“Nobody can handle you,” Asha murmured under her breath.
I lazed back on the recliner with a silent grin, closing my eyes and basking in the heat of the sun. It was just enough to warm my body and cause my skin to have a slight sheen of sweat. The water park was noisy and rowdy with ninety percent of our senior class here today causing mischief, and most of Huntsville High School’s graduating class, too. It was senior ditch day. The teachers gave up trying to ban them a long time ago, and now it was basically part of the school calendar.
“Meyah, you haven’t said much about prom tomorrow,” Asha prodded, letting her sunglasses fall onto her nose so I could see her eyes. They matched her baby blue one piece swimsuit which was different to what most of the other girls here were wearing. It wasn’t exactly surprising since Asha very rarely showed off parts of her body—unlike Callie, who was far too confident for her own good and grabbed any opportunity possible to flaunt what she had. And honestly, if I had the body she had, I probably would too.
I shrugged looking down and playing with the beads that adorned my pastel yellow bikini. The bottoms were tied at the side, a style I wouldn’t usually wear because I was acutely aware of how my hips were just a little wider than your average girl but that Sugar had insisted looked amazing against my skin. “There’s not much to tell, honestly.”
“Is Hamlet coming?” Callie asked, trying to keep it casual, but I could tell she was dying to know. “I would love to know what he looks like in a tux—”
“Right here,” Trent interrupted again.
“I bet he would need it specially fitted. His shoulders are broad and strong, but he has that super tapered sexy waist,” Callie continued, her eyes staring off into the distance dreamily as if Trent didn’t exist.
I wanted to tell her, yes, that he was coming, and the vindictive and immature part of me couldn’t wait to walk in beside him knowing that every single girl in our senior class was going to wish he belonged to her.
Truth was, though, I wasn’t sure if it would be the case.
I rushed into the clubhouse, excitement and anticipation running through me, intertwined with my nerves.
I wanted to find him. The picture of my parents that Mom had given me was burning a hole in my pocket, and I was desperate to share what I had uncovered and get his opinion and advice on the situation. Maybe even if Ham was on board, we could go to my Uncle Leo and see if he had connections around who could possibly know my father.
Pausing in the doorway, I stalled for a moment in confusion.
The clubhouse was a flurry of activity. Members carrying backpacks, a couple on phone calls with deep frowns on their faces. The tension in the air was obvious. That mixed with the fact that there was a car parked out the front which I didn’t recognize made my stomach twist a little.
“Sky,” I called over the bar where Skylar was stacking glasses in the cabinet. “Do you know where Ham is?”
Her face fell, and her shoulders dropped. “He’s not here, babe.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? Is he working? Why does it feel so quiet?”
She laughed sadly and placed the last glass down before coming around the bar to stand beside me. “That’s one thing about these boys, when one of them calls, the rest of them come running.” She smiled warmly. “Go up and talk to your uncle, he’s upstairs with Hadley.”
My brows knitted together in confusion, but Skylar nodded toward the staircase urging me to go ahead. I took a deep and frustrated breath, stomping up the stairs. Uncle Leo and Hadley’s room was the first, and with the door already open, I just stepped inside.
Even though I was agitated and confused about what was going on, I stopped and smiled at the image of Hadley sitting on the edge of the bed, Uncle Leo crouched in front of her, his lips pressed to her stomach and moving in a soft whisper. They were both smiling, Hadley running her fingers through his short hair.
I started to back out of the room scared I’d ruined the moment.
They both looked up, and I froze, screwing up my nose. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
They both laughed. My uncle climbed off the ground. “How’d things go with your mom?” he asked, holding out his hand to Hadley who gratefully took it allowing him to help her up off the bed.
“Good. Fine.” I couldn’t find the word that fit right. Things weren’t exactly awesome, but they were okay. “I wanted to talk to Ham. Where is he?”
“He had to go away.” The short answer wasn’t what I wanted.
“Go where?”
“Meyah, I can’t share that, you know this,” he answered sternly as if I was just supposed to accept that answer. Yes, I knew I wasn’t exactly privy to club information, but this was Ham.
“We’re together.”
Hadley cringed slightly as she came around to where I stood toe to toe with Uncle Leo. “Meyah, everything’s okay, you don’t need to worry.”
“I’m not worried, I just want to know what’s going on and why he dropped me off at home this morning and then vanished into thin air.”
They both knew. Uncle Leo wasn’t stupid. He knew I’d spent more than one night in Ham’s bed since I’d been at the clubhouse.