Page 271 of Redeeming 6

“Don’t hate me, Molloy.”

“I don’t hate you, Joey, I’m—” Voice cracking, I sucked in a sharp breath and changed angles. “Where are you?” I demanded, shaking violently. “Whose phone are you calling me from?”

“I’m at, ah…” His words trailed off and I heard him bite back a pained groan before saying, “Kavanagh’s place.”

“Johnny Kavanagh?” My brows shot up. “How? Why? Who took you there?”

“I don’t know, Aoife,” he admitted quietly. “I’m feeling really fucked in the head here, baby. I don’t have my phone, and my, ah, my wallet’s gone, too.”

“Dammit, Joe.” My heart sank. “Who were you with?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “My head’s in pieces. I can’t remember shit. I’m just so tired.”

“Because you’re not well,” I strangled out, blinking back my tears. “You’re sick, Joe.”

“I don’t know what I am,” I heard him say. “I don’t feel human anymore.”

Fear catapulted me into springing off my bed and pacing my bedroom floor. “Joey, you need to come home, okay? You need to come to my house right now.”

“No, no, no, I don’t want you to see me like this,” he croaked out. “I don’t want to hurt you any more than I already have.”

“The only way you can hurt me is by avoiding me,” I urged, clutching my phone. “Ride or die, remember? It still stands, Joe. I love you.”

“I love you so fucking much.” His voice cracked. “I can’t even tell you how much because I don’t have enough words in my head to say it.”

“I know you do.” I clenched my eyes shut and gripped the phone tighter. “I know, Joe.”

“I’m so sorry.” His words were slurred and held the hint of sleepiness. “I want you to be okay. You and the baby.”

“We are okay,” I tried to reassure him. “But we need you.”

“Nobody needs me.”

“That’s not true,” I argued, heart disintegrating in my chest. “Come back to me.”

“I just need to sleep,” he whispered brokenly. “I’m so fucking tired all the time, and my eyes just hurt so fucking bad. It’s hard to stay awake.”

“Is Shannon with you?” I pressed my hand to my forehead and fought back my anxiety. “At Johnny’s place? Did she bring you there?”

“I think so,” he replied uncertainly. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Joey, listen.” Sniffling, I cleared my throat and tried to be the voice of reason for him. “Yeah, you fucked up, okay? You screwed the hell up. You can’t go back, but you can go forward. You don’t have to stay in this headspace, baby. I can help you. We can get you some help.”

There was a long pause before his sleep-deprived voice slurred, “What kind of help?”

“The professional kind,” I offered. “They have rehabs for teens in your position. They have to. I’ll find one for you, okay? We’ll get you the help you need to beat this thing, but you need to come back to me. Just come back to me, baby, and I’ll help you…”

“No one can help me, Molloy.”

“That’s not true,” I argued vehemently. “You’ve got a beautiful mind, Joey Lynch, and a wonderful heart. You can beat this. You just have to want to. It’s half the battle. You can still fix this. You have time. You can get better. Just try, Joe. That’s all you have to do. Just try, baby. I love you so much. Watching you self-destruct like this is killing me.”

“I only want you.”

“And I only want you,” I choked out. “But I need you healthy. I won’t let you destroy yourself. We have a baby on the way, Joey. I won’t let you throw in the towel now.”

“It’s too fucking late for me, Molloy.”

“No.” I shook my head. “Don’t say that.”

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