I ran a hand over my face, a reminder that I hadn’t shaved in days. I was a fucking mess.
I picked up my phone and pulled up my group chat called “The Godfathers.”
Romeo, River, King, and Hayes.
They’d been in my life since the day I was born.
I typed in the words that I’d only used one other time in my life, when my father had sunk into a dark place back when my mother was sick.
And here I was typing those words again.
ROD 911.
ROD was the name of my company, which my father and my uncle Kingston had started back in Magnolia Falls. It stood for “Ride or Die,” words my father and my uncles took very seriously.
Words I’d grown up living by.
Uncle Ro
Hang tight.
Uncle River
We’ve got you.
Uncle Hayes
Got you, buddy.
Uncle King
We’ll figure it out, Beefcake.
I chuckled, though there was nothing genuine behind it. But the memory of my childhood name comforted me in a weird way.
We had a bond. I knew they wouldn’t tell my father that I’d sent it. I figured I’d get a call in the morning, and they’d help me figure things out. It was well past midnight, so I was surprised that they’d all responded so quickly.
They’d given me this code back when I was in high school. They’d told me to send this text if I ever needed them, and they knew I wouldn’t use it unless it was important.
We’d set the code up without my father’s knowledge, though I knew he’d be happy that they had it in place.
I was close with my dad.
With both of my parents.
I spoke to them daily.
But this was complicated, because it was Gracie. We were connected by our families. I didn’t want this to be any messier than it already was.
Gracie and I had agreed to keep our relationship a secret until we figured things out.
But we were living on opposite sides of the country now, so how the fuck were we supposed to do that?
I thought about calling Gracie, but it was three o’clock in the morning there. She’d be alarmed. It was my job to make this easier on her.
Not harder.
And I was drunk as hell and needed sleep.
