“Are you sick or something?”
“No, not me,” Colt replies. “Macy showed up here on Thursday.”
Hux chokes on his water. “Shewhat?”
I prop my elbow on the table and rest my chin in my hand.Here we go.
“What the hell did she want? Is she sick?”
Colt shakes his head. “No. But she brought her son with her. He’s seven. He’s sick… kidney disease. He needs a transplant. Soon.”
I let out a quiet sigh.
Hux glances at me, then back at Colt. “Okay… that sucks, yeah. But why’s she coming to you for help?”
Another sigh escapes me, and Colt flinches like he physically feels every one of them.
“His name’s Caleb,” Colt says, voice tight. “And… he’s my son.”
Hux’s jaw drops. His eyes swing to me, then back to Colt. “Fuck,” he murmurs.
I offer a tiny nod, lips pressed together, trying to keep the emotion out of my face.
“Jesus, Colt. I always knew Macy’s leaving was messed up, but I figured it was just drama, not this. Did you know?” Hux asks, clearly still in shock.
Colt shakes his head. “No clue. She says she left because she didn’t want me to feel trapped. Said if I’d known she was pregnant, I’d have given up the band, and she didn’t want to ruin my shot.”
Even though Macy is the last person I want near our lives, I can’t deny the sacrifice she made. She put Colt’s dream first.
“Wow. Uh… congratulations?” Hux says, unsure, and it lands somewhere between stunned and supportive.
“Thanks.” Colt offers a weak smile. “That’s why I’m on water. If I’m healthy and I’m a match, then I can have the surgery ASAP.”
I swallow hard, heart clenching.
He doesn’t need my permission. And I wouldn’t stop him. But it doesn’t mean I’m not scared.
“What if you’re not a match?” Hux asks, practical as always.
“Macy’s not, so odds are good I will be. But if I’m not, then I don’t know what we’ll do.”
We.
Oh fuck! That word stings more than I expected.
He means Caleb and Macy. He doesn’t say it to hurt me, but that doesn’t stop the ache.
“I’ll get tested too,” Hux says, shrugging like it’s nothing. “Just in case. We’re related. Maybe I’ve got the magic kidney.”
“You’d do that?” Colt’s voice is laced with disbelief.
Hux shoots him a look. “He’s my nephew, man. Fuck yeah, I’ll give the kid a kidney if it means saving him.”
The guilt creeps in then. I haven’t even considered getting tested. Not because I wouldn’t want to help, but because I don’t think I could handle being that connected to Macy and Caleb. Not right now.
“Wow, Hux. Thank you,” Colt says, and for the first time since all this started, a genuine smile breaks through.
“No need to thank me. Just let me know when and where,” Hux replies, clapping Colt on the back.
