Jace downs the entire glass in one gulp and squeezes his eyes shut. “Alex is pregnant.”
I’m surprised, but just nod.
“She’s been having serious health issues.” He shakes his head. Clearly broken up.
I savor another sip of my whiskey. “We all have things we’re dealing with outside the band, my man. That’s life, isn’t it?”
“I was looking forward to playing tonight.” His voice breaks a bit.
As sad as I am, I didn’t realize Jace would be this emotional. He rarely lets on that he has problems. I’m likely the only one of us he’d ever confess to. Doesn’t mean he wants me to solve things for him. I’m like a big brother. A sounding board. He’s capable of figuring out his own shite. “We all were.”
“Don’t move back to LA.” Jace opens his eyes. His gaze is pleading.
I’m about to fill him in on my own news when Alex and Ronni fly through the restaurant toward us. Alex thrusts a piece of paper at Jace. “Holy hell, you guys, we’re not supposed to know this, but Carter is Ty’s father. We found this DNA test in the dressing room rubble.”
None of us can speak for a minute. This news is feckin’ mental. I manage to find my voice. “We’ve got to assume this is going to get leaked. Jace, you should call Katherine.”
“No, we aren’t supposed to know about this.” Jace shakes his head definitively. “It’s their private business. In fact, none of us should say anything. We can’t embarrass Carter, Zane, Ty, and Zoey like that.”
Silence.
Jace kicks the ground. “With all of that said, what the actual fuck?”
Alex takes the paper from him. Folds it up and puts it back into the envelope. “Ronni and Jace, I know you’re better at this celebrity damage control stuff than I am. What I do know is I should be the one to bring this to Zoey. She deserves to know before anything else happens. I’ll head back to the hospital before she’s released. It’s what any best friend would do.”
“Okay, Poppy.” Jace lovingly strokes her hair. “I’ll drive you. We’ve done all we can do for now. At some point, the chips are going to fall where they fall.”
I grab our empty glasses. “Aye. Agreed. As for us… Mae, we should get the kids.”
Ronni wraps her arms through mine and clasps my hand. “Actually, no we shouldn’t, Connor. I talked to your mom. She’s keeping the twins tonight. We need to stay here with Fee until she’s ready for whatever the next step is.”
Alex and Jace leave. Not long after, we let the restaurant staff out. I hand each of them a hundred-dollar bill on the way out. It’s not going to make up for the tips they would have received tonight, but it’s all the cash I have on hand.
The place is eerily quiet. “Should I go check on her?” Ronni sits on my lap and strokes my beard.
“Aye.” I thread my fingers through her hair and pull her toward me. Our foreheads touch. “How are you, my love?”
“It’s hard to tell. I thought I had problems.” She shudders in my arms.
I squeeze her tightly. Her arms loop around my neck. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a semitruck.”
“I’m worried about Ty.” She pulls back to look at me. “Really worried.”
“Me too. I’ve never seen anything like it, Mae. He was like a rabid, caged tiger. He could have killed Carter.” I stroke Ronni’s back, taking comfort in her mere presence.
“Ty is Carter’s son.” Fiona’s voice startles us. We didn’t tell her earlier. Now, she looks as defeated as I’ve ever seen a person look. “Which means, Ty is Zane’s actual brother.”
Ronni scoots off my lap and throws her arms around Fee, who’s like a limp rag doll. She collapses in a booth seat, aided by Ronni, who sits next to her. I move over to where they’re sitting. “Can I get you guys anything? A shot? A glass of water?”
“Can you rewind the clock so we can have a do-over?” Fee peers up at me.
I sit next to her opposite Ronni. She leans on my shoulder, and I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “You’ll have a do-over, love. I promise.”
“You’re the strongest person I know, Fee.” Ronni sandwiches her in. “This is just a little setback.”
“Zane’s incredibly upset, you guys.” Fiona sits upright. Drums her fingers on the table. “I’m working up the energy to push down my feelings to meet him at the hospital and give him the support he needs.”
“You should go.” Ronni places her hand over Fee’s. “We can all go. You need to be with your husband.”