“Let’s talk about Hunter,” Amelia, Anastasia’s sister, says as they all join us for food and cocktails. “Specifically, the sex.”
“Oh, good idea.” Jules sips her drink and grins. “It’s crazy good, isn’t it? I mean, not that I know from experience. Nate would kill me, and I don’t have a death wish. Hunter just moves like he’d be stellar in bed.”
I bite my lip and feel my cheeks flush. The women all bust up laughing.
“Orgasms,” Natalie says, holding up her glass in a toast. “The best thing there is.”
“I think I’ll text Nate and let him know that I’m gonna need some orgasms later,” Jules says.
“Do you think Nate doesn’t know?” Natalie quips.
“Where is Nate?” I ask. “I thought you guys were all staying on the island tonight.”
“We are,” Amelia says. “All the guys came. They’re hanging out at the pub. Then we’ll all meet up for kid-free sexy time later.”
“Nice.” I grin at her and glance over at Izzy, who looks amazing, but a little tired. “And how’s our new mama? You look great, Iz.”
“Thanks. I’m exhausted. Baby is up crying all the time. I feel like a horrible mother because I can’t get her to settle down. I’ve tried everything. She’ll only sleep for Keegan.”
“That sucks,” Jules says and pats Izzy’s back. “Colic is the worst. She’ll grow out of it. Have you named her?”
“No. Keegan and I are usually on the same page when it comes to just about everything, but we can’t agree on this. I told him we have until the end of the month to figure it out. Her name can’t be Baby forever.”
“I heard you delivered really fast,” Meg says. “I’m fascinated. Tell me everything.”
“My doctor suspects I was laboring all week, and that last day, my body was like, yep. We’re doing this. But because it just felt similar to how I felt all week, I didn’t think it was different. Boy, was I wrong. I had her less than thirty minutes after my water broke.”
“I’d take that,” Anastasia says. “I was in labor forever.”
“We’re old,” I announce. “We’re talking about childbirth on our girls’ night.”
“Let’s go back to orgasms,” Natalie suggests.
I turn when the front door suddenly opens. “Rachel?”
She comes staggering inside. She’s pale, her lips are bright pink, and not from gloss or lipstick.
“Rachel, what’s wrong? Did your mom drop you off?”
“Walked.” She rubs her head. “I don’t feel so good.”
Meg steps in and examines Rachel’s eyes. “Dilated. Her pulse is a bit fast. I don’t have my blood pressure cuff with me. Sweetie, did you ingest something? Have you been drinking?”
Rachel’s eyes fill with tears. “Didn’t mean to. Mom made daiquiris for her and Danny. Then she made me one without alcohol. They started acting really weird. Like, gross. And I wanted to come home, so I walked, but then I started feeling weird.”
“What did she put in the drinks?” Meg asks, and we lead Rachel to a couch. “Do you know?”
“She said something about an edible. Whatever that means.”
I sigh and close my eyes. Oh, you sweet, innocent girl.
“Shit,” Jules mutters. “Do we need an ambulance?”
“I don’t think so,” Meg says. “She needs to sleep off the high.”
“Is this what it feels like to be high? Because it sucks. Why do people do this?” Rachel’s eyes fill with tears. “My dad’s gonna kill me. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“He’s not going to be mad at you,” I assure her. “It’s not your fault. Why didn’t you call me? You didn’t have to walk.”
“Forgot my phone.” She blinks slowly. “This is the weirdest thing. I think I’m sleepy.”
“She’ll be hungry in a bit,” Natalie murmurs.
“Let’s put you to bed,” Maggie suggests, and we take her upstairs. Meg comes along to continue to monitor her, and when we have her all tucked in, and Rachel is snoring peacefully, we walk out, leaving the door open so I can hear her.
“You have to call Hunter,” Maggie says immediately when we return downstairs.
