Page 48 of Simply You & Me

"Of course we love you!" I grab her hand in mine, hoping to keep her close. Forever. I may not know what to feed her or when she goes to bed, but goddamnit, she already feels like a piece of my soul.

"Rory," Tate whispers last. "I'm so sorry we haven't been around. There's been some stuff going on that we had to fix. We love you and your momma so much, I promise. And I promise we will be better from now on, okay?"

"Okay," Rory murmurs, gently pulling her hand away and tossing another almond into her mouth. "When will Mom be here?"

Tapping my phone, I frown, seeing it's already 10:15 Maybe her shift ran long? "Has anyone heard from Addie?" I ask the room.

Three nos respond. Frowns mar each of our faces as we stare down at our cells. "When did she say she would be here?" Zach asks from where he leans against the back of Wyatt and Tate's couch.

"Ten," I respond, biting my nail.

A tiny hand pulls my fingers away from my mouth. "Don't bite your nails. Mom says it's gross, and there are a ton of germies that live in there. You'll get sick." Patting my hand like I'm a child, Rory focuses back on the TV.

"Thanks, Angel. Gross, but good to know. We'll be in the kitchen, okay?" At her nod, I drop a kiss on the crown of her head. With a jerk of my chin, Wyatt, Tate, and Zach follow me to the kitchen.

"I'm calling her," Tate murmurs, rocking on his heels. Huddled around the island, we watch as Tate's brows draw even closer. No answer. "Somebody else try."

Wyatt rings her next. When his call goes to voicemail, Zach tries. I'm next when he slams his phone on the counter. No answer.

"Do you think she's okay?" Tate asks. Vulnerability shines in the whites of his eyes. This has got to be really damn hard for him. His abandonment issues after his sister disappeared when he was a boy are flaring. Then, with all bullshit going on with work? Our boy is at wits’ end.

"Maybe her shift ran late," Wyatt says it like a statement, but the lilt at the end sounds like a question.

Closing my eyes, I hang my head. "Her shift ended at nine, but she told me she'd be here by ten as a just-in-case scenario. It's going on 10:20, and she's not answering. What do we do now?"

"I can track her, but it will take a bit." Wyatt's already walking away to grab his laptop.

"Let's call Gabby and Rylee. See if they’ve heard from her. Fuck knows we’ve been terrible the past week and a half, so maybe she checked in with them instead."

My call to Gabby goes to voicemail, but her immediate text saying she's on a date eases my worry for her as well. When I ask if she's heard from Addie, she replies with a negative.

Frustrated, I look to Zach, whose eyes widen when Rylee's voice sounds through the phone. Quickly, he puts her on speaker, not too loud so Rory can't hear.

"Hey! Can't talk for long, everything okay?" Rylee's cheerfulness is a touch soothing. I feel bad bothering her tonight since she's out with her men celebrating her newest book release, but we need her help. Plus, Tate visibly relaxes from hearing his sister’s voice.

"Hi, Ry. I'm so sorry to bother you on your celebration night, but have you heard from Do—Adelyn?" Zach stutters, opting not to use his sexy nickname for our woman.

"Uh, no. What's going on?" Rylee's voice loses some of its airy happiness.

Zach relays what’s going on and how we have been watching Rory for the night. When he gets to the part about how Addie is over thirty minutes late now, any joy at hearing Rylee's voice slips from Tate's posture.

The silence on her end of the line is fucking horrible. When Ry breaks it, though, it's even worse. "Addie's never late," her voice trails off, making my stomach sink with dread.

"Rory said Addie's been puking a lot and sleeping more than usual. Do you think we should be worried? Like, is that normal for like a time of the month or something?" My words tumble over each other, making my response worse and worse. Tate's gaze snaps to mine with bewilderment as Zach shoves my shoulder with a growl.

"The hell, Julian? No, puking is not normal every month. What exactly did Rory say?" Rylee's voice is incredulous, like she can't believe how stupid we are.

To be fair, we didn't grow up with girls, so I have no idea what a woman's cycle is supposed to be like. How the hell am I supposed to know if they don't puke? I know periods usually equal not feeling good.

Zach gulps, looking over his shoulder where Rory sits snuggled on our couch. "Peanut said she's been puking every morning and stopped eating her favorite snack. I guess Addie has been extra tired too and, um… crying a lot."

"Oh my god," Rylee breathes on the other line. The swearing that follows makes me feel ill. "Oh fuck. Shit. Okay. Guys, for real? How did you not know she's been feeling like this?!"

Zach goes to respond, but Tate cuts him off. "Because we haven't been around. Shit's been going on at home, and things aren't good, sis. We've distanced ourselves to make sure things are safe, but we fucked up."

Wyatt walks in with two laptops in hand. One is closed while the other sits on top, wide open as he taps away with one hand. His attention snaps to the phone call happening on the counter, hope lighting up his features. I shake my head and mouth Rylee to him. I despise the way his face falls.

Rylee absolutely explodes, her voice fucking with the speakers on Zach's phone. "Are you telling me you haven't been around for your pregnant fucking girlfriend for over a week and a half?! AND you brought danger to her doorstep?!"

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