Chapter 10
Knox
“Did I hear right that someone bought that old place out by your farm, Knox?” Mrs. Basil’s question feels like a punch to the stomach.
“Whoever did is an idiot. That place barely has running water.” It’s driving me crazy knowing Farrah wanted that run-down shack.
It was such a waste of money. Why wouldn’t she put that cash to better use on a house that’s move-in ready?
I grab another cookie from the platter in the middle of Holt’s parents’ kitchen.
I came out here to help them remodel one of their guest bedrooms on the main level of their house into the primary. As much as they don’t want to admit it, going up and down the stairs is starting to get harder, so Holt and his brothers forced the decision on them.
“Do you know who it was?” Holt asks.
I shake my head. “No idea.” Lying to my best friend makes me nauseous.
I’ll probably tell him later since he’s friends with Farrah, but I just don’t want to go into a full conversation about the woman who already takes up too much time in my head, especially in front of the people I consider to be family.
Holt’s mom straightens as if she thought of something brilliant. “You should bring them a plate of your cookies. They’d probably like that.”
Holt, his twin brothers—Reese and Camden—and I look at her for a long moment before we crack up laughing.
She frowns. “What?”
“Mom, I love you, but Knox wouldn’t even share a cup of sugar if they came askin’, let alone bake them something,” Holt tells her.
“Now that’s just not true. Our Knox is the sweetest soul.”
The three brothers crack up laughing again, but I just give her a soft smile.
She’s the mother I always wished I had, and is as good as one to me at this point.
When things had gotten real bad with my dad, they took me in without an argument.
And I mean, they wouldn’t let me say no, despite my efforts to tell them I was fine.
It’s kind of hard to mean it when your stomach is so fucking bruised you can’t stand up straight.
“Holt’s right, Mrs. Basil. I’d more likely run them off if they came knocking on my door.”
“Psh. I just don’t believe you.” She humphs, partly because I won’t call her anything other than Mrs. Basil.
I can’t let myself cross that line. I know the minute I do, something would happen, and I’d lose her.
I’d rather be formal with her and keep her in my life than get too comfortable and deal with the fallout.
“They’re probably not even livin’ there,” I say. “It wouldn’t be safe, let alone comfortable.”
“Holty, you should try to find out who’s out there and see if they could use some help fixing up the place,” Mrs. Basil suggests.
“I’ll do some digging, but I’ll refer them to a contractor.
I don’t need that kind of liability on my head,” Holt responds.
I don’t blame him either. When you’re not a licensed contractor, you have to be careful who you help out.
As much as I don’t care for her, I doubt Farrah would stoop to that level, but you never know.
We talk for a few more minutes before getting back to work.
Since Gia’s picking up Lauren, Leah, and Finn from school, I don’t have to worry about paying attention to the time.
Usually, I have an alarm to remind me when I need to get going.
I’m proud to say there’s only been a few times when I’ve been late getting Finn.
I’m outside cutting tile for the bathroom when Holt comes barreling out of the house. “Lauren and Leah weren’t at school. I gotta go.”
Before I can respond, he’s in his truck, flying down the driveway. I stand there for a second, trying to figure out what the fuck is happening. I stride into the house to find Muriel, Stan, Reese, and Cam gathered in the living room. “What the hell is going on?”
Mrs. Basil turns her worried face toward me. “Gia called, saying Lauren and Leah weren’t at school when she went to pick them up. They can’t seem to figure out where they went.”
“Does she have Finn? Should I go pick him up?”
“She has Finn. I think he’s fine for now. Let’s wait to hear from them just in case they’re with a teacher or something.”
It feels like hours go by before my phone rings. “What’s going on, Holt?”
“Knox,” Gia says with a sniff. “Will you come pick up Finn? We’re still trying to find out where the girls are, and I don’t want him to have to wait here with us.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen.” Hanging up the phone, I turn to Holt’s family. “They still haven’t found the girls. I’m going to grab Finn.”
Mrs. Basil squeezes my arm. “Come back here after you get him. I’ll start making calls to see if anyone has seen them.”
I nod and head to my truck. The drive goes by in a blur of worry and gratefulness that Finn wasn’t a part of whatever’s going on. It makes me feel like a shitty friend, but I’m not sure what I’d do if Finn were missing too.
I drive entirely too fast, so it only takes me ten minutes to get to the school, but the last thing my friends need to worry about right now is taking care of my son.
Gia and Finn are standing outside the front office. Finn’s got his arms wrapped around Gia’s waist, and she’s holding onto him just as tightly. I’m not sure how he managed it, but Holt found a good woman. I don’t trust many people with my son, but I know Gia would fiercely defend Finn if necessary.
