He went to rehab?
I always knew he was wild. But didn’t know he was that wild.
He’ll never live up to the McKinley name.
One by one, the comments kept coming, and Jace just stood there reading them all. I lunged for his phone, trying to shield him from what everyone was saying, but he twisted away too fast, keeping it just out of reach.
“Jace, don’t read that bullshit. None of them get it. None of them know who you are. They’re just internet trolls,” I said, trying to reason with him. It wasn’t working, he just kept scrolling.
“Dammit, Jace, stop!”
He looked up from his phone, the color gone from his face, a clear indication he somehow believed everything people were saying about him online.
How could I convince him they were wrong? That he was the most amazing, kind, generous human being I had ever met, even if his past wasn’t always picture-perfect.
He stomped past me, down the hall and into the kitchen.
“Jace, what are you doing?” I asked, marching right behind him.
“I need to go. I need some air.” He snatched his keys off the table, marching toward the front door.
“Let me come with you, I can help,” I begged, trying to get him to stop.
He opened the door, briefly turning.
“No, you can’t, Cassie. You can’t fix this, and you can’t fix me—no matter how badly you want to. I’ll just be another addict you always have to worry about––just like your mom,” he said, slamming the door behind him without another word.
Tears flowed down my cheeks, my heart broken into a million pieces by his words. How could he think that about himself?
I ran outside, barefoot in the cold snow. By the time I got off the porch, Jace slammed his truck door shut, speeding away, my yells for him to stop drowned out by the roar of his truck engine.
I watched as Jace sped away, taking my heart with him.
Chapter 36 – Cassie
“He didwhat?” Ellie asked, trying to wrap her head around the story I’d just told her. Colt stood beside her looking equally stunned.
“He saw what everyone’s been saying about him online and then he left. Didn’t tell me where he was going or when he’d return. Just walked out with the clothes on his back—nothing else.”
Colt ran a hand over his face, letting out a deep breath. I could tell he was worried about Jace, even if he didn’t say it out loud.
“Has he ever done this before?” I asked, hoping he could give us a clue.
“Not since he got back from rehab,” Colt said, sinking down onto Jace’s couch, leaning forward to think.
“But before he got sober, yeah. He’d do this all the time. And when he got mad, he’d binge drink—a lot.”
I swallowed hard, my stomach twisting.
“Is there anywhere he might go, Cassie? Any place that you know of?” Colt’s expression was serious, his eyes pleading as he tried to find a lead.
I had already been out to Crowley’s Ridge, and he wasn’t there. “No, I already checked all his normal hang-out spots, called his therapist, and talked to a couple people downtown. No one has seen or heard from him in hours. And his phone goes straight to voicemail. That’s why I called you guys. I thought youmight know him better than I do.” I sat, covering my face with my hands in frustration.
“You don’t think he’d break his sobriety, do you guys?” I asked, my voice tight. I hated even asking the question.
Colt’s gaze wavered with uncertainty.
Dammit, I was scared––downright terrified if I was being honest. I didn’t know what to do, where to turn. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t pick up all the pieces and put them back together again.
