Distraction (Club Destiny #8)(26)

The scene reminded him of when Stacey and Nate were little. There had always been toys scattered from one end of the house to the other. He’d worked tirelessly to keep them put up while Meghan had laughed at him, telling him it was pointless. She’d been right. No matter how many times he’d put blocks back in a box or packed Hot Wheels cars into a bin, they always seemed to find their way back onto the floor.

“He should be back any minute,” Ashleigh answered. “He ran to the store to grab a gallon of milk.”

“I coulda picked it up on my way,” Dylan told her, following Ashleigh into the kitchen.

She nodded toward the bar, and he took a seat while she pulled a pitcher of tea from the refrigerator. “I think he needs to get out of the house sometimes. Riley’s definitely daddy’s girl and she doesn’t give him a moment of peace.”

Dylan knew that Alex would move heaven and earth for both Ashleigh and Riley, but he understood needing a minute to breathe every now and then. Dylan had depended on his grandfather for so long, needing someone to help with Stacey and Nate after Meghan had died… Thinking back on it now, he realized he’d probably leaned on Pops more than he should have.

“So, how are you?” Ashleigh inquired, carrying the pitcher to the counter.

“I’m … good.” Maybe not great, but he would survive.

Pouring the tea, she smiled up at him, then grabbed a glass. She slid the back of her hand over his scruffy jaw after she set it in front of him. “You need to shave.”

“Nate told me the same thing,” he groused, rubbing his fingers over the bristle on his face.

He did need to shave. It’d been at least two weeks since the last time he’d picked up a razor.

He wondered what Sarah had thought when she’d seen him. He hadn’t thought much about his appearance when he’d crawled out of bed and headed right for his truck as soon as he woke up. His conversation with Sarah’s nephew last night had kept him up most of the night, and he’d needed to see Sarah for himself.

Now, he wasn’t sure that’d been the best idea.

“You talk to Sarah lately?” he found himself asking before he could think better of it.

Ashleigh stopped as she placed the pitcher back in the refrigerator, her head swinging in his direction. “Jake’s aunt?”

Did she know another Sarah?

Ashleigh closed the refrigerator door and turned away from him.

“Did she say something?” Ashleigh asked, her gaze sliding toward the window over the sink.

“No.” Staring back at his sister, he realized something was going on that he didn’t know about. “Should she have?”

Before Ashleigh answered, the door leading to the garage opened, and Alex stepped into the kitchen carrying a gallon of milk. His sister’s attention immediately slid toward her husband, and Dylan knew she wasn’t going to answer his question.

“Hey, man,” Alex greeted after kissing Ashleigh and shoving the milk into the refrigerator. “What brings you by?”

“Daddy!” Riley hollered, racing into the room and running right into Alex’s legs.

“Hey, short stuff.” Alex smiled, then swept Riley up into his arms and swung her around. Alex’s gaze met his once more.

“I was out drivin’,” Dylan said. “Ash called, said I should stop by to see Riley.”

“Goin’ somewhere?”

His thoughts instantly drifted to Sarah and her impromptu weekend trip. He couldn’t help but think he should’ve put up more of a fight, convinced her not to go with Bill. Hell, he should’ve offered to take her somewhere. Anywhere. Just the two of them. That would’ve been the smart thing to do. Letting her go—before he ever actually had her—didn’t sit well with him, and he didn’t like thinking this could’ve been his last chance. What happened if she went away with Bill and came back engaged?

The universe couldn’t be that cruel, could it?

“I’d thought about it,” he told Alex. It wasn’t a complete lie. When he’d been driving around aimlessly, he’d given some thought to where he might go. Obviously he hadn’t come up with a plan.

But with Sarah gone, he knew he’d do nothing but think about her all weekend if he sat around and twiddled his fucking thumbs. Which was why a trip of his own wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Alex’s question only encouraged him to give it more consideration.

“Where’re you goin’, Dylan?” Ashleigh asked, suddenly incredibly interested in the conversation. “And when will you be back?”

“Don’t know. I was thinkin’ Shreveport,” he said simply. It was the first place that came to mind. He could gamble, drink, and ultimately give in to all of his vices.

Only he couldn’t drink.

No way was he going to Shreveport.

“Shreveport? What’s in Shreveport?” she asked, her eyes widening.

“Nothin’ specific. Just need to get away for a bit.”

Alex and Ashleigh both stared at him and he could see the concern in their gazes. He’d seen that look so many times over the past few years.

Her voice lowered when she said, “Dylan, have you been drinking?”

He huffed a laugh, then held up his tea glass. “Not yet.”

“Have you been to an AA meeting lately? Since Monday?” Alex propped his hip against the counter.