Eight Years Gone, page 30
He rubbed at the back of his neck as the tension immediately set in. “Yeah, we can do that. Why is he there? What did he do?”
“We were called out to a party after a fight broke out. Witnesses are saying Colton was involved. He’s also been drinking.”
Jagger sighed, watching Grace put on a bra and panty set, then reach for a pair of jeans. “Grace and I live up in Preston Valley. We’re a couple of hours away from taking him off your hands.”
“That’s not a problem. He’ll be here when you get here.”
“Do me a favor, and don’t tell him we’re coming. Let him sweat for a bit.”
“I can do that. Thank you, Mr. Tennyson.”
“Sure thing.” He hung up, looking up to the ceiling, blowing out a long breath. “Why does this feel so familiar?”
Grace pulled a sweatshirt over her head. “He’s in trouble, Jagger.”
He got to his feet, heading toward the chest of drawers. How many times had they had the same conversation about Logan? “Yeah.”
She tugged the scrunchie from her hair, combing her fingers through all of the shiny blond. “They can’t get ahold of Jessica. We can’t just leave him there.”
He pulled on a pair of boxers. “We could.”
She frowned at him. “Jagger—”
“This is something you want to do—to get involved in? You want to head down this road again?”
“He’s my brother.”
“Technically, yes.”
She huffed out an irritated laugh. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Because the kid’s a punk. He basically told you to fuck off. I went to see him again on Monday to try to smooth things over—hence him knowing my phone number—and he was just as big of a dick.”
“We can’t just let him be there. We never left Logan—”
He stopped as he pulled on a pair of jeans. “Colton is not Logan.”
“I understand that.”
He held her gaze. “Do you?”
“Of course I do.”
“We’re most likely going to miss our trip. He’ll be our responsibility until we can track Jessica down.”
She stared at the floor, wrapping her arms around herself. “I know this isn’t fair. I understand what I’m asking of you. I want to go to Montana, too.”
And now he was the one being the dick. He walked to stand in front of her. “I’m sorry.” He captured her hands, kissing her knuckles when she said nothing. “Will you look at me?”
She met his gaze. “He’s my brother, Jagger. I can’t pretend he doesn’t exist the way my dad clearly did.”
He nodded. “I know. Let’s go pick him up.”
Grace walked into the small, no-frills police station with Jagger by her side, catching sight of Colton sitting next to one of the officers at a desk, sleeping with his face covered by his arms.
“Good morning,” the policewoman said, sitting at the front desk.
Grace smiled. “Good morning. I’m Grace Evans. We were called down here to pick up my brother, Colton Sawyer.”
“Colton Sawyer,” the officer called over her shoulder. “Rise and shine, buddy. Your sister’s here.”
Colton sat up, blinking his right eye. The one that wasn’t swollen shut.
Jagger exhaled a quiet sigh next to her. “I guess there’s no way to say he wasn’t fighting.”
The policewoman faced them again. “You’ll be taking Colton home with you?”
Grace nodded. “He’ll be staying with us until we can find Jessica. His mother.”
The woman nodded as she handed over a clipboard. “If you can fill out this paperwork, someone will be in touch with details about his hearing before the judge. The other boy’s family isn’t pressing charges for the fight, but because Colton is underage and under the influence, we’ll pass his file to the court intake officer and see what he wants to do.”
Grace swallowed, struggling to force another smile she didn’t feel. “Thank you.”
She filled in her address and phone number, then signed her name, taking responsibility for Colton’s care for the time being.
Colton walked over, wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt under his navy-blue jacket.
“Keep yourself out of trouble,” the woman said to Colton.
Colton rolled his good eye. “Whatever.”
“Try again,” Jagger said, clearly unamused.
“Sure.” Colton looked at the officer, tossing her a sarcastic smile. “I’ll do that.”
Grace tucked her hair behind her ear, not sure what to say to the kid who appeared to be hostile and rude to everyone. “Um, let’s go home.”
Colton walked out, following them to the Sorento, getting in the back seat.
She held Jagger’s gaze as he walked to the driver’s side. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “We’re good.”
She continued to hold his stare because that wasn’t entirely true.
He winked, sending her a small smile. “We’re good.”
Getting in as Jagger did, she buckled her belt, then reached down for the instant freezer pack she’d snagged from the first aid kit in the laundry room closet—just in case.
Giving it a solid smack, she handed it to Colton as Jagger reversed from their spot and exited the parking lot. “Here. Put this on your eye.”
Colton took it. “Thanks.”
Grace studied his battered knuckles as he settled the ice pack in place. “We’ll get your hand cleaned up when we get to the house.”
Colton shook his head. “You guys can just drop me off at the apartment. I’m sure you know the address since you looked me up.”
Grace shook her head this time. “We told the officer we were taking you home with us.”
Colton sat back. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“We can turn around and bring you back to the police station,” Jagger added as he gained speed in the quiet downtown.
“Whatever,” Colton muttered as he closed his eyes.
“Where’s your mother?” Jagger asked next.
