on a charger and tried calling her.
Hunter’s phone rings, and he puts it to his ear. “I’ll open the door.” He leaves the room again and calls over his shoulder, “Noah is here.”
The two of them walk in a moment later with several paper bags.
Jace groans. “Finally, man. What took you so long?”
Noah puts the bags down and stares at me. “We have a problem.”
Hunter huffs and gets containers out of the bags. “You mean other than Zane being arrested?”
“Yes.” Noah’s voice is clipped, and his expression doesn’t change despite the lighter mood in the room now that we know Zane is on his way home.
I’m not sure how much more I can—or want to—take at this point, but I ask anyway, “What is it?”
He lifts his eyebrows. “Remember that situation you had going on?”
Since I stare at him completely clueless, he sighs. I’ve never liked riddles, especially not when I’m exhausted.
“I’m talking about the New York one.”
Hunter stops his food excursion to chime in. “What’s in New York?” while Jace asks, “What situation?”
My situation in New York?
Is he talking about Harper?
My muscles tense, and I shoot out of my seat. “What is it?”
He grimaces before looking at Jace and Hunter first before his gaze swings back to me.