Chapter 20
CHAPTER
TWENTY
CARSON
When Crew called me worried about Nash and Cori, I instantly tried to call Nash, but he sent me straight to voicemail. Or his phone died. Either way, it’s annoying. I called Lainey to see if she could reach Cori and her attempts were also unsuccessful.
We all headed to Nash’s house to wait around, hoping that they’d show up, but after an hour, I decided to call Nash’s dad. So if my best friend isn’t dead, he’s gonna be pissed that I called him, of all people.
Nathan, Nash’s father, and his wife, Daria, stroll in an hour later, and Nash and Cori are still MIA. The frustration radiates off Nash’s father the longer his mother remains unreachable.
“This is what I’m talking about,” he whispers to Daria. “She can’t be a parent.”
Daria slides her fingertips down his arm, assuring him that it’s gonna be okay, and after a few more minutes of silence, Lainey and Drayton come strolling in the house.
Her attitude is commanding, turning everyone’s head, “What the hell did he do, Carson?”
Drayton swaggers in, kisses his mom’s head, but returns right back to Lainey’s hip.
“I don’t know.”
Nathan rounds the counter, typing furiously in his phone, “Who is he with, Carson?”
I hesitate, not wanting to get Cori in trouble, but I know she could be in real danger. I go to speak, but Lainey cuts me off, “Corinne Clark. He probably kidnapped her!”
Nash’s dad raises his brow, eventually calling Trey Clark to let them know what’s going on, cutting the call short when he gets another call.
“That was the Coast Guard. They haven’t found them yet.”
I watch as Drayton whispers in Lainey’s ear. I always thought Lainey and Madden were secretly a thing, but I guess not. Maybe I just wished for it, knowing that he wanted Avery.
Everyone’s chatter ceases as the front door is swung open and Nash and Cori walk in, completely soaked.
Lainey rushes to the door, grabbing Cori. “Oh my God! We thought he killed you.”
I can see the anger brewing behind Nash’s eyes as he takes in his audience. “We did not think that,” I whisper, defending my friend.
“What the hell is this?” He looks around, his eyes darting from his father to his stepmother, and lastly, Drayton. “If this is some kind of intervention, you can count me the fuck out.”
Daria takes a couple steps closer, “Nash, honey, we were so worried about you.”
Nash steps backward, not allowing her to get close to him, “Why is she here?”
Nathan grabs Daria’s arm, rubbing it assuringly, her weak voice barely audible, “He’s right, I should go.”
Drayton sits smugly on a stool at the bar, “Well, your mom isn’t here, so I thought I’d lend you mine. Clearly the better option.”
Nash bolts from Cori’s side, rushing at Drayton, but his dad steps between them, “That’s enough. Both of you.”
I jerk my eyes away from the train wreck of family drama in front of me to Cori, who is visibly pale. “Are you alright?”
She crosses her arms, drawing my attention to a black piece of fabric around her arm, blood covering her elbow. Geez, what the hell did Nash do?
“Uh… yeah. I’m fine.”
Lainey pushes her wet hair out of her face, “You don’t look fine.”
“It’s okay, I just… I might need a couple of stitches, that’s all.”
Nash rolls his eyes, “Which we are going to do right now. Crew is on his way to take us back to my Jeep, and I’ll run her by the hospital.”
Drayton speaks up, “So you kidnapped Cori and nearly killed her. You must be stupid if you think she’s gonna wanna go anywhere with you.”
Nash laughs, “This is ridiculous. We’re leaving. Come on, Corinne.”
He turns to walk out the door. Cori stalls, but she’s reading the pain in his eyes pretty well. Will she stand up to him or keep playing his games?
“No,” Nathan booms. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
His voice is demanding and dripping with anger. “Carson, do you mind going into the master bathroom under the sink? I should still have a suture kit in there.”
“No,” Nash quips. “No. It’s okay, I’ll take her to the hospital. We’re fine. Your boat is fine, and you can go.”
Nathan isn’t typically one for confrontation, but he is furious with Nash. I’ve actually never seen him so angry, and Nash has done some idiotic things over the years. Trust me.
“No. This is serious, Nash. Your days of being in this house alone are over.”
I walk into the master bedroom and it’s a disaster.
Clothes are thrown everywhere, high-heeled shoes strewn about.
Kendra Langdon needs help, real help, not just Nash dragging her out of whatever mess she’s gotten herself into each week.
I grab the suture kit and take it in the kitchen, watching closely as Nathan unwraps Nash’s black t-shirt from her bicep.
“This is really bad. You needed stitches an hour ago. It’s probably going to scar,” he says, injecting a numbing agent into her skin.
“It’ll be alright. Thanks for doing this.”
Nathan nods, “It’s no problem. We’re all pretty used to cleaning up Nash’s messes. Right, Carson?”
