Page 66 of Oblivion

Slipping my cell back into my pocket, I head to where our second cart is parked and climb into the seat. Part of me wants to head home to see what Sammy is doing, but as much as I want to see if she’s in my bed or her old room at the top of the house, I know she needs some time and space to feel the impact of her actions more.

When I check the time on my watch, I see it’s barely ten p.m. It’s too late to call most people, but my dad will still be awake.

Finding his contact, I hit dial, and he answers on the second ring.

“Hey, son.”

“Hey, Dad. How’s Cassidy and the baby?”

“They’re both fine. I made her go to bed because she’s exhausted, but she was determined to finish the chapter she was working on today. Is everything okay?”

I take a moment to try to figure out how to answer that.

“Sammy’s home.”

“Good.”

“She and I are together now.”

“About time. I wasn’t sure you were ever going to make her yours.”

“Can I ask you a question?” I ask carefully.

“Of course.”

“I know we asked you to bring Cassidy into the family so that Starling would come too, but how did you guys end up…together, together?”

His chuckle is low and full of fond amusement. “That’s quite a question for a Wednesday night.”

Sighing audibly, I prop my foot up against the side of the cart. “I don’t know how much you know about what the guys have done to ensure they ended up with the girls…” I start.

“Look, son. We don’t need to talk about any of that, and I don’t need to know what any of you have done. But I’ll tell you this much. We’re the type of men who see something we want and figure out how to get it. My marriage to your mother was fucking terrible. She’s a bitch who pretended to love me but left me the moment things didn’t go the way she wanted. Cassidy is her complete opposite, and if I did some things to ensure that she became and stayed mine, then I’m okay with that. I guess what I’m saying, son, is that if you need to do anything to make that girl yours, then do it. Sammy’s a firecracker. She’ll keep you on your toes and challenge you at every turn, but if having her will make you happy, then do it, because it’ll be worth it in the end.”

He’s avoiding telling me what he did to make Cassidy fall for him, but honestly, that might be for the best, especially given mine and Starling’s tentative truce. It feels odd to basically have my dad’s blessing to cross lines and break laws, but I do feel better knowing that being this fucked up clearly runs in the family.

Hunter and Bunny find their way to the cart about fifteen minutes later. Bunny’s lips are swollen, and her hair is a mess, but they’re both giggling and grinning, so whatever they got up to in the woods was obviously a good time for both of them.

“Where is everyone?” Bunny asks, curling into Hunter’s side.

“Sammy wasn’t feeling well, so the others took her home. I offered to wait for you guys.”

“Oh no, is she okay? We only had a couple of drinks each, and I don’t even feel tipsy,” Bunny says, concern etched in her voice.

“It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for her. I’m sure she’s just tired. Are y’all ready to head home? If not, I can leave you the cart, and I’ll walk back.”

“No, we’re ready,” Hunter says, lifting Bunny into the back seat and curling himself around her like a human blanket.

The house feels tense when I push open the front door and step inside. There’s sound coming from the kitchen, so I move toward it, bracing myself as I step into the room. Clay and Bastian are sitting at the table, but the girls are missing.

“Want to explain?” Clay asks, holding his cell in the air.

“I’ll be up in a minute, little Rabbit,” Hunter says, turning Bunny toward the stairs before he steps into the kitchen and takes a seat at the table.

No one speaks until we hear the sound of her retreating footsteps on the stairs.

Sighing, I pull out a chair and sit. “Do you have the information I asked for?”

“I’m working on it. But what’s going on? Sammy is a fucking mess. She was crying. I’ve never seen Sammy cry,” Clay tells me.

---