Page 16 of Make Your Save

I glance up at him, not sure what the fuck to say. These guys are all my fucking family, each one like a brother to me. Hell, I spend more time with them than I do with anyone I’m biologically related to.

When my brother and I were growing up, we had that brotherly relationship. Beau looked up to me and followed me around like I was his role model. When he hit his teenage years, everything quickly went to shit. Itwas like a switch flipped and as soon as he started to have his own issues, he had a chip on his shoulder toward Raven and me.

Raven and I were fortunate enough to not have the mental illness and addiction struggles he had and he felt like he was the outcast of the family. Because we were on the right path in life, Beau took it out on both of us, throwing vicious words at us and even getting physical with me on an occasion or two when I stood up to him and refused to take his bullshit.

He took advantage of our parents and even went to the extremes of stealing money from them and running away as a teen when he was underage. Even still, my mother refused to accept that there was no possibility of helping Beau. She continued to bend for him, until one day, she finally grew a backbone and that’s when I saw how much his issues had been weighing on her.

It broke her to have to tell her youngest child that she wasn’t going to help him. She wasn’t going to extend a hand anymore if he was going to continue to bite. She refused to give him money and told him he had to get his life together and to figure it out himself.

That was after he broke up with Hadley and hopped on a plane to Boston.

He ended up in a pinch with the woman he was staying with and lived on the streets for a few months before he finally saw the light. He’s been in an extended rehab facility for the past six months and it’s breathed a newfound sense of hope back into my mother.

My father is still reluctant to trust him, but he always stands by our mother, even if her hopes seemfar-fetched. She’s been insanely proud of the progress Beau has made. It seems as though he’s turned to a new page and is getting his life in order.

She thinks I need to make peace with him, though I’m not so sure I can ever bring myself to do that.

Lincoln glances at me from across the room as he and Nash are getting ready to head out. Since Riley had her baby, Nash doesn’t hang around late like he used to, but for some reason he’s still here tonight. Most likely because Lincoln is dragging his feet.

He’s waiting to see what I’m going to say, to see if I’m going to be honest and tell everyone what the fuck is going on.

I don’t know what to do. I want to tell them the truth. I don’t want to sit with the weight of this secret myself, but then again, I need to know the truth before I come clean about this.

A sigh escapes me and I know I have to wait. “Just a long day,” I tell him, forcing a smile onto my face. It barely resembles a smile and my lips fall flatter than I anticipated. I catch Lincoln’s eye and he gives me a look of understanding.

Caleb doesn’t seem to be convinced and he gives me a look of concern, but he doesn’t press the issue. He knows his limitations and even though he’s the older brother figure for all of us, he is never one to poke or prod.

Caleb Ford has a slew of his own problems and issues and the last thing he’s going to do is make anyone else feel uncomfortable. Hell, he was reservedbefore he lost his wife and after that tragedy, he pulled back even more.

The man is like a paradox and I’m not quite sure he’ll fully open up to anyone else again in his life.

Carson looks at me, his eyebrows pulling together as he tilts his head to the side. He’s my best friend and unfortunately, he’s nothing like his brother. Caleb won’t press but Carson will dig until he gets the information he’s after.

He hangs out until everyone else clears out, Caleb giving both of us a wave before he exits the room. Carson waits for me, just like he does every night after a game. I meet him by the door and we head down the hall, making our way toward the exit.

“What’s actually going on, Ro?” Carson gives me a look of concern as the glass doors slide open and we both step into the parking lot. “My brother might be cool with being fed bullshit, but I’m not.”

I knew this was coming. Carson Ford is a force to be reckoned with. I’ve known him since we were sixteen and it’s a quality I’ve always admired in him...until this moment.

Then again, he is my best friend and I need someone to talk to. I don’t want to bother Lincoln with my problems any more than I already have. I appreciate every way he and Nova have helped me thus far, but Lincoln has her and their family.

“Rowan.” Carson’s voice interrupts my thoughts as we reach my car first. My head slowly turns to look at him, his gray eyes meeting mine. “What’s going on, bro?”

My lungs deflate, and my shoulders fall as I let out a deep breath, feeling the heaviness of the situation stacking like bricks on my chest. “You remember your cousin’s thirtieth birthday party when I ended up fucking that girl in the closet? Selena...Her older brother was one of his friends or something.”

“Oh yeah, I think I remember her.”

I pause for a moment, staring at him as I attempt to sift through my muddled brain. How the hell do I even begin to explain any of this without sounding like I’m starring in my own reality TV show?

“Do you remember Hadley from the hospital?”

Carson’s eyebrows pull together. “Hadley? Wait, she’s the nurse who was working there when Riley had Theo, right? The one you said you knew from your hometown?” His brow furrows as I give him a curt nod. “What does she have to do with that night?

Goddammit. I should just save myself and climb in my car and head home.

“She found a baby outside of the hospital and it turns out, I may be her father.”

Carson doesn’t say a word. He stares at me, his expression completely blank as if his mind is struggling to try to catch up with the information I just threw at him. “What?”

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