She was never going to give me what I needed, but maybe someone else would.
“Goodbye, Mom,” I managed, then turned away before she could say anything else.
When I reached the Jeep, the tears finally came out, pouring down my cheeks as I choked back my feelings. I fought the urge to look over my shoulder and instead just drove away. Once I’d made it a couple of blocks and out of sight, I pulled over. The pain of leaving again nearly overwhelmed me, and I punched the steering wheel and cursed as I let it all out.
With a grunt, I rubbed my face, trying to push the emotions away. I pulled out my phone to put on some music to distract myself and saw that Blake was calling again.
I’d been ignoring his calls, and I knew he must be getting nervous. But I had no clue what I would say if I answered or how I could live with letting him and Russell down again. Typical Casey. I’d tried to hide from my problems, but sitting on the side of the road in West Creek, I couldn’t hide anymore.
I cleared my throat and hit answer. “Hey,” I said, my voice rough.
“Casey.” Blake was relieved. “Fuck, you okay, man?”
I blinked. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry. I’ll be back at the house in a few hours, if you and Russell want to talk then.”
Might as well just rip the Band-Aid off all at once, since I was already dragging myself through hell today.
“Casey, we’re in West Creek. At the motel.”
Time froze. Just the way he said that word,we, sent a tingle across my skin, and I almost started crying again. “You’re at the motel? How?”
“Casey.” Russell’s voice jumped in. “I don’t know what’s going on, but we’re here for you, okay? Just come back and meet us at the motel.”
“Yeah, okay,” I answered. My voice was just a breath, and my head was spinning.
My guys were here, and I needed them.
* * *
BLAKE
Russelland I both stood outside my truck in the motel parking lot, waiting for Casey. Russell’s cheeks were rosy from the cold, and I kept my arm over his shoulder, trying to keep him warm. The road was pretty quiet, but still, whenever a car passed, I wondered if there was a chance someone might recognize us like that.
I shook my head. All that mattered was that Russell was good and that Casey got back here so that we could make sure he was good, too.
“Typical Casey,” I grunted. “If he was going to see his mom, he should have talked to me about it. I could have helped.”
Russell slid his arm around my side, squeezing me. “Maybe he thought he needed to do it on his own, like I did when I went to talk to my woodworking instructor.”
I winced. It was frustrating, to feel like I hadn’t been there for either of them when they really needed me. But when Casey’s Jeep pulled into the parking lot and rolled up beside us, I felt a surge of optimism.
We could all be there for each other now, and that was what mattered.
Casey jumped out of the Jeep. His hair was pulled back under a black knit cap, and he buried his hands in his puffy black jacket. There was a cloud on his expression, but when he approached us, his face opened.
“Get the fuck over here,” I grunted, then pulled Casey into my arms, and Russell along with him. I didn’t know the full story of what happened, but I did know Casey was going through it, so I just squeezed him for a second and let him squeeze back.
“Fuck,” he laughed, then wiped his hand across his beard. “How did you two end up out here?”
“Well, we kind of had a date,” Russell teased. “I just didn’t expect it would end at the cheap motel in West Creek.”
We all laughed, breaking the tension, and I reached out and pressed my hand against Casey’s cheek. “Really, though, you okay?”
“Yeah, I just had to say some things to my mom,” he said. “Sorry I disappeared without picking up my phone. I really don’t want to treat you both that way. But I got something in my head, and I guess I wasn’t thinking straight, so yeah. Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“You’re not about to disappear again, right?” Russell asked. The sun was bright, and it lit up his face.
“No, I’m here,” Casey said, looking between us. His relief at seeing us was obvious, and that helped ease my frustration that he’d run away in the first place. “I’m here,” he repeated, like a promise.