“He’s in the middle of a fight,” I remind her. “He’s on live television. I can’t just call him. Or even text him. She’s safe now and not in the hospital or anything. I’ll tell him when he gets back tomorrow.”
“He’s going to be seriously pissed,” Lexi adds.
“I think this is exactly the kind of thing that had to happen to get Carla to go,” I reply. “There’s no way he’ll let Rachel have anything to do with her now. It’s not safe.”
“What a horrible mother,” Izzy says, shaking her head. “And trust me, I know what a bad mother is. Intimately. My mom sucks, big-time. But she’d never do something like that.”
“I don’t envy you tomorrow,” Jules says. “He’s not going to be happy.”
“It’s not like he’s going to punch the walls or something,” I reply. “But yeah, he’ll be angry. And he should be.”
“Keep an eye on her tonight,” Meg says. “She should just sleep it off and wake up fine tomorrow. If I’m interpreting what she said correctly, it sounds like Carla the moron made the drinks with the cannabis for her and whoever Danny is first, and then made the virgin one for Rachel with residual stuff still in the blender.”
“She’s not a terribly smart baby mama, is she?” Lexi asks.
“The good thing about that is, there shouldn’t have been much in Rachel’s drink. Just enough to knock her out for a while.”
Meg runs down the list of what to do if things go bad, and then we wrap up the party early.
It’s hard to be silly and have fun when my boyfriend’s fifteen-year-old minor just came home high after spending time with her mom.
I lock up, clean the kitchen, and then go up to check on Rachel.
She’s turned on her side and is still sleeping well. She looks so young. So sweet.
I’m afraid to leave her.
What if there was too much in that drink and she starts to have serious issues from it?
I can’t leave her.
So, I lie down next to her and keep an eye on her. Listen to her breathe. I smooth my fingers through her hair when she whimpers.
“It’s okay, honey. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I want my daddy.”
“I know. He’ll be home in the morning. But we’re okay, you and me. I’ve got you.”
“Glad.” She licks her lips but doesn’t open her eyes. “Glad you’re here. Don’t leave us, okay?”
“I’m not going to leave you.”
“Messed up.”
I cup her cheek, my heart breaking for her. “It wasn’t your fault, Rach. Honest. I know you’ve been in trouble in the past for things that were your fault, but this isn’t one of them. You’re not in trouble. I just hate that you were alone and that you walked home. I would have come to get you. I love you so much.”
Her lips tip up. “Love you. It sounds real when you say it. Not like her.”
I feel a tear fall from the corner of my eye. “It’s real.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, and I think maybe she’s gone back to sleep, but then she says, “Can I have Grandda’s number?”
I grin. “Sure, but he’s not very good with his phone.”
“I’ll teach him. He’s my favorite.”
“I think you’re his favorite, too. Don’t worry, we won’t tell the others.”
I didn’t sleep much, but I didn’t expect to. I just lay next to Rachel, listening to her breathe. She slept all night. Didn’t even make a peep.
She was fine.
But I was paranoid.
At one point, I opened her window so I could hear the ocean and then just lay there and daydreamed a bit. It was peaceful.
But now, it’s time to get up and get started on the day. Intending to let Rachel sleep in, I slip from the bed and reach for my phone, but frown when
it’s not within reach.
I must have forgotten it downstairs last night.
I walk down, flip on the coffee maker, and reach for my cell.
I have two texts from Hunter, and one missed call.
Hunter: Hey! Are you still awake?
That one was just past midnight, probably when he got back to his room after the fight.
The next one was this morning.
Hunter: Good morning, beautiful. I’m headed back to the island earlier than planned. I miss my girls, and there’s nothing for me here in Vegas. I should be there no later than nine. See you soon!
I glance at the clock. It’s already past eight.
This is good news. I’m ready to sit down with Hunter and tell him what happened with his daughter yesterday.
“Maeve?”
I turn at the sound of Rachel’s voice and smile softly at the teenager.
“Well, good morning sunshine.”
