Page 102 of Bought and Broken

“But Dane wasn’t,” I snap. “Yes, I’m angry for not knowing, but more because you lied to me. Mostly I’m sad for my brother, Summer. How could you keep that from him?”

Tears pour down her face now. “All I can say is I’m sorry, and I tried to make things better by telling him now.”

I sigh heavily. “Look, I’m still upset. I probably will be for a while, but it won’t be forever. I was hoping you and Astrid could come visit me next month.”

“I’d love that,” she says with a small smile.

“Can I say goodbye?” She nods, gesturing to Astrid’s room.

As quietly as I can, I make my way into her room. She has a big girl bed now, which is a Blue’s Clue’s toddler bed. It’s adorable and I bet she loves it. I kneel beside her, running my hand over her messy hair and kissing her forehead.

I’ve loved her since the moment she came into this world, but somehow, knowing she’s my brother’s daughter makes me love her even more.

I have a niece.

This adorable, smart little girl is my family. She has my blood.

“I’m going to miss you, sweet girl.”

I watch her for a long moment before kissing her head again and leaving the room. Summer is still in the kitchen, putting dishes away. I go behind her and hug her. Her hands come on top of mine and she hugs me back.

“I love you, Summer. I promise everything will be okay. I wish I didn’t have to leave, but I can’t stay here. Not right now.”

“I understand,” she says.

With another squeeze, I let her go.

“I’ll call you.”

“You better.” She forces a smile. I leave the apartment, making sure to close the door behind me. I hear the lock click a moment later. Needing a moment to breathe, I lean against the wall. Nothing is happening the way I wanted it to, but it’s always like that, isn’t it?

Chapter Forty-Seven

Tatum

She left me.

Just like everyone else in my life, she left me. Only this time, it’s real. She’s no longer in Michigan. No longer near me. I can’t accidentally run into her. Can’t follow her into another room. Devon is gone.

And the only reason I know this is because Brent had the decency to call me. Though, I’m sure the only reason he did is because he doesn’t know what happened. Seems all he knows is the three of us got into a fight. He wanted to check in with me to make sure I was okay since he hadn’t seen me.

I’m not okay, and I told him as much. Had he been in front of me instead of on the phone, it’s likely I would have broken down and told him everything.

That I’m a fuckup and lost the only person who has ever made me happy. That my father, though the asshole he is, is dying. My entire life is falling apart, and I have nothing. I’m barely holding on. Doesn’t help that Gunner’s words keep running through my head, driving me crazy. They make me sick to my stomach. Make me hate myself more. Because I realize how true they are.

I fucked this up. I did this. Devon was never at fault, and she didn’t deserve what I did to her. Not the break up and definitely not this. Which is why I’m not letting things end like this. I can’t.

I refuse to let this go. Not this time. If things are done between us, I need to hear it straight from her mouth. Until then, I’m going to do whatever I can to get her back. I have nothing else going for me in life right now, which is why I’ve spent all my free time trying to find her. Two days isn’t long to be gone, but you can get a lot done in two days if you put your mind to it. Still haven’t found her though.

The Internet isn’t any help. Neither was Brent. He told me he doesn’t know where Devon is, only that she left. I’m not sure I believe that. He wouldn’t tell me if he knew because he’s protecting his daughter. Also, I fully believe Devon would leave and not tell anyone where she was going. So, it’s possible Brent really doesn’t know.

Except… there is one person on this planet who probably knows where she is. Her best friend. Though, that’s unlikely since she and Summer were fighting when she left. But would Devon leave on bad terms with Summer? Did she have a place to escape to when things got bad that Summer may know about?

There’s only one way to find out. If Summer doesn’t know where she is, she has an idea. And a starting point is all I need.

I grab my phone to do some more digging, maybe hire a PI, but it rings. When I see it’s my father, I answer it even though I’m not in the mood to talk to him.

I swing around in my chair to face away from my desk. The laptop screen is giving me a headache.

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