Dream Chaser (Dream Team, #2)(107)

Honest to God, I didn’t have time for her shit.

So I cut through it, asking, “Does Mom know?”

“I’m not going to tell your mother her son is this huge of a fuckup. June is a decent lady. Or at least she has always been decent to me.”

“What hospital?”

“Swedish.”

I hung up on her and whirled, bumping into Boone who was so close behind me, he was almost on top of me.

I tipped my head back.

“My brother had an accident. He’s at Swedish Hospital.”

“Grab your bag, baby, let’s go,” he replied instantly.

I raced to my purse.

When I started back Boone’s way, his mom had her purse on her shoulder and both his parents were heading toward the door.

“We’ll come with,” Porter decreed.

Nonononononono.

“I don’t—”

“We’re coming with you, doll,” Porter said gently, but firmly.

Doll.

Boone had a dad who called his son’s girlfriends “doll.”

I wanted to cry.

I didn’t because Boone’s hand closed warm and strong around mine and I got my shit together.

We had a low-key argument about who was sitting in front of Boone’s Charger, which was solved when Anne-Marie hustled to the driver’s side to get in back that way, Porter gently set me aside before he folded in back of the passenger side, and Boone actually did the cop move of putting his hand on the top of my head and folding me in the front.

Boone had us on the road for about a minute before I stammered, “My brother has…he has a, well, a problem. And he was drinking before the accident. No one else was hurt,” I said the last super quick.

“That’s okay, honey, yes?” Anne-Marie said, leaning forward and patting my arm. “Right now, let’s just get you to the hospital and get you to your brother. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Did whoever phone you tell your mother?” she asked.

“Uh…n-no. No.”

Yup.

Still stammering.

“Would you like me or Boone to phone her, or can you do that?”

“I haven’t really, well, you know, decided if—”

“Call your mother, Kathryn,” Anne-Marie ordered gently.

“Right, yes, right,” I whispered, lifting up my phone.

Boone’s hand curled around my thigh and didn’t let go.

“Hey, sugarsnap,” Mom greeted.

“Mom—” My voice cracked.

Boone’s fingers tensed.

“Ryn,” Mom whispered. “Are you okay, baby?”

“He’s okay. They’re releasing him. But Brian had an accident. Boone’s taking me to Swedish right now.”

“I’m on my way,” she said.

“Mom,” I swallowed. “He’d been drinking. He’s been arrested. They’re taking him into custody when he’s released.”

“Okay, Kathryn. All right, honey. I hear you. Let’s just see if your brother is all right first. Meet you there at the front. All right?”

“Yeah, Mom.”

“You said Boone’s driving?”

“Yes,” I pushed out.

“Okay. Good,” she said.

“Um, his parents are with us. You remember I told you? They’re in town.”

Mom didn’t say anything at first, I was sure because she still wasn’t a big fan that I met them before he met her, especially, it was worth a repeat, when they lived states away, and she did not.

Now, she was probably less of a fan because of the way she’d be meeting all of them.

“Okay, well, it’ll be lovely to meet them,” she said. “Boone too, finally.”

I barked out a laugh that was entirely unamused.

Boone’s fingers squeezed tighter.

“Ryn, it’s going to be okay,” Mom told me.

“Yeah,” I lied.

“See you soon.”

“Yeah,” I repeated.

“’Bye, sugarsnap.”

“’Bye, Mom. Love you.”

“Love you too, my Kathryn.”

Man.

My mom.

We hung up.

I dropped my phone hand.

“Rynnie, you with me?” Boone asked tenderly.

“Yeah,” I muttered, looking out the window, thinking Brian couldn’t pick a weekend when Boone’s parents weren’t in town to scare his family shitless and fuck up his life even more.

“Ryn, hey,” Boone shook my thigh. “Stick with me.”

I looked forward.

“Yeah,” I whispered.

“Okay,” Boone said, took his hand off my thigh and turned it face up. “Hand,” he demanded.

I put my hand in his.

He closed his fingers around it tight, pulled it his way, and rested it on his thigh.

For once, this contact with Boone, this indication of how awesome he was, did not make me feel better.

*



So, a girl has a variety of terrifying thoughts about meeting a guy’s parents, him meeting her parents, and everyone meeting each other, and just how bad all that could go.

But even in my wildest imaginings, the way it went in the lobby of Swedish Medical Center was worse than maybe anyone could possibly imagine.