Page 126 of Bae

“Change your ticket or sleep at your gate. I don’t give a fuck. Now get out.”

“Might want to clean your face up in the bathroom or TSA is gonna think you’re the Unabomber,” B cracked.

Kane spun in his seat. I saw the anger and hatred in his eyes, felt it brewing on his tongue.

Trent jerked forward, surprising us all, and grabbed him by the face, squeezing Kane’s cheeks between his fingers. “You’ve been warned about talking about my sister. Don’t say it,” he growled. “‘Cause this time I’ll knock you the hell out, and we’ll dump your unconscious pussy ass on the sidewalk and drive away.”

“Fuck you,” Kane muttered as he stormed out of the car like a five-year-old.

“You aren’t my type,” Trent yelled after him.

Drew drove off before he’d even stepped fully onto the sidewalk. I stared out the back window as he watched us drive away.

“You don’t think he’ll jump in a cab and go back to the hotel, do you?” B asked, his eyes watching him, too.

“Nah.” I was sure we’d scared him enough. He knew I meant everything I said in that hotel room. He saw it in my eyes.

I would destroy him.

I would probably even enjoy it.

As Drew turned onto the on ramp to take us away from the airport and back to my wife, I glanced back one last time.

Kane was walking into the airport, on the way the hell out of our lives.

Rimmel

Romeo Anderson was not the boss of me.

Neither were any of my three overbearing brothers.

So when he put me in bed and told me I had to stay there while he went off and likely did things I wouldn’t approve of, my first reaction was to kick him.

Then I remembered I was tired.

And I didn’t want to see Jonathan.

Maybe just this one time, I could appreciate his bossy, annoying behavior and not argue. Ivy seemed to be of the same mind, even though neither of us said it out loud. Besides, we had Nova to think about.

They were gone a long time… like hours.

We ordered food, but I didn’t eat. I couldn’t. My stomach was in knots. I drank some tea and picked at a muffin, but Nova ate more than I did.

After I’d glanced at the clock for like the millionth time, I glanced at Ivy. “Do you think they’re in jail?”

“I really hope not,” she replied. “What a bunch of boneheads.”

Nova was napping between us on the mattress, and we both went back to watching some movie that was doing a terrible job at keeping our mind off things.

As much as I wanted Romeo not to go, I was sort of glad he did. I didn’t want that story to come out. It would be humiliating. Even if I never confirmed it, even if it was embellished and not completely accurate, it was still terrible.

I would be so ashamed. My father would see. He would know it was true. It wasn’t as if he were some picture of perfection—heaven knows he made more mistakes than me—but he was still my father.

My grandparents would see.

Everyone I worked with would see.

The entire world.

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