Chapter 18 #2
“I’m so done with this shit,” I announced to no one in particular. Placing a hand on my brother’s shoulder, I suggested. “Go in, Alex. Go be with your mom.” My emotions suddenly felt flat.
He sniffed. “So, the man giving that speech tonight is your dad, right?”
Alex’s words burned through me like acid. “It would appear so.”
“And so, I guess, he’s my mother’s ex-boyfriend too?” he questioned innocently, his tone rising in pitch towards the end of the sentence.
I didn’t have it in me to correct him, so I went with, “Something like that.”
“But we’re still brothers, aren’t we?” That hopeful note in his voice was almost my undoing. I tried to ignore that constant tugging at my heart.
“Of course you are,” Harper swooped in quickly when I didn’t reply straight away. “Phoenix just needs some time to clear his head, OK?”
The younger boy’s shoulders sagged. “Sure.”
I couldn’t even bring myself to fist-bump him or ruffle his hair, I just said. “Take care, kid.” My earlier decision to forge a relationship with him suddenly seemed like the worst idea. Insane under the circumstances.
I heard the door open, and my mother appeared, uncertainty crossing her features as she viewed Alex and me. As I turned away, she darted past and pulled him into her arms. I felt a blast of jealousy, I won’t lie.
Disappointment and anger highlighted my brother’s features as he looked at me over our mother’s shoulder.
Harper and I then walked away down the corridor as that hairline fracture across my heart split. For a brief time, my brother had looked at me like a hero, but his expression as I’d turned away was all about how I had let him down.
And now I was nothing. Just a broken man, confused as hell, and floundering. It suddenly felt like a thousand ants were crawling under my skin, and I knew I needed a drink.
The fact that I was now aware of my father’s identity didn’t compute; all those years of not knowing, of wanting answers, and now I had them; it just felt like another giant ‘fuck you’ from the universe.
I couldn’t be dealing with the shitstorm in my head; I just wanted to get to the beach and get wasted, possibly stoned. Hopefully, Micah could hit me up.
And then another horrifying truth hit me; if Dominic Summer’s was my father, what did that make Storm?
Fuck!
Stop, one thing at a time.
As Harper put her hand around my waist as we hit the stairwell, I was so thankful for her strength and courage. I may have gotten a father that night, but most importantly, I had gotten the girl and a soulmate, one who had been there under my nose for years.
Harper was silent. We both were as we walked, and I watched her from the corner of my eye. So, perfect.
Mine. At last.
And right then, without her, I knew I would have lost my shit and done something I hadn’t done in years… bawled my fucking eyes out.
HARPER
Phoenix was upset and confused, and I had no idea what to do. From the direction we were traveling, I guessed he still had every intention of going to the party. And I knew from previous experience that wasn’t a good idea. Nix was like Hudson when he got tanked, ‘a loaded gun’ about summed it up.
I had to jog to keep up with him. “Maybe we should get a cab?” I part choked.
Phoenix peered down at me with a strange expression. “It isn’t that far.”
“I don’t mean to the beach, I meant home.”
I knew he wasn’t listening. As soon as we’d left the stadium, he was a man on a mission. Phoenix needed three things: his brothers, alcohol, and pot, and not necessarily in that order.
After around six hundred yards of struggling to keep up with his longer, more determined strides, I put the brakes on and stopped. “Enough,” I huffed as he kept on walking.
“Phoenix, stop, please!”
Thankfully, he heard; his shoulders stiffened, and he turned to look at me with a grumpy face, something I was well used to. I held the straps of my backpack and quirked him a look. “Thank you.”
“What’s wrong?” he huffed as I willed my feet to walk and stand in front of him.
“First of all, please slow down,” I said, slightly out of breath. As his eyes locked onto mine, realization spread across his features.
“Oh. Sorry.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Do you want me to carry your shit?” Nix offered, his expression now bashful. I raised an eyebrow as he misunderstood my reason for calling a time-out.
“It’s not that. I just wanted to say that we don’t need to do this?” I explained, motioned to the beach behind him, where the victory party was in full flow.
Phoenix glanced over his shoulder and dropped his arm before turning away. He exhaled, his nostrils flaring as he stared out at the ocean in the distance. “What do you mean?” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as I moved to stand beside him.
Nix was attempting to look relaxed, but I wasn’t so easily fooled; his entire body was rigid.
Combing a hand through my hair, I pointed out gently, “I mean, we don’t need to go to the party.” His lips twisted as I added. “We could call a cab and go straight home?”
