Page 109 of Fake

“This could be it,” I say, then accept the call, turning to lean my back to the bar. “Dad?”

“They found him, Nathan. They found Nick.”

Relief washes over me and I sag, one hand to my heart as I exhale shakily. “Do we know anything? Is he okay?”

I hold Mina’s gaze like a lifeline. She’s smiling for me, looking as hopeful as I feel. The distance between us erased that easily.

“He’s alive, but he’s hurt pretty badly,” Dad says. “Mom and I are on our way to Wyatt and Kara’s if you want to meet us there.”

I agree then end the call, releasing a long breath.

Mina puts a hand to my shoulder and I sigh, grateful for the comfort. “That doesn’t look like completely good news.”

“They found Nick,” I murmur, eyes closed. “But he’s hurt. Dad wants me to go to my uncle’s…”

I’m pulled in two directions. I need to know more about Nick but I’m not ready to leave Mina. I never want to leave her again.

“Go,” she urges. “You need to be with your family. I’ll let Dom know what happened. You and me? We can talk when you’re done.”

I nod. “I’ll call you as soon as I can,” I promise, then rush for the door.

I leave The Depot and drive straight to Nick’s parents’ house, arriving at almost the same time as Angela, Garrett, Micah, and Ivy. We park behind my parents’ car, share a quick greeting, then race up the steps to the front door. Uncle Wyatt lets us in, while Aunt Kara paces back and forth across the living room, phone to ear. “Okay,” she says. “Okay. Thank you.”

Her face is pale as she ends the call.

“They’re rushing him to Bethesda instead of stopping in Germany.” Her hands shake as she brushes hair out of her face. “His truck drove over a landmine and he was taken behind enemy lines. He’s the only one that survived.” Her voice falters and she seems older and smaller than I remember.

“When will he arrive in Bethesda?” asks Uncle Wyatt.

“Soon. I don’t know. We can book a flight ourselves or maybe the military wants to pay for our tickets, which is silly but he was talking fast and I’m not—” Aunt Kara covers her face, choking on sobs and her husband rushes to her side, pulling her close.

I turn to Angela, who looks stricken. Uncle Lucas strides through the door, back straight, shoulders square. “What do we know?”

“It’s not good,” Angela murmurs, then explains what we overheard to her father.

Lucas’s face falls, his mouth going taut as he closes his eyes and nods. He pulls his daughter to him and presses a kiss to her forehead before crossing the room to place his hands on his brother’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about a thing. Forward me the name and number of your contact with the Marines. I’ll be the liaison so all you have to do is take care of Nick. Let me handle everything else.”

It’s such a Hutton thing to do. Rush in. Take charge. Protect. Provide. It’s the way we’re built. All of us.

It’s what I did with Blossom, what I wanted to do the second I learned Nick was missing. It’s what I kept myself from doing with Mina at first. It wasn’t until I accepted my need to take care of the people who matter that things started to feel real between us.

Suddenly, I feel less like a fool for the mistakes I made with Blossom. I did my best for her and maybe, someday, it’ll mean something. Or maybe it won’t. But in the meantime, I can take comfort knowing I was true to myself.

Mina’s hopeful face flashes through my mind. I promised I’d call when I’m done with my family, and I have every intention of following through, but she was right when she said we need to be real and true and honest if this is going to work between us.

So, before I call her, there’s something I have to do first.

FORTY-EIGHT

Mina

To say I’m distracted is an understatement. My mind is on Nathan. On how my heart spasmed when I realized he was the man sitting across from Dom. On the intensity surging between us when our eyes met. On the hope followed by fear dashing across his face when he answered the call from his father.

Nathan said he’d call as soon as he could, and my heart took him literally. Half my attention is on my phone while I fill orders even though I know he’s too busy with family to be thinking of me.

As it should be.

Nat, the owner of The Depot who prefers to spend her evenings tending bar, stops me as I return from my last table. She’s got Mama Bear energy and that is so what I need right now. “You doing okay, Mina?”

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