Page 29 of Subtracting the Heart

It came out like a threat even though it wasn’t. Jax stood with the aid of the crutches and dropped the scrub pants. Ford cut the gear off him and once it was freed from his body, he could see the indentation of the garment in Jax’s skin. “That musta hurt. Why didn’t they take it off you at the hospital?”

“Either that nurse was leaving me with a bit of dignity, or she knew how much it would hurt, so she left it on me. Anyway, put it in a bag and stick it somewhere. I’m not ready to part with it yet.” Jax was sexy when he ordered Ford around—not that Ford followed his orders.

He laughed. “How about we just keep the cup. It can fit in another jock, and you can call it your lucky cup.”

“Fine, but don’t wash it. My funk on that thing is what makes it lucky… like Cade calls me. Fuck, this is awful.” Jax pulled his pants up and collapsed on the couch.

Ford threw the cloth jock away and wrapped the cup in a dish towel before putting it in a plastic bag and stashing it in a cabinet in the mudroom. He was too tired to go upstairs to put it in their room. The day had been too fucking long.

He pulled off his jeans when he hit the living room and tossed them over the chair to his right, sinking down on the chaise part of the couch. “You want to swing around and put your pillow next to me so I can at least be near you? This isn’t how I thought we’d be spending our first Christmas with Cade.” Ford assisted Jax in repositioning himself.

A blanket was across the back, so Ford grabbed it, covering his legs and offering half to Jax to cover his bare chest after he pulled off the scrub top. The big man settled his pillow next to Ford’s hip, taking his hand and pulling it onto his chest.

“Touch me, please.” Jax’s voice was quiet, and Ford knew how he felt. Half of their hearts were missing.

Thebongingof the doorbell woke Ford from his slumber. He saw it was just after eight in the morning, and while part of him prayed it was Kincade, he knew in his heart it wasn’t. He gently extricated his hand from Jax’s steel grip and stood, pulling on his jeans. He went to the door and looked out the side curtain, shocked to see Katrina Hayes on their front porch.

Ford opened the door before she rang the bell again. “Rina? I didn’t know—”

She giggled. “Kincade made the arrangements yesterday. After everything that happened with Jackson, I’m not surprised he forgot to mention it. Anyway, I took a charter flight with my friend, Bellamy Radcliffe. Kincade was kind enough to send a car to pick me up. Is he still asleep? Is Hudson’s son still here?”

Katrina Seiler-Hayes stepped into the house, glancing around and taking off her full-length, red-leather gloves. She was a stunning sight to behold, much like her beautiful son.

“Well, um, no, Kincade’s not here at the moment. Ashton, however, is upstairs asleep. We’re going to have to do something about him before we get arrested for kidnapping or some other bullshit charge,” Ford said as the house phone rang.

“Please, make yourself at home.” He hurried to answer it, hoping and praying it was Cade.

“Hello?” he answered.

“I’m calling for Kincade Hayes, please?” he heard a woman’s frantic voice.

“He’s not here at the moment. May I take a message?” he asked, not sure who the fuck was calling Cade at eight in the morning on Christmas. Never mind it wasn’t Cade’s house—yet.

“This is Cheryl Hayes, Ashton’s mother. I’m trying to find my son. He’s left boarding school, you see, and I was hoping perhaps he might have contacted Kincade. I spoke to Kincade a few days ago when he called the house asking for Ashton.”

Cade’s mother stared at him. She wore a lovely jacket and skirt which were definitely designer, as were the brown leather boots. It was like a fucking flashback for a moment to his own mother.

“Ms. Hayes—”

“It’s Mrs. Hayes, dear. Kincade’s father and I married after his parents divorced.”

Ford hit the speaker button but kept the receiver to his ear. “Oh? I wasn’t aware Kincade’s parentshaddivorced.”

He watched Rina pull her cell phone out of the patch pocket of her Chanel suit jacket and quickly push some buttons, placing it next to the base unit. “Hello?” the woman over the phone asked.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Hayes.”

“It’s Mrs. Hayes, young man. Hudson and I married nearly eight years ago after he divorced the ice queen.”

Ford was in dangerous territory to be certain. No way did he want to get in the middle of whatever storm was brewing.

When Katrina Hayes took the phone, it didn’t look like he had to get in the middle of it after all.

Chapter Thirteen

Cade

A horrible buzzing sound awakened Kincade as the lights went on in his tiny jail cell. He was alone, thankfully, but he’d been told by Detective Del Torro he’d be moved that morning to the county jail off South California Avenue. He damn well wasn’t looking forward to it.

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