She scratches her head and yawns. “I dreamed you were in my bed all night.”
“I was in your bed all night.” I cross to her and wrap my arms around her for a hug. “How do you feel?”
“Pretty much normal,” she says. “Hungry. Can we invite your parents over for breakfast?”
I raise a brow. “Really?”
Rachel nods. “Yeah. I think it would be nice.”
“Sure. I’ll give them a call. Maybe you should go hop in the shower. It might help you feel even better.”
“Good idea.” She turns to head for the stairs, then turns back to me. “Hey, Maeve?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Thank you.”
I nod as I reach for my phone so I can call my parents. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter 15
~Hunter~
The ferry seemed to take forever to cross the Sound to the island. I was too wound up from the fight to sleep worth a damn last night, and I missed being here with Maeve and Rachel, so I decided to leave Vegas at roughly five this morning.
And now I’m back on the island, driving toward my house.
I love this place. It feels like I’ve always lived here. Like this is where I was supposed to be all along. Most of all, I’m relieved that Rachel is happy here and that she’s thriving in this little town.
I pull into the driveway and park next to an older Ford SUV, then hurry inside. I didn’t hear back from Maeve last night, but I figured she was either still having fun with her friends or had fallen asleep.
She did finally text me about an hour ago and said that she was excited to see me.
The house smells of bacon and eggs and, if I’m not mistaken, sausage gravy.
“Looks like I’m just in time,” I announce as I walk into the kitchen. Fiona is manning the stove, and I can see through the window that Rachel is sitting outside with Tom.
“Good morning,” Maeve says as she hurries over and wraps her arms around my neck and holds on tight. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“I was only gone for twenty-four hours,” I remind her with a laugh.
“Yeah, well, a lot has happened.” She clears her throat and backs away. “We need to talk, Hunter.”
“First of all, are you and Rach okay?”
“Yes, we’re safe and fine,” Maeve assures me.
“You know, I think I have everything done in here for now,” Fiona says with a wink. “I’ll just join Tom and our sweet Rachel outside. It’s a beautiful morning.”
She closes the door behind her, and I narrow my eyes on Maeve.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m just going to tell you everything from the beginning,” Maeve says as she takes a deep breath. “I came home early yesterday afternoon to find Carla here. In the house, Hunter. She was in Rachel’s room, and they were setting up all-new décor. Rachel said her mom bought her all new stuff.”
I cross my arms over my chest and listen as my blood begins to fucking boil.
“I asked her to leave,” Maeve continues, “after some nasty words from her—all out of range of Rachel, of course. Anyway, that’s when I called and asked if Rach could stay with Carla.”
“Okay.”
“After they left, I sent Rach a text and reminded her that I was only a phone call away in case she needed anything. Then I went about my day. The girls came over, and we had a couple of drinks and some food. It was nice.”
“I’m glad.” I feel my stomach tighten because I have a feeling the other shoe is about to drop.
“At about nine, Rachel suddenly came through the door—”
Before she can continue, my daughter hurries in from outside with tears in her eyes. She leaves the door wide-open so Fiona and Tom can hear. “I swear to you, it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t know.”
Maeve sighs and closes her eyes, then keeps talking.
“I haven’t told him all of it yet,” Maeve says.
“I seriously didn’t know,” Rachel continues.
“Hold on.” I hold up a finger, and Rachel stops talking. “Maeve, finish it.”
“She came home,” Maeve continues. “She walked home, Hunter. She was acting odd and said she didn’t feel good. Said that Carla and Danny were making her uncomfortable, and she just wanted to come home.”
“Whoa.” I shake my head. “Danny was there?”
“Yes,” Rachel whispers.
“That’s not the worst of it,” Maeve says. “Apparently, they made a blended drink for themselves and added edible marijuana to it. Then, without cleaning the blender, they made a virgin drink for Rachel.”
“Except it wasn’t virgin,” I finish for her.
