Page 88 of The Step Dare

Dad takes Nicole’s hand and kisses it. “I can’t wait.”

“Me neither.”

“Damn, Dad…smooth. You got moves.” I wink, but my chest feels tight, and I can’t put my finger on why. It has nothing to do with Dad and Nicole. There’s not a doubt in my mind that if it’s possible, my mom is looking down at us right now and is so damn happy for him.

“He gets it from me,” my grandpa says, and we share another round of laughter, while my gaze roams the room, searching for Taylor.

“We have a few hours before we all need to get ready, right?” I ask, though I know the answer.

“Yep.” Dad tells me what time we’re meeting in the groom’s suite, where we’ll all be getting ready together.

“Have you guys seen Tay?” I nervously wring my hands together, the tightness inside me growing. I’m likely overreacting. Maybe I missed Taylor and he went up in another elevator, or maybe he’s with the guys, or went for a walk, or a million other possibilities.

“No, I haven’t. Did you text him?” Nicole asks.

“He left his phone in the room.” She cocks her head slightly, and before worry can set in, I say, “I’m sure he’s with the guys since my lazy ass didn’t want to get out of bed with him this morning.”

I feel Dad’s gaze on me, and it takes me a moment to realize what I said. If I try to cover it, it will just look worse, so I play it off like it’s nothing. “I’ll go wrangle him up.”

“Okay. Tell him to text me,” Nicole says, and I let out a relieved breath that she doesn’t sound worried. If she’s not worried, I shouldn’t be either.

“Will do.” I slip away before they can ask me anything else.

I wait until I’m out of view and heading toward the elevators before I call Atlas.

“This better be good, Brenner.” His voice is groggy with sleep, which makes my hope sink.

“Is Taylor with you?”

“No…is he supposed to be?”

“What’s wrong?” I hear Troy ask and figure he’s in bed beside Atlas…which is where Taylor and I should be.

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m sure he’s fine. He just went to breakfast and never came back. He left his phone in the room. And he’s not in the restaurant, and our parents haven’t seen him.”

“You probably missed him and he’s back in your room,” Atlas assures me.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m heading there now.”

“I’ll have Troy message Colin to check with him too.” Atlas is trying to help, and I appreciate it, but the fact that he’s asking around also makes me more concerned. Maybe I’m not freaking out for no reason.

“Thanks, man. I’m getting into the elevator and might lose my signal. Hit me back if he’s there.”

I end the call, my hands shaking, my heart beating too fast. Logically, I know I’m jumping the gun here, that I don’t need to be this worried, but I can’t help it. What if something happened to him? What if I lose him like we lost Mom?

I pace the elevator, grateful it’s empty and wishing I had a fidget spinner or something to keep my restless hands busy. As soon as the doors open on our floor, I rush out, jogging down the hallway to our room. The red light flashes when I slide the card over the lock.

“Fuck.” I do it again, and when I see green, I push the door open. “Tay?” But I know I won’t get a response. The room looks just like it did when I left, and I don’t feel him in here, don’t smell that Taylor scent or sense him the way I do.

My phone rings, and I fumble it, dropping the stupid thing to the floor. Atlas’s name shows up on the screen, so I quickly bend to pick it up. “He with them?”

“No. He’s not in the room?”

“Fuck. No. I…”

“Hey. He’s fine, Bren. He probably went for a walk around the lake. He’s good. I promise. We’re on our way, and then we’ll go find him, and he’ll tell you you were being an idiot for worrying.”

I want nothing more than for him to tell me I’m being an idiot for worrying. “I’ll meet you guys out front,” is all I can manage to say.

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