Phoenix raised an eyebrow and side-eyed me. “You know Ma’s away tonight, right?”
I dropped a hand to my jeans, finding what I was looking for as I replied, “Yes, I know. I have my keys.”
His eyes narrowed as he turned to me with a knowing smile, “Ah, I see.”
My brow scrunched as I planted my hands on my hips. Nix took in the gesture, his eyes glittering with lustful intentions.
“No, not for those reasons,” I informed him primly with an eye roll.
Phoenix’s lip was curled at one side, and he removed his hands from his jeans, transferring them to my waist. As he pulled me against him, I was forced to grab his forearms for balance.
Looking up at his handsome face, which was lit by the moonlight, I knew he wasn’t himself, even though he attempted to joke. “So, you don’t want to get into my pants?”
“No.”
He lifted his chin. “That’s not what your little stunt tonight suggested.”
I groaned, save me from men, their penises, and poor timing. “I said no. At least, not right now. You need time to process what you found out tonight.”
“I can do that at the party.”
“I don’t think a party is the place to do that if I’m being honest.”
Nix gave me a thoughtful look as he tucked a chunk of hair behind my ear and then shrugged. “I just need to unwind, baby girl. Deal with that shit tomorrow. Plus, I promised the guys we’d meet them there, and I have some explaining to do after how shit I played.”
“So, you’re going to tell them Mayor Summer’s is your biological father tonight?” I was surprised he was so determined to let the cat out of the bag. He hadn’t even come to terms with it himself yet.
“Yeah. I promised Hudson I wouldn’t keep shit to myself in the future.
Do you mind?” Part of me did mind as it felt like I wasn’t enough again.
Just like that night we’d come back from his mother’s house, and Micah had shown up.
I knew I would have to accept that he was close with his foster brothers and get over myself.
They were the Sawyer boys, and no one would ever come between them.
Shaking my head, I lifted my arms and placed them loosely around his neck. “Of course I don’t mind. Whatever you need. I just don’t think you should get wasted. It will only make you feel worse.”
Phoenix leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I know, and I promise I won’t get trashed. Tonight's not about that. I have no intention of ruining what will be our first night together,” He ran his fingertips over my collarbone.
As his eyes darkened and the intensity of his gaze increased, he didn’t need to provide a footnote to his words. A burst of excitement and nervousness flooded my insides as my cheeks heated.
“Unless you don’t want to?” he added, scanning my features.
Releasing a breath, I gave him an incredulous look. Men truly did think with their dicks, even during extraordinary circumstances.
It appeared his earlier plans for both of us were unchanged, even after the news he’d had to swallow that night.
Mayor Summers was Phoenix’s biological father. Fuck, we hadn’t even spoken about Storm.
“I do, Nix. You know I do. But it doesn’t have to be tonight. I would understand if you’re no longer—you know, in the mood.”
“Baby girl, I’m always in the mood,” he added with a wolfish smile.
“Nice,” I added with a huff. A couple of girls from my school walked past us and did a double-take, and I dropped my arms from around his neck.
Phoenix was undeterred as he took charge. “Come on, let’s find the others.” He slid his arm around my shoulders and directed us towards the steps that led to the sand.
It wasn’t that dark considering the hour. The sea air felt so fresh after the congestion of the stadium, and I welcomed the breeze. Even though I only wore Phoenix’s jersey and a pair of lacy panties, I didn’t feel cold.
“What about Storm?” I asked as we negotiated our way past a group of college kids who were coming up the steps.
“What about her?” he said without stopping.
“Are you going to speak to her about it?”
“And say what?”
We stopped at the bottom of the steps. I could see Molly, Hudson, and Micah sitting further down the beach beside a dune and some rocks.
“You do get that Dominic Summer’s being your father makes Storm your sister.”
“Half-sister,” he replied, wrinkling his nose with distaste. Oh dear.
“Well, you’re about to see her in like, ten minutes, and so maybe you should have something planned?”
He cast a glance at where I was looking. I couldn’t see Reed or Storm, but that didn’t mean they weren’t close. “She doesn’t know Nix. At least, she didn’t earlier.”
“Fuck,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb. I tugged his hand down.
“That’s what I mean. Are you going to say anything?”
His hand fell to his side. “Like what? Hey, sis, it appears we were both sired by the same asshole?” he paused for a moment and then asked. “What about the photo of her old man at my age?”