Shit.
I remain silent, and he continues speaking as if Nash isn’t sitting right here, “How did this happen? Do you want me to call the police?”
Nash’s body language changes and his eyes tilt to mine. I’ve only seen this look one other time when his entire world fell apart.
“No, it was an accident,” she confirms.
“Sure it was,” Drayton huffs, earning a murderous look from Nash.
“Dray,” Daria smiles. “Let’s go home, give Nash and Nathan some time alone, hmm?”
Drayton stands, Lainey rounding the island to check on Cori, “Will you be okay? He’s my ride?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I promise. I’ll text you when I get home.”
Lainey gives her a hesitant look, but Cori gives her a reassuring nod.
They all walk out the front door, and I really make eye contact with Cori for the first time since the other night in my room. Her blue eyes nearly bring me to my knees.
I want to rush to her, hold her, ask her if she’s okay, but my feet remain glued to the floor. Nash doesn’t move either. We both just stare at her the same way, with equal parts worry and want.
“Carson, how’s Avery?” Nathan asks. “I spoke with her father in the hospital parking lot yesterday on my way out.”
I hesitate, not wanting to reveal too much, “She’s a lot better. She’s home.”
“Good,” he blows out a breath, sounding relieved.
Nash speaks up, “Is she okay? Was she sick?”
I hesitate again, not wanting to betray her, “Something like that.”
“Okay, you’re all set. We should probably call your uncle and tell him you guys made it back.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “I lost my phone somewhere.”
“I’ll take her home,” I offer. “I’m headed that way anyway.”
Nash basically fumes, “No, I can walk her home.”
Nathan’s tone is rushed and furious as he cleans the blood from the counter, “Like hell, you will. Your ass isn’t leaving this house until we’re clear on a few things, and maybe not even then.”
Cori slides down off the counter, offering me a tight-lipped smile. She turns to Nash, “Can you bring my things out of your Jeep to school tomorrow?”
“I’ll pick you up for school,” he orders. “I’ll be there at 7:30.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but I think she decides better of it, shaking her head in agreement instead.
Nash stands up and doesn’t take his eyes from hers, leaning into her damp hair whispering something I can’t understand into her ear.
She nods, and he leans down, pressing his lips against hers.
I can’t help but stand there in awe. I’ve never seen Nash kiss anyone in public, not ever. Sure he’s slept with plenty of girls but kiss them? Act like he cares? Never. He even kissed her in front of his father.
“Tell your friends bye, son.”
Nash pulls his lips from Cori’s, turning his eyes to me, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, man. Alright.”
I push the front door open, Cori following close behind me. We slip into my truck, and it’s a short drive down the street to our houses.
“You sure you’re alright?” I ask, wanting to know what happened between them.
She assures me that she’s fine, hopping out of my truck. “Is everything okay with your girlfriend?”
It feels a little wrong talking to Cori about Avery, but she deserves to know. Especially after that kiss the other night.
“Yeah, everything is fine. Well, it is now.”
Cori’s eyes go wide like she knows something I don’t.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I laugh.
“I just didn’t expect it, that’s all.”
Wait. What?
“Didn’t expect what?” I ask, thoroughly confused.
She waves her hands, “Nothing, it’s none of my business.”
She turns to walk over to her house, my voice stopping her mid-stride, “What is none of your business? What the hell do you think you know?”
She looks around, I guess making sure nobody can hear her, “You skipped school because she needed an abortion, right?”
I nearly choke to death on my own saliva. She thought I got Avery pregnant? Is that what everyone thinks?
“Holy shit. Is that what everyone is saying?” I croak. “No. Cori, Avery wasn’t pregnant.”
Cori’s eyes go wide with embarrassment, “Oh my God. That’s just what…” she stammers. “Well that’s what people at school were saying.”
I shake my head in disbelief, her voice still frantic, “So basically all day I thought that you kissed me knowing that Avery was pregnant. I was…” she rambles. “I was so mad at you.”
I shouldn’t say this, but the words just flow, “I kissed you because I can’t stay away from you, and Avery can’t be pregnant. Well, not by me anyway, because we’ve never had sex.”
Hearing that truth actually fall from my lips is eye-opening.
Cori’s giggle isn’t something I was expecting to hear in return.
“What is it?” I laugh.
“I should’ve known better than to even consider those rumors. I realize now how stupid it sounds.”
“Yeah, Legacy can come up with some pretty crazy ones.”
She laughs again, obviously thinking about something.
“What is it?”
“The other part of the rumor,” she shakes her head, her dimples showing.
“What is rumor part two?”
“Everyone was saying that Avery needed an abortion because she wasn’t sure who the father was.”
Jesus.
“Yeah, that’s ridiculous.”