“Actually, I can, dumbass. Every time you missed a practice or studio session, or were late to a sound check or meeting, or just didn’t show at all, you were in violation of our contract. I write and own all of our music, so aside from your cut of the royalties, you’ve got shit to stand on, and I’m willing to bet the label isn’t going to do shit to try and save your ass either.”
Gio shoved me then and snarled, “All because of the fucking baby that probably wasn’t even yours to begin with.”
I grabbed his collar. “What did you just say?”
He laughed and jerked himself free. “You think getting high is the only thing Kat and I did together? You dumb fuck. She’s with you for the bigger dollar signs man, but we’ve been screwing all along. She was going to divorce your ass, take your money, and leave you for me all along.”
My pulse pounded in my ears, and I felt my face grow hot with the anger bubbling up.
“Woah, man.” Gabe stepped between us and grabbed my shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid. He’s not worth it. Let’s just get through this meeting and be done with him.”
“You know what,” Lowell spoke up for the first time and all eyes shifted to him. “I’m out. Y’all can do whatever you want.” With those parting words, he turned and strode off toward the elevator bay.
“This is bullshit!” Gio yelled and kicked the wall.
“No, it’s what you have coming,” Gabe barked at him.
“This isn’t a productive use of our time,” James, my dad’s lawyer friend, said calmly. “We have to go back in there in a few minutes.”
“I have to agree,” Pete sighed. “I’m here to take care of the interests of the band, and as you’ve pointed out Abel, Lowell and Gio have violated their contract with the band on numerous occasions, which means I’m here to take care of you and Gabe, so what are we going to do when we go back in there?”
“What the hell is this?” Gio sneered at Pete. Everyone ignored him, and he began pacing and cursing.
“Yes, the label is within rights to sue over the current tour you’ll be cancelling, as well as the other album and tour you’re still on contract for. Are you willing to settle to break your contract? We’re talking millions,” Iverson said grimly.
“He’s right,” James added. “However, the millions they would make from a lawsuit, hardly touch what they would make off the tours and another album. I think they’re going to look for another way to resolve this.” Before we could discuss what those options may be, my phone buzzed in my pocket. When I slid it out and glanced at the screen, it was my father calling. I debated letting it go and calling him after the meeting, but he could have had last minute advice.
“Hey,” I answered. “The meeting went to hell real quick. We’re taking a break so the label can decide what they want to do with us.”
“I’m not calling about the meeting, Abel.” There was something wrong with his voice and worry instantly seized my gut. “Something has happened.”
“What is it? Is Mom okay?” That was my first thought. I don’t know that any of us would ever escape the fear of her cancer coming back.
“Your mom is fine,” he said slowly.
“Aiden? Addie?” I was going to be sick.
“They’re fine, listen. Molly and Amelia were killed in a car accident early this morning.”
“What?” I heard him. I understood his words, but it was like my brain rejected it. “No.”
“Jaime wasn’t with them,” he continued. “Ace, Sadie, and Darcy are on their way to Oregon right now. We won’t know much more until they get there. Your mom and I are getting Abbi and Aiden from school now. I’m going to call your sister next.”
Abbi and Addie. They weren’t going to take this well.
“I don’t know if I can get a last-minute flight, but ten minutes and I’ll be in my car and on my way. Has anyone called Jesse or Nash. They’re still here in the city. I can grab them, and we can be there in a few hours.”
“Yes, I believe they know, but don’t drive recklessly, Abel. Just get home safely, okay? And we’ll see you when you get here.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
“Love you, son.”
“Love you too, Dad.” I ended the call and looked immediately to Gabe. “I have to go. You’re going to have to finish the meeting without me. My cousin’s family was in an accident. His wife and baby . . .” I couldn’t say it. “I just—I have to go.”
“Okay, man.” He grabbed me into a rough hug. “You go and do what you gotta do. I’ll take care of this.” He let go and I hurried toward the elevators not sparing anyone a second glance or thought.