“Probably with her boyfriend. We don’t talk much.”
“We’ll get things figured out with her in the morning,” Grace assured.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Grace turned to the front, staring out into the dark in the tense silence.
Jagger snagged her hand, gently squeezing as he took the on-ramp to the interstate.
Two hours passed in centuries before they eventually pulled into her driveway.
Grace looked behind her again, giving Colton’s leg a gentle shake. “We’re here.”
Colton sat up, staring at the house. “This is it?”
“This is it,” Grace said, getting out and glancing toward the pretty home she’d made. “We’ll get you settled in.”
Colton followed them up the walkway as Jagger unlocked the front door, letting Colton in first.
He turned a slow circle, nodding. “Nice place.”
Grace sent him a small smile, trying to gauge if he meant it. “Thank you.”
“It’s not what I was expecting. I figured there would be more rooms—more square footage. I mean, you’re loaded, right? Dr. Dad had to be worth a few million.”
Jagger clenched his jaw as he took off his coat. “Your room’s down the hall—second on the right. Feel free to close the door and stay there for the rest of the night.”
Colton scoffed out a laugh as he headed in the direction Jagger had mentioned. “No problem.”
Grace looked at Jagger, knowing she’d made a horrible mistake. “We should get some sleep.”
Before Jagger could respond, she headed for the bedroom.
Thirty-Seven
Grace headed toward the drawer to grab a pair of pajamas but moved to the French doors instead. She walked outside into the cold, struggling not to burst into tears.
Sitting on the memorial bench under the maple tree, she stared up at the stars as she took several deep breaths.
The familiar heartsickness and stomachache were back—the fearful, helpless energy she hadn’t felt in years. Not since Logan had been alive.
Driving to Millsdale had been a terrible idea. Bringing Colton home to Preston Valley had been an even bigger mistake.
Jagger came out, sitting down, settling her favorite fleece blanket over them. “Hey.”
She tried to smile. “Hey.”
He hooked his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and kissing her hair.
She nestled against him, breathing him in, savoring the warmth as she stared into the dark. “You were right. I look at Colton, and I see Logan. But he’s not. He’s his own person. He’s my brother, but he’s not. Logan was my brother, but by the end, he was just as much of a stranger as that boy is inside our house.”
Jagger sighed, wrapping her up tighter. “Grace—”
She shook her head, needing to finish—to say out loud all of her thoughts. “Over the last few days, I let myself create these fantasies about having with Colton what I’d had with Logan—our Logan before the injury and the drugs. But that’s not possible. Logan and I had each other our whole lives. Our bond was irreplaceable and something that can’t be duplicated. And I wouldn’t want to.”
Jagger kissed her head again. “Everything about this situation is tough.”
Her eyes watered as she sat up, looking at him. “I’ve been terribly selfish, and I’m sorry. We’re going to miss our trip. I put him before us, and that never should have happened.”
He skimmed his knuckles along her jaw. “We can still go to Montana, Grace. We just have to finagle some things.”
She pulled away from his touch. “Please don’t be kind when I don’t deserve it. I messed up.”
“Do you think it doesn’t mess with my head when I look at him? You wanted to help him. How can I be pissed about that?”
She closed her eyes as she shook her head. Everything was so complicated again. “I see a kid who needs help. I see someone who’s dealing with the aftermath of my father’s carelessness. I don’t think I can walk away from that.”
Jagger nodded as he captured her hand. “I get it.”
“But I don’t know if I can do this again,” she confessed in a whisper, losing her battle with her tears, never feeling more torn. “He’s hateful and awful the way Logan became. I don’t know if I can ride that roller coaster a second time.”
Jagger gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “I get that, too, but if this is something you want to take on, I’ll be right by your side.”
She sniffled as she wiped at her cheeks. “But you don’t like him.”
“I don’t know him. But I see what you see—a kid in trouble. He’s on a fast track to juvie or worse. I’m not sure I can walk away from that any more than you can.”
“He seems determined to hate me—to hate us both. We might not be able to help him.”
Jagger nodded. “That’s true. He has to want to help himself. But we can try. We’ll do what we can to help him together.”
She swiped at her cheeks again. “What does that mean to you? What does that look like?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it’ll look like whatever it needs to look like.”
“We have no idea where Jessica is. Colton’s been arrested twice. Things don’t seem to be going well in Millsdale.”
“So maybe he stays here for a little while. For a fresh start. But he has to go to school and get a job. He needs to stay out of trouble—to stop being an asshole.”
“That’s a lot to ask of you, Jagger. You were so good to Logan, even when he didn’t deserve it. You’ve always been so good to me. You really want to take this on?”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I love you, Gracie. I’m on board if you want to give this kid a chance.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t know what to do.”
He slid his hand up and down her side. “We’ll do what we always do—the only thing we can do. Take things one step at a time.”
She eased back again to hold his gaze. “We need to find Jessica. And I have to tell Aunt Maggie. I haven’t wanted to, but Colton’s here.”
