Page 80 of I Could Be Yours

I’ll understand if you need bro time, tho.

Nate

You’re much nicer to wake up next to.

Essie

And cuddle with. Have fun at the cliffs.

Nate

Have fun with the girls.

Essie hearts the message as a voicemail alert pops up from an unknown number. My stomach twists, but we’re in a foreigncountry, and sometimes the carriers don’t pick up familiar numbers.

I key in my passcode and hit play.

“Hi, Nate. It’s your mom. I saw your brother’s?—”

Panic hits hard and fast. “No fucking way.” I delete it without listening to the rest, then toss the phone on my bed. My skin prickles, and my chest tightens. I run my hands through my hair, gripping the strands tightly as I pace. I blocked my mom from my social media. As soon as she started calling, I set them all to private. But I’m sure she has a fake account set up, and Brody’s accounts aren’t set to private, so he probably doesn’t realize she can see what he’s posting.

I wish she’d just leave us alone.

My phone pings with new messages.

Brody

Waiting on you.

I’d come get you, but you haven’t sent me your room number yet.

Naaaaaaaate. Brooooooooo.

Nate

Be there in two.

I shove all my feelings about my mom and her fucking phone calls into a box. My dad and my brothers don’t need to know she’s still trying to reach us through me. I change into board shorts and a T-shirt and meet up with the rest of the guys.

“Took you long enough!” Brody rolls his eyes. “Did you need to iron your board shorts first?”

“Ha-ha.” The ironing board is currently set up in the corner of my room because I like things neatly pressed, but I draw the line at swim- and underwear.

“Everything good?” Tristan asks.

I force a smile. “Great. Let’s roll.”

We follow Isaac and Sam to the pier and climb into a sweet speedboat with seating in the bow. Sam gets behind the wheel.

“This is lit!” Chase exclaims.

“It’s awesome,” Brody agrees and tucks his ball cap under his leg so he doesn’t lose it in the water.

Isaac points to the rocky cliffs across the bay. “That’s where we’re going.”

“This is freaking cool.” Chase can hardly contain himself.

He’s the extrovert to my younger brother’s introvert.

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