Page 38 of Breakaway Daddies

“I swear, you mother me harder than my own damn mom,” he quips.

Jinx smirks, a flicker of pride in her expression. “Well, I don’t want him setting you back,” she replies, her eyes still fixed on Rowan’s leg to ensure everything’s done right.

Despite her usual sharp wit, there’s a subtle tension in her demeanor, an underlying heaviness that suggests her mind is elsewhere, even as she orchestrates the situation with her trademark sass.

As I finish, I glance over at her again. “You okay?” I ask, noticing the furrow in her brow as she stirs the sizzling contents of the pan.

She doesn’t lift her gaze from the pan, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just not feeling great tonight.”

Before I can probe further, she abruptly drops the spatula, the clatter echoing through the kitchen.

Her hand darts up to cover her mouth, her eyes widening with a sudden panic that sends a chill down my spine. She spins on her heel and bolts toward the bathroom, her footsteps a rapid patter across the floor.

I act on instinct, abandoning the cutting board and following her. “Jinx?”

The bathroom door slams shut with a force that makes me flinch. I stop just short of it, pressing my ear against the smooth wood, hoping to hear something—anything.

“Jinx, are you—” I start to ask, but her voice cuts through, muffled but shaky.

“Go away, Thomas.”

Her voice sounds fragile, strained, a far cry from her usual steady tone. I hesitate, resting my palm against the cool surface of the door.

“Are you sick? What’s going on?” I ask, my own voice trembling slightly.

“Just—leave me alone.” Her words are barely a whisper, and my heart sinks.

My stomach twists with worry, but I force myself to step back, respecting her wish for solitude even as unease gnaws at me.

By the time I return to the kitchen, the aroma of steak and herbs fills the air. I carefully arrange the mashed potatoes, tossed salad, and steaks on the plates, carrying them to the dining table where Bruno and Rowan have already taken their seats.

Rowan glances nervously at the closed bathroom door, his brow furrowing with concern. “What happened?”

I exhale deeply, rubbing the back of my neck with a weary hand. “I dunno,” I admit. “She bolted from the room, made it to the bathroom just in time to throw up, and then told me to leave her alone.”

Bruno, seated across from me, remains silent. His eyes, dark and intense, are fixed on the bathroom door. His jaw is clenched, and it feels as if he knows something we don’t, a secret he’s unwilling to share.

We eat in silence, the clinking of cutlery against plates the only sound in the room. All three of us keep casting anxious glances down the dimly lit hallway, our eyes lingering on the shadowy doorway, hoping for Jinx to return.

But the doorway remains empty.

Rowan, his brow furrowed in irritation, pokes at his steak with his fork, the meat barely touched. “Someone should check on her,” he mutters, his gaze still fixed on the hallway.

Bruno, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest, shakes his head. “Not it,” he says firmly.

I jab my fork in their direction, a playful challenge in my voice. “Oh, hell no. I already got my head bitten off once for asking. Isn’t it one of your turns?”

Rowan arches an eyebrow at me, a nervous smile tugging across his face. “And? Why should we be next? Better it happen to you again.”

Bruno chuckles, a low sound that rumbles in his throat. “We don’t want to get yelled at at all.”

With a groan of exasperation, I push back my chair, the legs scraping against the hardwood floor. “Unbelievable. Cowards,” I mutter under my breath.

I make my way down the hallway, the floorboards creaking with each step. The door to her bedroom is slightly ajar, and I push it open quietly, careful not to make a sound.

There she is, curled up on her bed, the blankets pulled up to her chin.

The ochre glow of the setting sun filters through the half-open curtains, gently illuminating the room. Even in sleep, a crease mars her brow, as if her dreams are a battleground where worries and fears continue to chase her.

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