Page 87 of Stuck with my Mountain Daddies

So I stood there. Frozen. And the silence? It said more than anything I could’ve come up with.

Her question hung in the air like barbed wire, stretched tight and cutting through everything between us.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Because “no” meant tearing the walls down.

And “yes?”

That would’ve been the biggest lie I’d ever told.

So I said nothing, again.

Behind me, Beckett shifted. The sound he made was all the things he didn’t bother to say. Disgust, disappointment, maybe a little bit of pity.

“Of course,” he muttered. “Control over desire. Always.”

It wasn’t loud. It didn’t have to be, because it cut anyway.

I turned, jaw tight. “You done playing shrink, Beckett?”

He didn’t flinch. He looked at me with that same painful calm. Like he saw through every layer I didn’t want to show.

“You act like you’re protecting everyone,” he said. “But this isn’t about anyone else. You’re afraid. You’d rather shove her away than risk losing control for five goddamn seconds.”

The words hit bone deep.

Too close to the truth. Too raw.

And that scared me worse than anything Riley could’ve said.

My throat tightened, hands curled into fists at my sides as if I was bracing for a hit.

But Riley’s brow pinched before anything else could happen.

“I don’t feel…” She wobbled. Hand went to her stomach. “I…”

Then she bolted, straight to the bathroom. We heard it before the door even shut. Retching, hard and hollow, then coughing.

Everything else fell away.

Asher's usual grin was wiped clean. “Shit.”

I was already moving. “Riley?”

No answer. Just more of it. Violent, brutal sounds that punched straight into my gut.

Beckett brushed past me, rattled the knob. “Riley, open up.”

“I’m okay.” she gasped out.

Bullshit.

None of us bought that. I didn’t wait. Reached up, yanked the spare key off the hook, and got the door open.

She was on the floor, hunched over the toilet, shaking like a leaf. Sweat slicked her face, color completely gone.

The fight, the words, everything from two minutes ago. Gone. Didn’t matter.

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