Chapter 11

ROSE

I sipped a cup of tea as I stared out the window. There was nothing remarkable outside. Just the same view of the farm I’d been looking at all my life, only it was dark. I was so distracted by the view I didn’t notice my mother standing next to me.

“Rose… What are you still doing up?” The mild concern on her face made me smile.

“I might ask you the same thing.”

“I was just getting ready for bed. I’d think you’d be doing the same.”

“I’m not as old as you, mom. You know how us young people like to stay up past our bedtime. It’s not like I have anything to get up early for in the morning.”

“That’s true. But I figured you’d be doing something a little more interesting than staring out the window. Pretty soon you’ll be working. You won’t get much free time to enjoy yourself and stay up late like this.”

“Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I need to go out drinking and partying every night. I’m just fine staring out the window. You don’t get a view like this back in town.”

I leaned against the couch while my mother took a seat on the other end. She pressed her hand on my toes.

“I remember when you were little. You and Joey would always be playing out there in the fields. Even when the sun went down, we’d have to drag you two back in here for dinner. You remember that, don’t you?”

“It wasn’t that long ago.” I chuckled at my mother’s memory. “It seemed like every night I was playing out in the field. Feels like yesterday, too. I guess I just got my fill of messing around and I’d rather stay home.”

“You haven’t been staying home recently. Not that it’s any of my business, but this is the first night it seems like you haven’t gone out.”

I looked down at the phone in my hand. I was ashamed to admit I was anxious to get a message from Ashton, even though I knew he was busy with work. What was really embarrassing though was that without him, I didn’t have much else to keep myself occupied with.

“Maybe I am a little bored,” I said. “But going out and drinking and causing trouble is something I’ll save for another night. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I know I don’t.” She got up from her seat and patted me on the leg. “Just make sure you shut the lights off before you retire.”

My mom left the living room. I sat in the darkness with nothing but the light from my phone to keep me company. The way the moon shined outside was enough to illuminate the farmland beneath it. My parents’ farmhouse was out of the way, so they had most of the land for themselves. It was mostly empty though, so I could see the stretch of highway that led back into the part of Ivory where most people lived.

I took a quick glance at my phone to check the time and saw it was still early in the evening.

“Maybe I should head out for a drink… It wouldn’t hurt to get to know some of the other guys at the Bone Pit… They are his friends, after all…”

I figured if I couldn’t spend time around Ashton, the next best thing would be to get to know his MC better. Then again, reservations about going to a place like the Bone Pit had me questioning what to do.

“There you go… Nobody’s around and you still don’t know what to do.” I laughed softly at my indecisiveness.

I swiped through my phone to see if anybody else had messaged me when I heard something in the distance. Even with the window closed, the farmhouse was so remote, you could hear it when someone was coming. I peered down the highway and saw a pair of headlights headed in my direction. I kept watching, waiting for the car to keep going but it slowly pulled onto our land. I didn’t recognize the car but I recognized the man who came out of it.

“What’s he doing here?”

I headed outside and Joey walked up to me. The lights on the car were still on and he hadn’t bothered shutting off the engine.

“Rose!”

“Joey, what’s going on… Are you all right…” I narrowed my eyes and saw the bruise on his lip. It was swollen enough it stood out on the rest of his face. “What the hell happened to your face?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Joey… You can’t show up out of nowhere with a bloody lip and tell me it’s nothing.”

His clothes were as disheveled as the last time. His hair was messier. But it was the look in his eyes that told me something was wrong. He didn’t say anything and my heart began to thump harder in my chest.

“Hey! I got something for you.” He reached into the passenger seat of the car to grab something then handed it to me. I looked into the small envelope and saw the money.

“That’s everything I borrowed from you and more. I told you I’d pay you back.” He winked, a confident smile on his lips. But it wasn’t enough to make me feel better.

“What happened—”

“Rose…” He put his hands on my arms and looked me right in the eye. “I… I gotta go.”

“I assumed that since you didn’t bother turning the car off.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, I have to go. I… I’m leaving Ivory.”

Even though he hadn’t been in Ivory for very long, it still made me uncomfortable knowing he was leaving so quickly.

“I don’t know when I’ll be back. I just wanted to get your money back to you though. And I… I wanted to say goodbye.”

I reached forward and wrapped my arms tight around him. I knew there was no point in pleading with him to stay. He’d already made up his mind. “Just do me a favor, okay? Wherever it is you’re going, just stay safe. Can you do that for me?”

I pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. Even with a swollen lip, he still smiled with the same confidence I always saw in him. “You know me, sis. I know how to take care of myself.”

I glanced down at the envelope full of money then held it out to him. “Here. Take this.”

“What… What are you doing? That’s your money—”

“I know it’s my money. But I know you can put it to better use than I can. Take it. If you really wanna repay me, just do it when you come back.”

He sighed a deep breath and nodded before taking the money. He didn’t say a word as he got back into the driver’s seat. He gave me one last glance before hitting the gas and spinning back out onto the highway. I watched as the car sped off down the street and disappeared into the distance.

My brother always knew how to take care of himself. I knew better than to worry about him. But the look in his eyes just now was different than usual. I had a feeling I couldn’t shake.

The entire time, my phone was clutched tight in my hand. I didn’t notice it until it suddenly vibrated in my palm. I saw the message from Ashton.

“Change of plans. Working late tonight. Sorry.”

I’d prepared for the possibility of spending the night by myself but I couldn’t deny how disappointed I was.

Joey was gone. Ashton was busy. I was alone at home.

I headed back inside of the farmhouse, looking for something to keep me busy until I fell asleep. Hopefully, my disappointment over Ashton and concern over Joey would go away when I woke up in the morning.