Page 109 of Catch the Sun

I try not to let his words coil like a snake around my heart. “Good night,” I whisper, leaving the light on as I move out of the room.

There’s no way I can get Dad to the hospital on my own right now. I need McKay’s help and he left me here alone…again. I have no wheels, no hope, and no girl to kiss at midnight. All I have is this mess to clean up and a daunting new year ahead that looks a lot less clear.

After standing the tree back up, I call Ella, one hand fisted in my hair as I pace back and forth in my suit, the teal tie hanging loose.

She picks up on the second ring, her voice chipper. “Hey. Brynn and I are almost ready to head over to the party. Just give us five more min—”

“I can’t go.” I squeeze my eyes shut, heavy disappointment stinging the back of my throat.

A long pause. “What?”

“I can’t go to the party, Sunny. It’s Dad. I don’t know what the hell is going on…one minute he was helping me with my tie, the next he was chucking dishes at the wall.” I swallow hard, forcing back tears. “He was hallucinating. Seeing things that weren’t there.”

“Oh, my God. I’m on my way. Brynn can drive me—”

“No,” I say quickly. “You can’t come over. It’s not safe here.”

“Max—”

“I’m serious. Something’s wrong. It’s like he was having one of his drunken outbursts, but I don’t smell any alcohol on him. I gave him some sleeping pills to get him through the night. I’m going to take him to the hospital tomorrow…” My voice trails off as I scrub my jaw. “I thought it was the booze before, but he’s been sober, Ella. I’m scared that it’s something else. Something worse.”

“Max,” she whispers. “I’ll go with you tomorrow. I want to be there.”

I nod, grinding my teeth together. “Yeah. Okay. Tomorrow.”

Her raspy sigh filters through the phone. “I’m so sorry, Max. Where’s McKay? Is he with you?”

“No. We had a fight and he stormed out a few minutes ago.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, shaking my head. “Brynn dumped him today, so he’s drunk and miserable.”

“Yeah,” she murmurs. “She told me.”

“He said he needed to clear his head. If he comes back, maybe I can meet you out for a little while. McKay can watch over Dad. Otherwise…have fun. Have the best time, okay?”

She sounds like she might cry. “I want to be with you.”

“I know,” I tell her, wanting that more than anything. “But you deserve this. Dance the night away with Brynn, eat a shit-ton of carbs, watch the fireworks over the water. And then tell me all about it. Please don’t worry about me.”

“Max…I don’t know. I feel like I should come over,” she insists. “It won’t be the same without you.”

A sad smile crests as I squeeze the cell phone in my hand and inhale a hard breath through my teeth. “Call me later, all right? I’ll be here.”

“Are you okay?” she asks softly. “Did…he hurt you?”

Yeah.

He hurt me.

But I don’t say that. “He didn’t hurt me. He’s sleeping now. I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I…”I love you. I want to climb through your window laterand make love to you until the sun rises and a new year dawns. I want to ride horses in fields of gold and catch sunsets and marry you on our favorite bridge.Reining in my emotions, I whisper a final send-off before disconnecting the call. “Happy New Year, Sunny Girl.”

I toss my phone on the couch, pull off my tie, and collapse on the floor strewn with glass.

Chapter 26

Ella

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