Chapter 39
“Iforgot to tell you, I found Jeremiah,” Kai told Nolan abruptly as they sat together at the hospital while they waited for an update on Riley.
They’d seen her briefly when they first got there, but she’d since been wheeled away for X-rays.
Kai couldn’t believe that he’d forgotten such a huge story.
“Who?” They were squished together on a tiny two-seater style chair. Kai had draped himself over Nolan’s lap, his legs hanging over the armrest, while Nolan scratched his fingers lazily through Kai’s hair.
“Jeremiah. The kid from the gala. Remember?”
“How could I forget? Wait. You found him? How?”
“He came to the cafe the other night.” Nolan looked stupefied, probably the way that Kai had looked the day that he’d opened that back door to see Jeremiah standing there.
“Baby, that’s amazing! Is he okay?”
“He is now.” Kai went quiet, wrapped in his thoughts, embarrassed but wanting to tell Nolan everything.
“That’s why I called you,” he said quietly so the other guys couldn’t hear. “Everything was so fucked up and I just wanted to hear your voice again.”
Nolan’s expression turned tender, his mouth quirking in a soft smile.
“So what you’re saying is he brought you back to me?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Kai smiled back, warmth flooding his chest.
“You guys are so cringe,” Casey said from beside them.
“Seriously, bro. Ew,” Callum confirmed. Justin and Jason chuckled from beside them.
“You guys are just haters,” Kai answered, still embarrassed but pleased.
“Are you guys with Riley Moore?” Their attention automatically swung to the nurse at the door. Kai sat up, waiting for her to speak.
“Yeah. Yeah, we’re with Riley,” Jason said hurriedly, getting to his feet.
“We’ve got her in a room, and she’s asking to see you guys now.
” She led them into a small room divided in two with a hospital curtain.
Riley was on the first bed, closest to the door.
The twins broke away, leaping onto the bed so that they could hug their mother.
Riley winced as they collapsed on top of her but did her best to hug them back.
Her right arm was now in a cast, from wrist to past her elbow, and wrapped in a sling.
The cuts on her face had been stitched, but most of the left side was still swollen, black and blue, her eye still closed.
“Are you okay?” Casey asked, voice trembling.
“Of course. I pushed you two out in the world. You think I can’t take a punch?” She ruffled his hair, tiredly, dragging him in to press a kiss to his head.
“I hate him,” Callum spat, glaring at his mother. “I don’t want him hitting you anymore.” They all froze, Riley’s eyes darting up to each of them, looking like a cornered animal.
“We’ll talk about it when we get home, okay?” she answered soothingly.
“No, I want to talk about it now! I hate him! I want him to go!”
Justin reached for Callum, but Jason stopped him, his eyes fixed on Riley.
“I told you we would help you figure it out,” Jason told her quietly. Her eyes flickered to Nolan, and then away, her face flushed with embarrassment even under the bruising.
“Where am I supposed to go?” she asked plaintively. Kai turned to Nolan, urgency rushing through him from his need to speak. Nolan met his gaze and read the question in his eyes, giving him a slight nod.
“Why don’t I take Casey and Callum to grab something to drink so you guys can talk? I think we passed a Tim’s on the way in. Riley, can I get you something?” Nolan asked.
Riley latched onto the suggestion like a lifeline.
“Yes, please. Just a small double-double?”
Casey and Callum hesitated, their expressions shifting between uncertain and stubborn.
“Justin, go with them,” Jason ordered, and both boys reluctantly climbed off of the bed and let themselves be led out of the room. The door barely had time to swing shut before Kai exploded.
“I have news. I have such a big fucking news.” Kai vibrated with nervous energy, desperate for both of them to see the brilliance of his plan. Both Jason and Riley stared at him in alarm. “My grandmother left me a house!”
“What? Your grandmother died ages ago.” Jason said, bewildered. Riley stared, looking equally confused, wincing when she attempted to furrow her brow.
“Yeah! My aunt and my uncle stole it, but Nolan got the will and kicked them out and now I have a fucking house!” Kai watched Jason and Riley exchange looks like he might be crazy, while Kai waited impatiently for them to clue in.
