Page 75 of Fractured Rhythm

“That would’ve been a crime,” he said.

“Be helpful and take this into the dining room, Wolfie,” Jane said, handing him a platter of chicken.

“Mom, you know I hate it when you call me that,” he muttered.

“Why do you think I do it?” she said with a smile, and Bash shook his head and smiled back before he did his mother’s bidding.

“Losers, it’s time to eat,” Bash called out from the dining room after we brought in the rest of the food.

“Yes. I’m starving,” Jax said, popping a biscuit in his mouth before taking his seat. “Fuck. That’s hot.”

“Jackson Elbert,” Jane admonished.

“Elbert?” Charlie said, and then she burst out laughing. “Elbert. Oh, that’s great. I think I’ll call you Ellie now.”

“You will not. Elbert is a fine name. It was my great-grandfather’s name,” Jax said. “And sorry, Mrs. C.”

“Thank you. Now let’s eat,” she said as we started passing the dishes around the table.

Conversation flowed easily, with a healthy dose of good-natured ribbing from everyone. I looked down at my lap, needing a moment to collect myself. Why had I let all of this go? All of these years wasted.

Bash found my hand under the table and linked his fingers with mine, leaning in close. “I’m sorry, Cas.”

He knew exactly what I was feeling, and yes, I could blame him for the missed years with his family. I could blame my brother. But Jane had reached out numerous times after Bash had broken up with me, and I’d brushed off her calls and emails, claiming I was too busy with school to come home.

It’d been too hard, and that was on me.

But that ended now. Hell, it’d ended as soon as Bash had walked back into my life. I had no plans to give this up ever again.

“It’s okay. I’m glad I’m here, and that we’re back,” I whispered.

“I love you, Cas. I always have,” he said.

“What?” I asked. I mean, I knew. It was the same for me. But I didn’t expect him to say it for the first time in years at the dinner table surrounded by his parents and the band.

BASH

“What’s going onover there?” my dad asked, and I wanted to kick myself.

I’d wanted to tell her I loved her so many times, but not like this. It’d slipped out. I felt like a complete ass for all our years apart, and seeing her with my mom drove that guilt home even deeper.

What the hell was wrong with me? I was usually smoother than this, but Cassie had always knocked me off-balance.

“Umm. Nothing,” Cassie said, focusing on her plate.

At least she still had her fingers linked with mine, so I hadn’t complete fucked this up.

“Yeah, not buying it,” Jax, the constant shit stirrer, said.

“We’ll be right back,” I said, pushing back from my chair and lightly tugging on Cassie’s hand.

“Umm. Yeah, we’ll be right back,” Cassie said, standing up next to me.

I turned to glare at Jax, daring him to say something inappropriate, but by some miracle he kept eating with little more than a quick brow wiggle.

I led Cassie down the hall to my bedroom and shut the door behind us.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out that way.”

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