My family was crazy and unconventional, but we were also closer than most. There was no way I could stay in New York while they were hurting, while someone who was as good as a brother to me was going through this. I had no doubt we’d all be on a plane to Oregon very soon.
After calling Jesse, who’d just spoken to his dad, he and Nash were ready to go when I pulled up to their place.
It was a somber drive. We were all at a loss for what to say. Nash was the closest to Jaime, and he just kept randomly muttering, “Fuck.”
He was also Amelia’s godfather.
I could picture her round cheeks, her toothless smile, her tiny fingers and toes, her big eyes. My own loss collided with this fresh grief. This wasn’t supposed to happen to ones so innocent. The grief was crushing, but it was the anger that was overwhelming.
One asshole drinks too much and gets behind the wheel of a car, and then a mother and her baby are dead. Just. Like. That.
“Did you hear anything about the driver?” I asked.
Jesse just shook his head and thumbed out a text on his phone.
“Are you talking to your parents?”
“No. Your sister. She’s losing it. Can’t get on a flight out of London for a few more hours.”
I blew out a breath through my nose. “She shouldn’t be alone.”
“No, she shouldn’t. I told her to get drunk on the flight and pass out.”
As much as that was terrible advice, it was probably the only way Addie would get through it, so I kept my mouth shut instead of chewing him out. He usually knew what to do to handle Addie, maybe better than anyone. Sometimes I thought he knew her better than even I did, or if not knew her better, at least understood her better.
“She wanted to stay. Wanted to skip it. Maybe I shouldn’t have talked her into going,” I said.
“You couldn’t have known something like this would happen.”
“He’s right,” Nash said from his cramped position in the back, squeezing my shoulder. “Addie will be fine. She’ll make it home.”
The rest of the drive passed too slowly, despite my heavy foot on the gas. The closer we got to Boston, the quieter the car drew, to the point that the silence was almost oppressive. I had to turn on the radio to break it up. I had a feeling they, like me, were trying to figure out how we were going to get through the next few hours and days. I had no idea how I was supposed to comfort anyone, when I was such a wreck myself, but I guess there was some solace in knowing we were all feeling the same things.
By the time we made it to my parents’, there was a full house, and yet it’d never been so quiet as it was when we walked inside. It wasn’t right. Bruce and Wayne didn’t even greet me excitedly like they normally did. It was like they could sense something was wrong as well.
When we gathered, it was for birthdays and holidays, anniversaries, graduations, whatever. It wasn’t supposed to be for this.
Everyone sat around the living room and dining room, but it didn’t look like anyone knew what to do. What conversation was going on, paused when we stepped into the room. My mom, red-eyed and blotchy-faced, rushed over and attacked me with a hug. I squeezed her tight and told myself I wasn’t going to cry. If I cried, she’d lose it, and it looked like she’d cried enough.
“Has there been any more news?” I asked when she finally peeled herself of
f of me.
She sniffed, and said, “Ace and Sadie should be landing soon. As far as I know, Jaime is with Molly’s family. He doesn’t want a bunch of phone calls right now.”
I figured as much. I wouldn’t want to have to listen to sympathies or answer questions if I were in his shoes.
Abbi sat on the far side of the room next to Aubrey. Both of their eyes were red and glossy. Most of the eyes in the room were. At seeing her brothers, Aubrey got up and walked over. Nash and Jesse both pulled her into a hard embrace and then the three of them joined their parents in the dining room. I crossed the room to Aubrey’s vacated seat and slowly lowered myself beside Abbi. Neither of us said anything, but as soon as I sat, she leaned into my side, resting her head against my shoulder, and I tucked one arm around her. I kissed the top of her head and told her, “It’s going to be okay.”
“It’s just so awful,” she whimpered.
“I know. And it’s always going to be awful, but this family takes care of each other. We’ll get through it.”
“How will Jaime though? Molly and Amelia were his whole world.” Her question hung in the air, and honestly, I had no idea how he was going to survive this, but I knew he would.