“No,” Maeve agrees. “It wasn’t.”
“They were high and acting so stupid. I didn’t want to be there anymore,” Rachel says, picking up the story. “I was mad, actually. So, I just left. But when I was about halfway home, I started to feel really weird. I couldn’t call Maeve because I forgot my phone at Carla’s.”
She’s back to calling her Carla. That’s good.
“She was pretty stoned when she got here,” Maeve says. “Meg Montgomery is a nurse and evaluated her. She just had to sleep it off. So, she did.”
“Did Carla ever call here last night, wondering where Rachel was?”
Both girls just blink at me, and that’s all the answer I need.
I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so much fucking rage in all of my damn life.
I have to leave the room. I want to yell and throw a fucking fit, and that won’t solve anything. It will likely only upset everyone more.
I stomp out the open back door and make it all the way to the cliffs before I realize that Tom has followed. He moves a bit slower, but he joins me on the cliffs.
“I’d wager that you’re good and angry right now.”
“You’d win that bet.”
He nods. “Maeve said she didn’t want to call you when it all happened because you were in the middle of doing your job. The fight was still going, and it was live television.”
I blow out a breath and shove my hands through my hair with frustration.
“She still should have called.”
“I don’t disagree. It’s a scary thing that I’d say no one expected to happen. It scared your daughter, and that’s the truth of it.”
“Are we sure this isn’t another stunt of hers?” I ask and turn to Tom. “Rachel was famous for pulling shit like this when we lived in Seattle.”
“T’wasn’t, no.” Tom shakes his head. “She asked Fiona and me to come to breakfast this morning and told us about it. She said Maeve slept with her all night to make sure she was okay.”
“I’m grateful that she did that. And I’m damn disgusted that she had to.”
“You have two good girls in there, son. I know you’re angry, and you’ve got good reason to be. I’d be livid meself. But it’s not their fault. You need to take this up with the person responsible.”
“You’re right.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket as Tom w
alks back toward the house and dial Carla’s number.
“Hello?”
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
“Huh?” I hear her fumbling around. “What time is it?”
“Rachel’s safe, in case you were wondering.”
“Of course, she is. She’s with me.”
“No. She’s fucking not. She’s home, where she belongs. Because you and that asshole, Danny, were too high last night to know what the fuck was going on. There was enough of the drugs still in the blender that it made my daughter high, as well.”
“What are you even talking about?” she demands. “You’re making all of this up.”
“No. I’m not. And I have witnesses. You’re done, do you hear me? Fucking done. You won’t have any contact with Rachel. You won’t come to see her. You signed over your rights to her years ago, and you have no place in her life. If you try to keep up this stupid charade, I’ll make your life a living hell.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No. I’m telling you how it is. Stay away from my kid, Carla. Or you’ll regret it.”
I hang up and turn to find Maeve walking toward me.
“I’m sorry,” she says before I can say anything. “I should have called, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what was right. And all I wanted was to keep my eyes on her in case something went really wrong.”
I reach for her, tug her into my arms, and hold her tightly against me.
“I just love her so much,” she keeps going and sniffles against my chest. “And I was so worried. I want to punch that bitch in her smug little face. She called me a gold digger for fuck’s sake, Hunter.”
“What?” That makes me laugh. “Of all of the things you are, babe, a gold digger isn’t one of them.”
“I know. And who is Danny?”
I have a bitter taste in my mouth at just the mention of the asshole’s name.
“Carla’s been with Danny for years. I don’t think they’re married. Not sure.” I shrug. “Don’t really care, honestly. He’s a fighter, and not a particularly good one. I’ve fought him several times. Always kick his ass.”
“Good.”
I smile. “He’s a dick. He talks a lot of smack—more than normal for someone who rarely wins. He’s not a champion. He doesn’t have what it takes to be a champion. Clearly, the asshole does drugs for fuck’s sake.”
Flirt With Me Page 15