Page 127 of Broken Grump

As if reading my mind, Erin answers, “She isn’t here.”

A familiar face soon follows after her.

“She’s right, Hayden,” Steven, our lawyer, says.

“Steven—”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know what to say, bud. She’s gone. The kid too. For good.”

I feel dizzy. “No. No, they wouldn’t have just taken off. Where’d they go?”

“We can’t tell you that,” Erin replies.

Steven walks out, turns my body with his arms, and then rests his hand on my back. “This is really for the best. Why don’t you just head home, and I’ll do my best to fill in the blanks when I’m able. Okay?”

Still not believing that they’re telling me the truth, I look back in an attempt to see Addie’s beautiful face on the porch. But all I see is her shorter-haired relative.

“Come on,” Steven continues to encourage as we walk out to my car. “That’s it.”

“Steven,” I say just as he’s about to close the driver’s side door.

“We’ll talk soon, okay?”

Okay.

Completely numb, I put the key in the ignition and idle down the driveway.

You’ve lost them, Hayden. You’ve lost them for good.Tears well in my eyes as I drive down the road. Each milestone in the form of something as small as a tree I’d walked past with Luna’s tiny hand holding mine, causing my heart to break even more.

***

When I pull onto my street, I see a plethora of cars parked outside.

“What the hell? No.” Company is the last thing I want to deal with. Especiallythiscompany.

Before pulling up, I swerve over and push my fingers against my skin and make sure the pads have effectively captured all the errant moisture that fell down my cheeks.

Once that’s done, I reluctantly park behind Gabe’s obnoxious yellow Hummer. Make no mistake, if I didn’t clock it based on the color and size, the “Th3 G@b3 M@n” license plate also would’ve told me it was his.

I count down from five before opening my door. Sure enough, the whole squad is right there in the foyer waiting for me.

“Hayden,” Denton approaches first and gives me a noncommittal hug.

I don’t want to offend him, so I let him embrace me, but my arms remain at my sides.

Finally, the rest of them part, and Noah, my older brother, is in my line of sight.

“Hayden.” He looks like he’s in terrible shape, with bags under his eyes and sloppy hair. Nevertheless, my hands instinctively ball into fists as he starts to approach me.

“I have nothing to say to you.” I go to brush past him, but Victor, I assume—judging by his tight and strong grip on my forearm—stops me.

“Hear him out, man,” His gruff voice, which confirms to me that I was right about his identity, rings out.

I shake free from his grasp, turn around, and shove my finger in his face. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I actually do, mate. Noah told us everything.” He sighs before continuing, “Now, you have every right in the world to be upset. I’m not saying you don’t . . .”

When I turn around again, Noah is on his knees, at my feet.

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