“He’ll do it for them,” I said after a minute.
She nodded and sat up straighter. “I’m sorry for snotting all over you. I just sorta needed a hug from you.”
A soft smile tugged at the edges of my mouth. “You know you don’t have to apologize for that.”
“I know.” She gave me the tiniest smile back.
Quiet settled between us, but it wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable. The opposite really. After a few minutes of it, I asked. “Is your brother coming home?”
She shook her head. “He’s going to wait until we hear about the funeral and meet us in Oregon. He’s got classes and his internship. He can only get so much time away.”
I nodded. I was proud of Colton. He was a good kid, although not so much a kid anymore. He’d be a full-fledged doctor before long, like his dad and his grandfather. Being smart and helping people, or animals, was in their genes.
“I wish he was here right now,” she said softly. “I just have the urge to hug everyone I love and never let go.”
I looked at her hand between us and took it in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. She didn’t try to pry it loose and I didn’t let go. We just sat there, our hands entwined on my thigh, and let the minutes tick by.
Aunt Sadie called after a while and talked to my mom. I think everyone else in the room was waiting with bated breath to hear whatever news there was.
There wasn’t much. They made it to Newport. They were with Jaime and Molly’s family. Nobody was doing okay, and she’d call back in the morning once they’d made the arrangements. With that pitiful bit of news, a heaviness settled over the room again, like a morose blanket.
Decisions to order food for everyone were made. Abbi and I continued to sit in our spots and watch the moms try to make themselves useful, brewing tea and coffee, getting and refilling drinks, offering comfort when they could, and fighting against their own grief.
Abbi’s phone rang from the end table beside the sofa, startling her. Her hand was still in mine, but upon grabbing her phone with her free hand, and glancing at the screen, she eyed our entwined fingers and pried hers loose. “I—uh, I need to take this. It’s Jason . . . I’m sure he’s worried. I didn’t have time to talk to him before I left school.”
She stood, moving away from me as she lifted the phone to her face. The pang in my gut hardly registered, given everything else, but it was there. I closed my eyes and tipped my head to rest against the back of the sofa. No doubt, Jason would rush over to provide comfort. As he should. As he had the right to do.
The cushions dipped, and I blinked my eyes open. Uncle Bas had taken Abbi’s seat. I didn’t say anything and fought the urge to shift uncomfortably or get up shamefully and go anywhere else. I watched him, anxiously, wondering if today was going to be the day he finally told me to stay away from Abbi. Told me I didn’t deserve her, that I never had. I was sure the only reason he hadn’t already said it in the last eight years was to preserve the relationship between our families. But he must want to. Lord knew if he had even an inkling of the ways I’d mistreated her and behaved, nothing would hold him back.
Still, he said nothing. He sat hunched forward, elbows on his knees, looking sideways at me. Finally I worked up the nerve to mutter, “If there’s something you want to tell me, go ahead. It couldn’t be any worse than all the things I’ve imagined you wanted to say to me over the years.” Our relationship had been stilted to say the least. Every time I was in the same room as him or Aunt Lissa, I felt like the teenage punk who’d broken their daughter’s heart and disappointed both of our families.
“What is it you think I want to say to you, Abel?” He finally asked.
“I imagine it has to do with me sitting here holding Abbi’s hand.”
He nodded. “You’re right, but not in the way you think you are.”
“What do you mean?”
“Abel, her mother and I watched you love her for eighteen years, that love growing, maturing, and changing as the two of you did the same. It was a relief for the two of us to know that she would always have you. You can’t imagine the stress of having a daughter . . .” he sighed, and though unintentional, his words were like a knife. I would never know if I was going to have a son or a daughter. He seemed to realize the effect of his words after he said them. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t the first loss you’ve felt in the past couple of days.”
“It’s okay,” I croaked.
“What I’m trying to say, is that Lissa and I have never blamed you. I suspect you’ve spent the last eight years under the wrong impression that we somehow did, or that we no longer considered you like a son to us, but that was never the case. You were a kid and so was she.”