I don’t bother parking in a spot, pulling up directly in front of Gia and Finn instead.
“Daddy!” Finn calls out when I walk around the front of my truck. I scoop him up and hold him close to my chest. “Lauren and Leah are missing.”
The worry in his voice makes my chest tighten. “We’ll find them in no time.”
“I’m sorry about this,” Gia says as she runs her fingers through her blonde hair.
“Go take care of Holt. Mr. and Mrs. Basil are calling everyone they know to see if they’ve heard anything.”
“That’s good. Holt will appreciate that.”
“Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help.”
Gia nods, giving Finn a little wave before she heads back into the office.
I get Finn buckled into his seat in my truck, and then we’re on the road, headed back to Holt’s parents’ house.
I’m grateful for the invitation to go back.
I’d have driven myself crazy at home, wondering if Lauren and Leah were safe.
“Why couldn’t we stay to help?” Finn asks.
“Unfortunately, buddy, there’s not a whole lot we can do right now.”
“Why not? I coulda searched our classroom or somethin’.”
“That’s a good idea, but I don’t think Leah or Lauren got left behind in the classroom.”
“Then where are they?” Frustration laces Finn’s tone.
“I’m not sure. That’s what Holt and Gia are working on finding out. We’re going out to Mimi and Pop’s house right now. Maybe we can see if Pop wants to bake them a treat for when they get home.”
“Yes! That’s a great idea, Daddy. They’ll for sure be hungry.”
Holt’s parents are the closest thing Finn has to actual grandparents. Muriel and Stan have always treated him as if he’s one of their own, just as they did me when I was a teen. They get onto me regularly for not bringing him by as often as they’d like.
I usually get a call every Sunday from Mrs. Basil, inviting us to their weekly family dinner.
I end up caving about once a month, but I’ve never felt comfortable enough to go as often as she’d like me to attend.
I feel guilty that Finn is affected by my reluctance, so I try to take him to their house as regularly as I can.
By the time we get back to Muriel and Stan’s, their driveway is packed with cars. Most of them belong to Holt’s brothers. I shouldn’t be surprised that they’d rally the troops, but even after all these years, it still astonishes me at how quickly they offer support to anyone who needs it.
Walking inside, we’re greeted with a wall of noise. That isn’t unusual for Holt’s massive family. What is abnormal is seeing Gwen and Farrah across the room, along with Grayson and Emmett.
“Miss Nelson!” Finn shouts. He runs across the living room to give Farrah a massive hug.
She squats down to talk with him. It’s too loud to hear what she’s saying, but her smile is a mile wide.
It only makes her brown eyes brighter, and I hate that it makes her prettier.
I’m surprised she’s in jeans and a T-shirt today.
Was she out at the house? We closed today, so I’d imagine she’d want to get inside it as soon as she can.
She better have gotten a tetanus shot recently. She’s going to end up hurting herself. It’s just fucking reckless of her to have bought such a run-down place. Why would she have thought this was a good idea?
Her gaze suddenly clashes with mine. That pretty smile is gone in an instant, and her face pinches at the sight of me.
Yeah, well, the feeling is mutual.
I move around the room to say hello to Gray and Emmett.
“Any news?” Grayson asks.
“Nothing yet.”
Emmett runs his hand through his hair. “What a nightmare. I can’t even imagine.”
“I was thinking how grateful I was that London isn’t in school yet. Does that make me a shitty friend?” Grayson grimaces.
Emmett taps him on the shoulder. “Nah, we’re all thinking some form of the same thing. Doesn’t mean we can’t be here for Holt and Gia.”
Looking across the room, Farrah has all the kids giggling through a game of Simon Says. I scoff at them. “Not really time for fun and games.”
Grayson gives me a look. “You’d rather Finn be worrying about his best friends? I’d prefer if London didn’t realize that something bad is happening right now.”
I grunt. He might have a point.
“Yeah, I might have to buy her a bottle of wine or something because Eli and Emma were freaking out on the way over here,” Emmett says.
“You’re going to need to solve this problem you have with Farrah,” Gray says seriously. “She’s never done anything wrong to you, so figure out why she’s triggering your anger and fix it.”
I whip my head toward Gray. He very rarely speaks about anything with any amount of seriousness. The fact that he’s calling me out right now means I should probably pay attention to what he’s saying.
Instead of responding, I nod at him. I’m not even sure what I could say. He’s right. There’s something about her that triggers my anger, and I haven’t been able to pinpoint it yet.
Part of me wants to push her until she breaks open and shows all her pieces to me at once.
That fairy-tale princess facade she wears isn’t her true self.
I have enough trauma to see that clearly.
But figuring out exactly why that bothers me is going to take some soul-searching, and I’ve never been much good at that.