14: HOME
We’ve just returned from our lobby argument when the door buzzes. Hannah’s wide eyes beg me not to answer but I hit the intercom anyway.
“Yes?” I say into the speaker.
“Wes? It’s James and Annie,” a male voice announces. Firm, imploring.
Hannah is already shaking her head in furious protest as I let go of the button.
“Hannah, you have to. Just talk to your parents.”
She threads her fingers on her head. “I will soon.”
“At least tell them you’re okay.”
“I can’t! I can’t face them yet.”
“Then let me do it.”
She stiffens, arms dropping to her side. “You’d do that?”
“I’d do anything for you.”
Her lip rests between her teeth as her gaze wanders over the door. “Okay. You can talk to them. Just…”
“I know. Okay? We’re going to fix this.”
She nods, eyes so round I want to slaughter every single one of her demons.
“Thank you.”
I toss a quick smile and tell the Drakes to meet me at the Raine Café two blocks over.
∞∞∞
Despite the fact that they’ve been surrogate parents for most of my life, their current expressions remind me they aren’t. I’ve now screwed with two of their daughters. They’re probably wondering what devious plan I’m plotting for Emma and Sylvie next.
“Hi. Thanks for meeting me.” I slide into the chair across from their creased brows.
“Hannah is with you? She’s okay?”
I face their concern, prepared for the fight. “She’s been staying with me. Physically she’s fine. She’ll open up to you eventually. She just needs time.”
James arches two fingers over his mouth. It’s the same reaction I got from Papa Drake when Holland announced our short-lived engagement. I’ve needed their family in my life way more than they’ve needed me, though the Drakes are too generous to ever balance the equation. They accepted me because I was important to Holland. Now...
But why you? It’s all over their faces. Why Wes Alton? Why did Hannah go to the one man who keeps disrupting their close, happy family?
“Hannah is strong. She’s just figuring some things out,” I say, folding my hands on the table.
“And you think you’re the person to be guiding her through this?” Annie’s voice is little more than a whisper.
This one hurts because there’s no anger in her tone. No resentment, just the love of a mother who desperately wants her daughter back.
I can’t speak. I don’t have an answer that will work for this conversation. I’m not right for this. God, I know I’m not.
“She doesn’t want to put you through it all again.” It’s not an answer, and only hurts them more. I can’t even look at their faces now.
“She’s our daughter, Wes. Please, send her home.”
A server slows his approach, probably sensing his intrusion. He’s going to get water while we decide, he tells us with an awkward smile.
“I’ll be back in a minute. Washroom,” I add, taking advantage of the opportunity for escape. My lungs are heavy, my brain overwhelmed with the encounter.
They nod slowly, and I have to swallow the emotion as Annie’s head finds James’ shoulder when I look back. He whispers something against her hair and deposits a kiss.
I splash cold water on my face, and watch my eyes glisten from the drops. Hazel irises almost glow beneath the sheen, making me look like a different man. A person who might actually care about someone more than himself. Someone who can make a good decision. A selfless one. Beads form in the corners of my eyes and slide down my cheeks. Is this what I’d look like if I cried?
I wipe my sleeve across my face and lean into my reflection. Fuck it.
∞∞∞
I return from the washroom resolved. I’ve been fighting on the wrong side, and Hannah’s war is too important for me to be selfish.
“We ordered a sampler platter. Hope that’s okay,” Annie says when I return to my seat.
“Sounds great.” I won’t be here to sample food anyway. I take my napkin and ask the Drakes for a pen. I expect their confused expressions but remain silent as Annie searches her purse. She hands me one, and I scribble a name on the napkin. After scrolling through my phone, I add a phone number beside it.
They’re still staring at me when I look up and slide the napkin across the table. “I’m sending Hannah home. You’re right. She needs you more than she needs what I bring to her life. She’s going to hate me for it, so all I ask is that you make sure she keeps up with the new therapist we found. She has a standing appointment at 10am on Fridays.”
Annie’s eyes soften as they connect with mine.
“Thank you, Wes.”
I offer a stiff smile and leave before they can see my eyes.
∞∞∞
Hannah glances over from the couch when I enter. “That was quick. How’d it go?”
“Really well. Pack up your stuff. You’re going home.”
“Hilarious.” Her amusement fades as she reads my face. “Wait, what?”
“Hannah, you’re going home to your family. You need to be with them right now.”
“What are you talking about?” She’s on her feet now, following me through the condo toward her room.
I grab her suitcase and throw it open on the bed.
“Hey! What are you doing?” She clutches my arm as I reach for a drawer.
“You’re going home.”
“What the hell? What did they say to you? I don’t want to go home!”
I stop and spin toward her. “Nothing except show me how much they love you. How much they are going to be exactly what you need right now.”
“I thought we agreed you are what I need,” she snaps, yanking a handful of clothing out of the suitcase.
I narrow my eyes and shove more back in. “No, we’ve been pretending I’m what you need because it’s what we want.” I hold her arms in a loose grip. “Hannah, we both know this was temporary. I will stand by you through the rest of it, but not alone. I will not be your excuse to disappear.”
Her eyes darken. “This is bullshit.”
“And non-negotiable.”
Vipers measure their venom too. Yep, they control how much they want to release into their prey.
Letting her go will fucking gut me.
∞∞∞
Hannah’s protests fade into somber acceptance as we pack her belongings. Once they’re secured and ready for transport, she casts a last scan of her hiding place. I let her process the moment in silence. I hope she sees it for what it’s been—a cave, not a hospital.
We move her stuff to the lobby and get a cab. After loading the trunk, I slide into the seat beside her.
“We’re doing the right thing.” I tuck my arm around her shoulders. She burrows against me, and I stare past her at the tall buildings.
“I hate you.”
“I know.” I kiss her hair.
“What about our music?”
“What about it?”
She adjusts against me, and I meet her look with a smile.
“Wait, you want to keep writing together?”
“Of course.” I pull back so I can cup her face. “I’m not leaving you, Hannah. I’m forcing you to accept as much love and support as you can get right now.”
She plants a light kiss on my lips, then snickers. “That’s so not an alpha line.”
“No? What if I say it with your hand on my—”
“Shut up!” She laughs, and slaps my arm away.
∞∞∞
Two figures burst from the porch at the approach of our cab, and Hannah’s hard expression melts at the sight of her parents. It’s a strange feeling being on the side of a right decision for once. I tell her to go while I take care of the fare and luggage.
“Thank you,” she whispers, then ventures from the cab toward her parents’ waiting arms. I’m paralyzed as I watch her folded in love, tears streaming down three faces.
“Hey, man. You good?” the driver interrupts. I clear my throat and count out some bills. “You need change?”
“Keep it. Can you wait for a second?”
I exit and stand by the trunk. We remove the bags, and I start transferring them to their new home. Three sets of eyes remember me at the same time, and I manage a hard swallow. “Where should I put these?”
“On the porch is fine,” James says.
I stack them by the railing, onstage again beneath their stares. With a grim twist of the lips, I pass their cluster of affection, this time with nothing to distract me.
“Wes, wait!” The voice calling me back is more mature and tremulous than Hannah’s. I turn just in time to receive a tight hug from Annie. “Thank you, sweetheart,” she says against my chest.
I clench my jaw. “No problem.”