“I still love her,” I blurted. “I never stopped.”
“I never thought you did.”
“But she loves someone else now.” It came out like I was hoping he would deny it.
“Jason’s a great guy. And so are you,” was all he said. Then he patted my shoulder, stood, and walked away.
What was that about?
Sixteen
Abbi
“You don’t have to come.” I sat on the edge of the bed toying with the comforter.
“Yes, I absolutely do,” Jason replied from his connected bathroom. I could hear the opening and closing of drawers as he gathered his toiletries. “Can you pick me out a tie to wear for the service?”
Not arguing with him, I pushed myself up from the bed and walked over to his dresser. I slid open the top drawer where his ties lived with his socks and underwear. I shuffled them around, looking for my favorite blue striped one. I spotted it nestled amongst the others, and reached for it. My hand stilled when I noticed something else, hiding in the corner of the drawer. A suspicious, tiny, black, velvet box that only housed one type of thing.
“Wait, I can get it!” Jason flew into the room behind me too late. I glanced over my shoulder and he froze when he saw that I already had the drawer open. I looked at the little black box again and picked it up.
“Abbi,” he said.
Clutching it in my hand, afraid to open it, I swallowed dryly. “What is this?”
He strode slowly forward and plucked it from my hand. “You know what it is.” I could see my own anxiety mirrored in his expression. “I—I was going to this weekend. I had it all planned out,” he sighed, “but then . . . I didn’t want to do it like this. I know the timing and circumstances are all wrong,” he stumbled over his words, but then seemed to find a reserve of boldness, because his shoulders straightened. “You know what, it might not be ideal, but maybe the timing isn’t wrong. Life is short. Too short. We’re never guaranteed tomorrow, but however many tomorrows I have left, I want to spend them with you, and I hope you want to spend all of your tomorrows with me
, so I guess what I’m asking is,” he lowered himself to one knee in front of me. I felt my eyes bug out of my head and my breath caught in my throat. He snapped the little box open and revealed the sparkly diamond within. “Abbi, will you marry me?”
My lips parted but my words were lodged in my throat. I just stared at Jason and the ring and then back at Jason and back at the ring.
“Abbi,” he said softly, rising to his feet. With the hand that wasn’t holding the ring, he grabbed mine. “It’s okay. I understand if this is too much right now. You don’t have to give me an answer right now.”
I shook my head to clear it. “No,” I croaked.
“No?” He dropped my hand. “You don’t want to marry me?”
“No, I mean, I don’t need to wait. My answer is yes.” I didn’t need to think about it. In fact, the last thing I wanted was to think about it. It wasn’t a complicated question. It was an easy one. With Jason I’d have the life I always wanted. He was so good to me, and I could see our life together. It would be good, and it would be full.
“Yes?” he said, like he almost couldn’t believe it.
I nodded and felt my eyes begin to water. “Yes. I’ll marry you.” He slid the ring onto my finger, fumbling and nearly dropping it as he did so. We both laughed, but then the ring was in place. It fit a little loose, but not so much that it would fall off before I could get it sized. I stared at the classic solitaire gem on the shiny silver band. It was really pretty.
I lifted my eyes to Jason’s excited gaze and then I kissed him. I kissed him for a long time, so long that he was left to pack the rest of his things in a frenzy in order for us to get to the airport on time. Getting out of the car at the airport, I glanced at the ring on my finger and slid it off. I looked at Jason who was watching me. “I just don’t want this time to be about us. I’ll tell them once we’re back home.”
Jason nodded. “Of course.”
I tucked the ring into the zippered pocket of my wool jacket and then joined my hand in Jason’s, each of us hauling a rolling bag behind us. The flight to Portland was a quiet, somber one. Not one of us was looking forward to arriving. My stomach plummeted every time I thought about seeing Jaime and having to come up with something to say that didn’t sound truly pathetic. There were no words for this situation.
Finding Abel (Rebel Hearts Book 1) Page 16