Fallen Crest Home (Fallen Crest High #6)(48)

I’d had enough. Things were fine here. Adam was off in his own head, plotting or planning something. I wasn’t sure why Mason and Nate were still here, but I didn’t care. I started to head back. I needed to hug Becky one more time, and then I was ready to leave.

“I wasn’t lying about my dad.”

Adam’s voice stopped me. I turned around again.

“And I do remember your mom,” he said, his eyes boring into mine. “I’m distracted right now because I do want to go to law school and into politics. I don’t want to stay here and take over my dad’s company, so right now when I asked about the wrong type of rehab, I was wondering if somehow my mom could take over instead. Or one of my sisters. Would that be fair to even ask that? Molly is the next oldest, but she’s just graduating high school. I don’t think that’s a fair burden to place on her shoulders. And then I wondered if that would affect Becky’s decision to marry me. If she’d be okay if we stayed in Fallen Crest for the rest of our lives, if she truly said yes to me because she loves me.”

Stark pain looked back at me.

“So please take my apology because I do mean it,” he finished.

I jerked my head in a stiff nod. I didn’t trust him regarding Becky, but I could recognize another child in pain over a parent. “Becky agreed to marry you. She doesn’t care what you end up doing. Believe that.”

“Thank you, Sam. I will.”

As I turned to go, I heard a voice I hadn’t heard for almost two weeks.

“Uh, yeah…”

I was already starting to smile.

Logan came around the back entrance, hand in hand with Taylor. He pointed behind him. “Just saw Dad helping this asshole’s pops into the car, and they both reeked of booze.” He dropped Taylor’s hand and held up his arms. “Come to me, my big brother. The better-looking Kade is back in town!”

My family was back together again.





Mason hugged Logan, then Nate, and I was last.

After setting me back on my feet, Logan skewered Adam with a look. “What’s that motherfucker doing here?”

I let Mason answer that and moved to hug Taylor. “Hey. How was the trip?”

“Good.” She waved to Nate and Mason, a little shy.

She was the closest to me, but even we weren’t super close. She and Logan had been together for almost a year now, but since she was from Cain, she liked to stick close to her friends there. Logan slept more at her house during the year than ours, which had caused some tension between him and Mason.

Taylor raked a hand through her dark blond hair. “We got to the house, but no one was there, so Logan used a GPS tracker thing he has installed on Mason’s phone. When he realized you guys were here, he got really quiet. Is this a bad place?” She looked around. “I gotta say, this is somewhere my dad would hang out.”

“It’s not really the place. It’s the people.”

“Sullivan?” we heard Logan saying. “I remember taking one off your hands more than a few times. Not that one? Tate.”

Adam shook his head. “Nice, Logan. Yeah. It’s just great to have you back.”

Nate ignored Adam. “It’s Becky, Sam’s old friend.”

Logan looked at me. “Old friend, right? Don’t tell me that’s changed, too.”

“Uh, it was old until about thirty minutes ago. It got genuine again.”

“It did?” Adam asked.

I ignored him. “Don’t knock it until you meet her again, Logan. She’s changed.”

“Not a backstabber any more?”

More like just a smarter backstabber, but I shrugged.

Logan turned to face his brother. “What the fuck is going on? You stopped taking my calls a week ago.”

“You stopped calling.”

Logan thought about that, tilting his head to the side. “Oh yeah. I think my battery died, and I lost the charger by the Eiffel Tower.” He winked at Taylor. “Plus, I’ve been a bit preoccupied. You know, hanging out with your coach.” He turned back to Mason. “We’re the best of friends now, Mase. I call him Big Poppa Bear.”

“Right.” Mason’s tone was doubtful.

“And he calls me his little baby bear. We spoon porridge together, sleep in each other’s beds, and even tried snuggling on his big daddy chair one time.” He grinned, staring off into the distance. “Such good memories. I’m the best daughter’s boyfriend ever.”

Taylor frowned. “You had a beer together. That was it.”

“Yeah, but while we enjoyed our Corona, I knew what he was thinking. I was thinking the same. We synced, Taylor. You can’t take that away from us. Me and your dad, we have a bond you’ll never understand.”

“One where you’re Goldilocks?” She smiled. “That’s not a bond I want. I’m good with the one I have. You might have heard about it; it’s called reality.”

Mason and Nate grinned, and Logan pretended to pull an arrow from his chest. He held it up. “Look at that. It went in through the front.” He smirked at Adam. “Not the back, like someone I don’t want to know here.”

“You’re a fucking asshole.”

Logan’s chest puffed up. He was so proud of himself. “Ah, name calling. Another trip down memory lane. That’s so high school.” He winked.