Page 74 of Cannon
Absentmindedly chewing on my lip, I open Instagram and find him without much trouble, then proceed to spend at least ten minutes looking at his account until my legs begin to go numb from sitting for so long.
I don’t see much—the most recent are family photos from some trip they probably took this past summer. Before that are some great photos of interesting spots on campus—if he took them, he’s quite the photographer—and then going back, there’s a lapse of several months… from early October to late April, there’s nothing. Not one image.
I frown, my mind working overtime. I highly doubt it’s a coincidence that the photos stop right after Will went missing. I hurriedly pull up the last post before Dane went on his social media blackout. It’s one of those multiple photo posts. The first image is one of him on the front steps of Hawthorne Hall. As I begin to swipe through the rest, my chest clamps so hard on my heart, I have to press my hand to it to make sure it’s still beating. There’s Will. In several photos.
With my hands shaking, I have to stop to catch a breath before continuing. I scan each and every image, seeing my guys as well as those jackasses who were sophomores at the time, and the three in charge who I’ve never met. Zeke and Dane, too.
It’s not until the final pair of photos that the hair on my arms stands on end, goose bumps rising as I study Will and Dane together. The first image is normal enough. Dane’s arm is slung around Will’s shoulders, and they’re cheesing for the camera, not unlike some of the other photos they’ve taken with the rest of the brotherhood.
But it’s the second one where they’re looking at each other that I see something so clearly it brings tears to my eyes.
Will is in love with Dane.
I feel it with every fiber of my being. This explains a lot but leaves me with so many questions.
Is this a love story gone wrong?
Fuck.I shift, glancing down toward the base of the toilet on my right where Will’s phone remains hidden at the bottom of a box of tampons. I’ve been so nervous about turning it on, but maybe it’s time.
I take a deep breath. This needs to be taken care of today. I can’t continue to hang onto it and do nothing. I’m making myself fucking sick over it. I’ve had this thing in my hands for a week. The only way forward is to trust what my heart has been telling me and hope it’s not wrong about these guys. Archer. He’ll know what to do. Kingston will have answers. And Cannon—he’ll protect me from whatever the truth is.
This afternoon, once we’re all home. This is it. Do or die.
* * *
“There she is.”Archer shoots me a wink from behind the bagel with cream cheese he’d been about to take a bite of. “Sleep well, Peaches?”
I pull my lip between my teeth, my brain swiftly moving from the worries I have about my Will and Dane discovery to the ones I have about navigating a relationship with three men. I don’t know the protocol for whatever this thing is we’re doing, so I don’t bring up exactly where I slept last night. Nodding, I head over to pour coffee into my travel mug. “Yeah, I’m good. Ready to get back to my classes in person.” I glance into the dining room where Bridger is seated with the juniors. His head rests on his forearms, which are crossed in front of him. It’s clear that those three dickheads are having a good time ribbing him over something. As he shifts so he can respond to whatever Alec just said, he groans and rubs his hand over his jaw, which is kinda purplish blue this morning.
Kingston comes over to stand next to me, pulling down a mug of his own. “Don’t worry about him. If I punch him in the face enough, he’ll eventually learn to shut up.”
He catches my chin with his fingers, forcing me to look at him. “That was a joke. Sort of.” He gives me a tight smile. “Is something else bothering you?”
My brow furrows as my teeth scrape over my lower lip. “You know what? I just want to get to class and do my thing. We can all talk later. Is that okay?”
“For sure. But”—he searches my eyes—“it isn’t about Cannon, is it? You guys were okay last night?”
My eyes crash shut, a tremulous smile reaching my lips as I think back to how we were able to communicate in a way both of us were comfortable with. I nod, blinking rapidly. “Yeah. No, we’re totally fine. Better than fine. Promise.”
Kingston reaches out, collaring the back of my neck and squeezing gently. “Good. That’s good to hear.” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to grab my bag, and we can head out if you’re ready.”
Frowning because I haven’t seen Cannon since he took off on his run earlier, I turn around, only to find he’s joined us, and is intently watching me from across the kitchen island.
“Do you need to eat?” I gesture to the fridge.
He shakes his head, his gaze traveling over me in a way that makes my heart flip.
Archer grins at his friend, then his gaze meets mine with a chuckle. “He was scarfing down eggs when I came downstairs earlier after he got back from his run.” He clears his throat. “Someone needed fuel. Probably after whatever he got up to last night.”
I cock my eyebrow at Archer.He totally knows. And I’m sure Kingston does, too.I breathe out a sigh of relief before playfully snapping, “Shut it.”
He snorts and shrugs his shoulders, putting the last of his bagel into his mouth and shooting me a wink as he wipes his hands on a napkin.
I roll my eyes, then pull my AirPods from my pocket and walk over to stand beside Cannon. I hand him one and wait for him to put it in his ear. “Listen.” I hit play on the song I randomly stumbled on this morning while he was still sleeping. “It’s called ‘Fire for You.’” I bite my lip, trying not to laugh.
He chuckles watching my response but is clearly confused because he cocks his head to one side in question.
I get close, pressing up against his arm, and find his hand so I can thread my fingers with his. “It’s a group by the name of…Cannons.”
