Love's Cruel Redemption (The Ghost Bird Series)(2)

He didn’t know how to talk to her. How could he explain what happened?

How could he tell the others?

“I messed up,” Nathan said finally, lowering his gaze.

Liam waited a moment, studying Nathan. He sighed and opened the door wider. “Come in.”

Nathan took a small step inside the home, his sneakers squeaking against the slick floor, granite or marble, he wasn’t sure he could tell the difference. There were plants on pedestals and a stairway leading to the second floor further in. The inside was nicer and cleaner, the upkeep obvious compared to the outside. Nice furniture. Clean surfaces. Homey.

It didn’t make sense to him, but they must have their reasons for the outside looking like it did.

Nathan pressed his palms together, rubbing hard against each as if he could rub off the soreness in his hand and get rid of the memory of what had happened.

Liam closed the door behind him and then stood back. He wore jeans and a navy sweater with a white shirt underneath, and dark socks, no shoes. His face was covered in rust-colored hair, thin but growing out, unshaved for a least a couple of days. In the light, a bit better than the porch, his hair lightened in color, a bit more strawberry blond than reddish.

Liam held his morose expression and crossed his arms over his chest to examine Nathan with the same scrutiny. “Well? What do you want?”

Nathan glanced around, feeling the room echoed with every little noise they made. Most every other door he could see in the house on the first floor was closed to him, except to the right, some sort of library. Was anyone else awake? He couldn’t help feeling someone else was there and listening. Weren’t there four others on their team? He couldn’t remember.

He refocused on Liam and then looked down to the floor. “There’s been a fight. Two, actually.”

Liam bobbed his head. “Is the team breaking up?”

“They...might...” He bowed his head further and closed his eyes tight, trying to control his voice and keep his body from shaking. “It’s my fault.”

Liam sighed and then his footsteps echoed, coming closer.

A hand rested on Nathan’s shoulder. “Look at me,” he said quietly.

Nathan picked up his head. He was taller than Liam and broader. It was strange to Nathan as he felt very young and small with him, something he rarely felt with anyone.

Helpless. Useless.

Liam’s lips twisted, frowning, and then he spoke. “Whatever happened, I’m sure it’s horrible. But if your team was any sort of team, the heat of the moment misunderstandings...You’re clearly sorry for whatever happened, or you wouldn’t be here trying to fix it. They’ll see that.”

Nathan swallowed thickly. “I’m just afraid they’ll decide to boot me off the team. I’ll lose them. I’ll lose her.”

“If they are your team, they won’t kick you off. It’s always a mutual decision.”

He wished he believed it. But at the moment, he was pretty sure.

Liam motioned to the library room. “Come sit down. Hurry before you wake anyone else up. If you need to vent and get another opinion, I guess I was the lucky dog to answer the door first. The answer you’re looking for probably isn’t as hard to get as you think.”

Nathan breathed out heavily through his nose and relaxed, but only a little.

He wasn’t so sure it was going to be fixable.





Cake in a Pan




Sang

Two Weeks Earlier

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Cold seeped through the windows upstairs in the Lee household. Mid-January in South Carolina wasn’t as cold as Illinois, but the darkness and cooler temperatures made me want nothing more than to stay in bed with a blanket and a book.

Kota’s bedroom was still. The drapes to the windows had already been pulled back to let in what early morning sunlight could get over the trees. The room was cool in purple and pink hues.

I had two or three blankets piled up around me.

Luke was pressed to my side, hip to hip.

The narrow twin mattress left little room, so no matter where I rolled over, he was at my back, my front, everywhere. Luke’s legs were crossed on top of one of mine.

When did he crawl in with me? I barely remembered him coming in. I must have been sleeping extra hard, or I’d gotten so used to someone crawling into the bed with me that I dismissed it entirely.

Luke draped an arm over his eyes. His breathing was steady. I slowly blinked at him, keeping still so I wouldn’t wake him. His tapered shoulders were bare. The tan he’d built up during the warmer months hadn’t faded much. His blond hair was getting as long as mine, and it framed his face, splaying out over the pillow.

I considered getting up to wash and dress, but I was comfortable next to Luke. The bed was warmed by the two of us sleeping so close together.

The other reason to stay in bed as long as possible was Erica.

Even though it was an early hour, Erica was downstairs rattling around in the kitchen. Kota had joined her not long ago. Their voices floated up, mild tones. I couldn’t really hear what they were saying. When I was around, Kota’s mom seemed to ask a lot of questions.

Luke turned his head to me, with one brown eye opening. An arm stretched lazily across my shoulders. He tugged me closer until my back was to his chest, and his lips dipped down at my spine along my neck.