“Are you saying…?” Riley asked tentatively.
“I’m saying all of you guys are moving into my house.
It’s perfect. There’s four bedrooms and a basement and a huge backyard and it’s so far from the park, nobody will even know where to find you.
There’s room for all of you guys and Liam, if he wants to live there.
The boys can go to my old school and it’s just up the street, so you don’t even have to worry. I’m telling you, it’s perfect!”
He looked from one to the other expectantly, but they just stared at him like he’d smacked them both over the head with a two-by-four.
Kai’s shoulders fell. “You always said you wanted to leave the park. This could be a real chance to start over,” he implored, but before he could add more, Jason had him in a hug, pinning his arms to his sides.
Jason whooped loudly, hauling Kai into the air and then dropping him back onto his feet.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” The two of them devolved into a tussle, Kai grinning from ear to ear, relief flooded his system, as Jason pummelled him excitedly.
“Hey! You guys need to keep it down in here!” An elderly nurse shoved open the door, her face creased with annoyance.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Jason said, trying to compose himself. She let the door swing closed and both of them looked at Riley simultaneously. She looked back, hope blooming on her face.
The look of fierce pride on Nolan’s face when they broke the news to Justin and the boys was something that Kai would remember for the rest of his life.
“It’s all because of you,” Kai told him quietly, hugging him, after the boys had stopped jumping up and down ecstatically.
“You’ll never know how grateful I am that I could help,” Nolan said, kissing the top of his head.
After that, the move was the only thing that anyone could talk about for the rest of the day. Plans were quickly made, and Kai’s plans were adjusted so that they could take advantage of Dom’s absence.
“I guess with four bedrooms means that Casey and Callum get to have their own,” Jason said eventually.
“Wait, what?” Casey asked, eyes going wide.
“So you and I are sharing again?” Justin said exasperatedly.
“Technically, that basement is big enough that you can definitely get another pair of bedrooms down there,” Nolan said, catching Kai’s interest.
“You think so?”
“For sure, You can have a whole apartment down there if you want.” It was Jason and Justin’s turn to look dumbfounded. It felt like winning the lottery, and for the first time since Noah had dropped the keys in his hands, Kai was excited.
The only thing missing was Liam. Kai knew he’d have to find some way to make peace with him if he wanted Liam to come with them. He wasn’t sure what kind of relationship he wanted with Liam moving forward, but he still wanted him to be safe. There was no way Kai would leave him behind.
While the guys talked logistics of the basement apartment, Kai broke away. Nolan gave him a questioning look, but Kai just shook his head. He meandered down the hall, pulling out his phone and Liam’s contact information.
“Hey, is everything okay?” Liam answered at once. Jason had already texted him to let him know that Riley was in the hospital so Kai rushed to reassure him.
“Yeah. Everything’s good. I just wanted to let you know, I got my grandmother’s house back.” Liam was silent so long, Kai thought the call must have dropped. “Hey, are you there?”
“Yeah. Yeah. That’s great. Congrats, man.”
“The guys and Riley are going to move in. I want you to come too.”
Another long pause.
“Cool. Cool. I’m working on something in Kingston, so I’ll let you know.”
“I’ll text you the address. Just come whenever.”
“Yeah. Alright. Anyway, I gotta go. I’ll see you around.”
Kai hung up, his spirits dimmed just a little. He texted Liam the address anyway. Liam was such a stubborn little fucker, but Kai still hoped he would use it.
When he got back to the room, Nolan pulled him onto his lap, wrapping his arms around his. Kai sank into him, propping his head on Nolan’s shoulder.
“Everything okay?”
“I called Liam. I don’t think he’s going to come.”
Nolan pressed a kiss against his shoulder. “Give him some time. He’ll come around.”
Kai wasn’t sure. He looked around at his family, happy and excited for the future for the first time ever, and he couldn’t quite get over that it was still just shy of perfect without Liam there.
Still, if this was as close as he was going to get, he would take it with both hands and hold on for the rest of his life.