“We’ll get everything figured out.”
She exhaled a long breath, trying to believe his reassurances. “You’re truly the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Ditto, baby.” He touched her cheek. “You know, you apologized to me, but I have an apology I owe you.”
She frowned. “For what?”
“For going to see Colton without telling you. I know we don’t keep secrets from each other, but I also know how much all of this has been hurting you. I needed to try to do what I could to fix things.”
She leaned into his touch. “I appreciate the apology, but I’m not upset. You were trying to help me, Jagger.”
He nodded. “I was. I want to make this better for you.”
Her heart melted from the way he loved her so beautifully. “Thank you.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “How do you feel about trying to get some sleep?”
She nodded, growing tired as the worst of the emotional storm passed. “We can talk some more in the morning.” She rolled her eyes because it was already after four a.m.
Jagger stood, holding out his hand. “Come on.”
Moments later, Grace locked the door behind them, then walked to the hallway, noting that the light was still on in Colton’s room.
“Do you think we should check on him?”
Jagger shook his head, closing their door before he took off his jeans and shirt, tossing them on the stool in the corner. “Let’s let him be.”
Grace quickly changed into a pair of yoga pants and a sleep cami as Jagger pulled back the covers and got into bed.
“Come lie down with me.”
She got in, settling beside him, sighing with her head on his shoulder. “This feels good.”
He stroked his fingers along her arm. “Get some sleep.”
She nodded. “I’ll make us a nice breakfast when we get up. We can try to break the ice with your favorite French toast.”
“That sounds like a hell of an idea.”
It was the least she could do after she’d ruined their vacation. “I’m sorry again, Jagger. About Montana. About everything. I’ll see what I can do about our reservations after breakfast.”
She felt him shake his head. “It’s all going to work out. Get some sleep, Gracie.”
“I love you.”
He snuggled her closer as she turned on her side. “I love you too.”
Thirty-Eight
Jagger opened his eyes with Grace wrapped up in his arms as he stared at the sunlight shining through the windows.
They should have been out of the house hours ago to catch their Denver-based flight, but here they lay in Grace’s bed in Preston Valley.
Determined to make the best of their mostly shitty situation, he nuzzled his face against Grace’s soft neck, then kissed her skin as he wrapped his arms tighter around her when she stirred. “I have French toast on the brain. I’m pretty sure that’s your fault.”
“Mmm,” she said as she rolled over to smile and kiss his lips.
He slid her hair back from her face, studying her sleepy blue eyes. “Morning.”
Her smile returned. “Morning.”
“How did you sleep?” He glanced at the bedside clock. “For six whole hours.”
“Like a rock.” She kissed him again. “I’m rested and ready to make your favorite French toast. With cinnamon apples, of course. We can also add eggs and bacon.”
He groaned. “Now you’re just trying to turn me on.”
She laughed. “I’m always happy to turn you on.”
He grinned as he moved to settle himself on top of her. “So, you’re thinking like me—a quickie, then breakfast?”
She laughed again as she rolled her eyes. “Mostly, I was just thinking about breakfast.”
Still smiling, he kissed her forehead, then her nose. “Hey, it’s your loss.”
She chuckled. “I agree. But I’ll make it up to you later, handsome.” Her smile dimmed as she slid her fingers along his temple. “Now that it’s six hours later, how do you feel about our conversation—about helping Colton?”
He sighed, recognizing that the life they were building had the potential to change in a big way. But he wasn’t ready to turn his back on the lost, angry kid in the room across the hall. “I’m still on board. What about you?”
She nodded. “Me too.”
He opened his mouth to say something more when the quiet bump in the hallway and the shoes tiptoeing down the hall caught his attention. Hurrying out from beneath the covers, he moved to the door, already certain their guest was planning his escape.
Caring little that he only wore boxers, Jagger headed down the hallway as Colton’s hand reached for the front doorknob. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Colton whipped around with his eye looking worse than it had last night. “Home.”
Grace walked past Jagger, pulling a sweatshirt over her sleep top. “You must be hungry. I was going to make us some breakfast.”
Colton shrugged. “I’m good.”
Jagger clenched his jaw, growing annoyed. No vacation. Now, no French toast either. Enough was enough. “Go get in my car. The keys are in the bowl.”
Colton shook his head. “I’ll take an Uber.”
“I’m not making a request.”
The kid glared now. “I don’t have to listen to you.”
Jagger rubbed at his jaw, deciding how to play things. Colton had a hell of a chip on his shoulder—similar to the one he’d had before he met Master Isaac. It was doubtful ‘nice’ would get him very far. Kids like Colton didn’t trust ‘nice.’ “Yeah, you do. Grace signed her name to say she’s responsible for you. Plus, there’s the fact that I’m bigger than you.”
Colton yanked the keys out of the bowl. “Whatever, man.”
“And when I get outside, you better be there. If I have to come find you, it’s gonna piss me off.”
Colton muttered something about fucking off under his breath before he slammed the door closed behind him.
