Page 74 of Broken Strings

Me

And yes, Hawthorne. That girl IS Summer. She’s back. It’s a long ass story. Drinks next week?

Both boys send thumbs-up emojis, to which I respond with a peach in reference to his nickname for Liv, knowing it will really rattle Henry’s cage. My thoughts are proved right when he replies with a middle finger.

The trip home takes around ninety minutes, during which time I rest my head on Summer’s and drift off alongside her.

“Cade? Caden, wake up.”

Ford’s voice is tinged with urgency when he rouses me.

I sit up in my seat, stirring Summer, but thankfully not Bella when I move. Taking a second before answering him, I glance out into the darkening night sky to find we’ve arrived at our destination.

The house is lit up in anticipation of our arrival, light spilling out from within.

“That was quick.”

Ford spins in his seat and doesn’t mince his words. “We might have a Tequila Sunrise on our hands.”

I sit up straighter, piercing him with a stare.

“I got a call about ten minutes ago from Holden. He’s on duty tonight. He said someone showed up asking for Miss Summer, but rather than leave them in their Uber outside with the pap-hounds, he had them shown inside.”

I scrunch up my face in utter bewilderment. “Why thefuckwould he do that? This person could be an undercover pap. They could be fuckinganyone.”

Summer sits up, scrubbing her palms down her face before she stretches like a cat against my side. “Oh myGod. I need to peesobad.”

Without warning, she tugs on the handle of the door and slides out onto the tarmac. Her feet move swiftly to cross the space as the front door opens.

“Wait, Bam!”

She stops dead in her tracks, and I finally mobilise to follow after her as the shadow of a man appears in the doorframe.

My heart climbs into my throat, and I call for Ford as this stranger bears down on a stock-still Summer, only to stride right past her. Relief fills me for a split second until my forward momentum propels my jaw right into this stranger's waiting fist.

Stars fill my vision as my ass meets the tarmac beneath me.

“Jesse!” Summer’s indignant tone reaches my ears, and I blink rapidly to dispel the myriad of stars in my eyes following that complete sucker punch.

Ford, having reached me, stops right at my back and doesn’t move a muscle. I reach up to rub my rapidly swelling jaw to find intense deep blue eyes bearing down on me.

Eyes that I’d know anywhere.

Eyes identical to my mother’s. To my daughter’s. Tomine.

Eyes that, right now, are filled with absolute hatred.

“Keep your fucking handsoffmy mother, asshole!”

CHAPTER20

SUMMER

The scenebefore me unfolds as though in slow motion.

My fourteen-year-old son can’t be here. But he is.

And his eyes, so like his father’s and his half-sister’s, are spitting deep blue flames in their anger as he marches past me to knock Caden on his ass with a right hook.

---