Page 58 of Queen Rose

Nate

“Ishouldn’t have reacted so strongly, I guess. I hid what happened from my mom for so long, I—” I shake my head and run my hand over my jaw. “I was pretty cold to Aria when I left. Wouldn’t look at her.”

Beau claps me on the shoulder. “You should definitely go talk to her. Where do you think she is?”

I grit my teeth and hold out my hands. “I don’t know, actually. She was with me because she didn’t want to deal with the drama at home.”

Griffin arches a brow. “Drama?”

“Oh.” My throat clears roughly at the thought of sharing yet another embarrassing tidbit with these guys. But fuck it. If I want Aria, I know I’m going to have some sort of relationship with her friends. They’re way too tight for me not to. “If you haven’t talked to her, you probably don’t know this yet, but her dad doesn’t want her to see me. She finally said fuck it when I showed up at her place after she’d been acting weird.”

Xander’s eyes roll. “Will is a piece of work. He’s a lot of bark, but… you want the honest truth?”

“Always.”

“He’ll make a lot of noise and threaten her in order to get her to fall in line for a while… but he’s not around enough for it to fucking matter. He ignores her and Elle. I’d say it’s a miracle that he hasn’t already left them, but he wouldn’t do that. It would affect his entire image. He’s got it all right now. Trophy wife and a daughter who tries so fucking hard to look perfect and be perfect that someday she’s going to break.”

“Wait, so he’s saying you’re not good enough for his daughter or something like that—yet he’s the one who married a girl who was ‘beneath’ him.” Micah snorts angrily, leaning back in the grass, supporting himself on his elbows. “Talk about a hypocrite.”

“I haven’t met either of them yet, but Aria’s mentioned some stuff that makes me hate them already.”

Xander gives me a disgruntled look. “Whatever she’s told you, I guarantee it’s worse.” He leans to the side to pull his phone out, looking at the screen as it buzzes in his hand. He jolts upright, his gaze connecting with mine. “It’s Aria.”

Beau’s face registers alarm. “She never calls. That’s fuckin’ weird. You better answer.”

“Aria?” Xander answers gruffly.

I look up at the sky, trying to focus on what she’s saying, but it’s muffled.

Xander stiffens at my side. “Why are you scared, Aria?”

My heart jumps into my throat, immediately followed by guilt. Something is scaring her. And she called him. Not me.

“Xan—” Her voice catches on a heart-wrenching sob that we all hear, and it’s clear to me—to all of us—that something is very, very wrong. Her breathing is irregular, and I hate the panic and hysteria that’s coming through as clear as a bell despite the phone still being smashed up to Xander’s ear.

Our gazes meet, and he must realize I’m about to go off the deep end because he quickly puts her on speaker. He opens his mouth, likely to tell her, but he doesn’t get a chance because she rushes on.

“Please, Xan. Nate. I need Nate. But the police are here. I don’t know what to do.”

I bolt to standing, hands clutching at my hair. What the fuck? The police? I begin to pace in the small area around the bench.

Xander’s jaw twitches as he watches me go out of my mind. His voice is steady and calm. “Aria. Listen to me. Nate’s here with me. We’re coming. Where are you?”

“Home. I’m at home. Franny’s with me. Nate’s there? With you?” She sounds relieved but confused as hell.

I groan, finally leaning toward the phone. “I’m here, baby. We’ll be right there.”

“She’s i-in my b-bed.” An all-out sob follows that statement.

My gaze flicks around to the other guys. “Who’s in your bed, Aria?”

And in the seconds we wait for her to respond, I beat myself up for this. She needed me, and she didn’t call me. I feel like a shit for reacting the way I did to something so stupid. My heart tears wide open.

“My aunt Christina. She’s dead.”

My ears buzz, and I let Xander take over the conversation as we keep her on the line and hurry to our cars.

Xander motions that he’s going, and I should follow.

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