Page 43 of Consequences

Shaking his head, gives Gavin a pitying look. “No, she decided not to come home this weekend.”

He juts out his chin. “What?”

“Yeah, she texted Lex last night around eleven-thirty or midnight. Apologized for getting her hopes up, but she wanted to stay at school. Something about using the meal plan we pay for.”

Narrowing his eyes, he shakes his head. “What?”

“Yeah, it sounded like a bullshit reason to me, too, but I barely graduated high school. What the fuck do I know?”

“Same.”

Colt takes off, and Gavin just sits on his bike in the driveway. Hailey stopped by around nine-thirty. They fooled around for a couple of hours, and then he fell asleep. Thought she had, too, and would stay the night.

“If she texted Lex around eleven-thirty or midnight…” He closes his eyes. “She waited for me to fall asleep before slipping out.”

He wants to hit something. Break something. Instead, he slams his helmet on the ground and watches it bounce and crack. Just like his heart.

“Probably fucking laid there and watched my breathing even out. Once I was out, she snuck off in the middle of the night.”

And just like that, Hailey left Gavin. Again.

Chapter Fourteen

Griffin’s Beach

Lex

“Do you really think this is a good idea, Mom?” Lex asks as she removes the last curler from Emma’s hair.

They get ready in VP’s apartment, and Lex still can’t believe this is happening. The timing feels suspicious to her. Very odd considering Zane’s state of mind these days.

All her life, Lex wanted her parents to get married. She thought it would make it harder for them to split up, which she always knew was inevitable. She should be happy. Over the moon, jumping for joy. Instead, a gnawing feeling tugs at her gut about today’s event.

This is a bad idea.

“Not at all,” Emma says as she lets out a deep breath and locks eyes with Lex through the mirror. “But I’ve loved your father since before you were born, Lex. I never thought marriage was something he’d want. Not after losing Margaret.”

Zane’s mother, Margaret, died of cancer, and shortly after, Lex was born. It’s no secret there was an overlap of the women.

“You know how weird the timing is, right? Right after Lane dies and Zane’s in need of being committed or medicated seems like a recipe for disaster. It’s bad timing.”

“I know.”

“And Margaret has been staying with me since Zane showed up drunk. Weeks ago.”

She hasn’t told her mother about Zane trying to kill her, but the bruises were noticed. And probably too easily brushed off as normal club stuff when it’s anything but.

“Your father doesn’t talk about Zane with me. I tried to force it when Diesel told me I needed to talk to him that day he tried to take Margaret, but he refuses. It’s the one subject besides club business that’s off-limits.”

Sighing, Lex walks around and leans against the dresser to face her mom. “You really want to marry someone who refuses to talk to you about how fucked up his first born is?”

“Zane’s grown. Just like you are. What can talking about Zane do, anyway?”

“Maybe you can finally get him to see how much help Zane needs. Like no longer making excuses for everything Zane does, for one. He just enables Zane to act badly, Mom. I mean, did he even tell Zane you were getting married today?”

“He says he did.”

They share a knowing look of dread. If Zane knows about the wedding, there’s no telling what he’ll do. He ruins every event he doesn’t want to happen. Christmas. Birthdays. Even the Fourth of July some years.

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