“Meditate. We’ll meet at the gym, okay?”
Thirty minutes later, Hannah calls me.
“Tuck is on his way to Seattle,” she states.
“Of course he is,” I sigh. “What do you want from me? You know I’ll do anything for you, but not for him.”
“I want us to be back together as a family. He’s a part of us too, Ethan.” Her pleading voice is breaking my heart.
She still believes in him. He has broken her heart a million times. When is this going to stop? The day that he dies? She has blind faith in all of us, and I love her so much because of that. However, there has to be a moment when she has to stop and accept that it’s over. Rocco is never going to change.
“Aren’t you worried about Zeke? What if he—”
She gasps so loud Alex asks, “Are you okay?”
Hannah responds with another question, “Do you think this will set him back?”
“I don’t know, but I’m concerned,” I say, trying not to be harsh because this isn’t her fault. “What if he triggers something.”
“Are you making me choose between them?” Her voice is so quiet.
“I’d never break your heart like that, Nana,” I assure her. “I just want to know that you’re aware of the rest of us. If I have to choose…”
“Z is first, I know,” she mumbles.
“We’ll play this by ear, but know that I’m going to be guarding Zeke. What is the plan?”
“As I mentioned, Tucker is on his way. He should be here in three hours. We’ll pick him up,” she states.
“I’ll have the helicopter ready,” I offer. “We’ll fly from there, but I’ll make sure the guys have the boat ready in case we need to leave.”
“Who is we?”
“Zeke and me, Nana. Are you aware that Rocco may be high?”
“If he is high, he deserves the same love and support that Zeke has received from us. If he’s fallen back, we’ll help him again. That’s why we’re his family. What if it was Z? You’d be there helping him without hesitation.”
She can’t see the difference between them. I can’t help her with that. Zeke has changed. He made amends with everyone he hurt. He turned his life around.
The guy went back to school. He’s a teacher. He’s now studying for his Ph.D. Even when he was high, he never reached out to us asking for help. He’s always been the one offering help.
“I’ll go with an open mind, but if Z needs to leave, I’m taking him with me. Do we understand each other?”
“Are you two back together?”
“No, we’re not back together. Neither one of us is in the right place to consider dating other people, let alone each other. I haven’t even come out to my mother. I just hate when he’s struggling. It hurts him. You don’t see the pain, but I feel it.”
She’s silent for several seconds before she says, “I wish I knew more about his feelings so I could help, but I’m happy that he has you. If you need me, I’m here for you.”
“You have plenty on your plate. See you in a few hours.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ethan
“This is an accident waiting to happen,” I complain as we make our way to the airport.
Zeke rolls his eyes but keeps his focus on the road. “I should steal Ash more often.”
“It’s a car. It shouldn’t have a name,” I complain. “You do look hot driving it.”
“We’re back to flirting?” he complains. “You do it when you think I’m about to lose my shit, which I’m not. I recommend discussing that with Dante.”
I slam my head against the back of the car seat. “I disagree with your statement. However, I am worried about this meeting. Bad things happen when he’s around.”
“You are a pessimist, Eth. I agree that this meeting is useless. He’s going to ask for money, a job, or a place to stay. Hannah and Tucker will scramble to figure out a way to get him what he needs. In about six weeks, he’s going to start using again—unless he’s using already,” he says. “It’s his cycle.”
“It’s just simple math,” I argue. “One plus one always equals two. There’s no other answer. Patrick Rokus equals disaster.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree,” he says, turning on the music. “You could stop being so judgmental.”
I don’t say a word until we arrive at the airport. Clint and another guy from the security team meet us. They’re going to take my car back to HANNETH’s tower. That’s where we’re going to fly when we come back from the island.
“If you think this is a disaster, why did you come?” Zeke asks as we wait close to the helicopter. Hannah and Alex are waiting for Tucker.
“Because I want to make sure you are okay.”
“I’m fine,” he argues. “You need to trust me a little more.”
“What does that mean?”
“Sometimes I don’t know if you’re around me because you think I’m going to lose my shit or because you enjoy my presence,” he complains. “I need you to stop doing whatever the fuck it is that you’re doing. As I told you earlier, you flirt with me only when you think I’m losing my shit.”
“No, I do it to remind you that I’m here and I love you,” I argue. “If I stopped, it is because I have to fix my underlying issues with my mother. I can’t be fragmented when I finally place my hand behind the back of your head and capture your mouth.”
We stare at each other for several seconds. My breathing is shallow. The intensity of my confession has thickened the air between us.
I want that kiss.
I need it.
Now.
As I’m about to pounce on Zeke, Tucker, Hannah, and Alex appear.
“This conversation isn’t over,” Zeke warns me.
The moment Tucker spots us, he points at Zeke and says, “He’s angry.” After giving him a second glance, he changes his mind. “No, he’s sulking.”
“Brooding,” Hannah corrects him.
No, he’s angry at me and horny, but I’m not going to tell them that.
We chat while the pilot gets ready for takeoff. When we arrive at the studio, nobody says a word until we’re inside.
“Where is he?” I question one of the security guys.
“Miss Hades asked me to escort them to the conference room.”
“Them?” Nana asks.
“Mr. Rokus didn’t come alone,” the guard states.
We all exchange looks but don’t say a word. The conference room has glass walls. It’s easy to spot Rocco and the blonde next to him.
“Do we know her?” Tucker stares at them.
“He knocked her up and needs money to bail him out,” Zeke says and dusts his hands. “It won’t be me.”
“Do we have to be so judgmental?” I throw the words in his face. He can see the entire drama unraveling, even before we set foot in the studio.
He’s going to ask for money, either to pay her off and disappear or he’ll try to be a dad and leave the responsibility to us: Here, my new fuck up is a baby. You’ll have to deal with that for the next eighteen years because I’m not mature enough to handle it.