Page 15 of Pastel Kisses

I sit on her back porch now, staring out at the landscape she worked so hard to create. The koi pond she never got to finish, the flower beds she swore she’d plant this summer. The unfinished dream she left behind.

The sun is setting, casting streaks of orange and purple across the sky, but all I see is her. I can hear her laugh in the wind, can picture her rolling her eyes as she catches Liam and Jaxton arguing over something stupid, can feel the warmth of her body pressed against mine.

The beer in my hand sweats against my palm, condensation pooling in tiny droplets along the dark glass. I twist the bottle absentmindedly, staring out into the night, the stillness of the yard pressing down on me. The moon hangs heavily above, casting long shadows across the lawn. It should be peaceful. It should be a moment of quiet. Instead, it’s just another reminder that Avery isn’t here. That she’s somewhere out there, and we don’t know if she’s safe, or—

I stop the thought before it can take root, pressing the bottle to my lips and swallowing back the bile rising in my throat. The dark thoughts creep in too easily these days, slipping through the cracks when I let my guard down. I can’t afford that—not now, not when she needs us to be strong.

Footsteps crunch over the gravel behind me. I don’t have to turn to know it’s Liam. His presence is a force of its own, a weight that settles next to me as he drops into the chair beside mine, stretching his legs out in front of him. He doesn't say anything right away, just twists the cap off his beer and takes a slow pull, letting the silence settle between us. It’s how we work. Words don’t always come easy, but the understanding is there. We’re both messed up right now, drowning in the same storm, but we’re keeping each other afloat the only way we know how.

After a minute, Liam exhales sharply, resting his forearms on his thighs, bottle dangling between his fingers. “You holding up?”

I huff a humorless laugh. “What do you think?”

He nods, not pushing for a sugar-coated answer. “Yeah. Same.”

We lapse into silence again, watching the dark horizon, both of us waiting for something—anything—to break the stillness. A car pulling up with news, a phone call, a goddamn miracle. But there’s nothing. Just the rustling of leaves and the distant chirp of crickets.

“She’s out there,” Liam finally says, his voice quiet but firm. “We’re gonna find her.”

“I know.” I say it because I have to, because letting doubt fester is a weakness we can’t afford.

Liam takes another sip of his beer, then shifts in his seat, his expression tightening. “Sarah stopped by again.”

My grip on my bottle tightens. “The fuck does she want now?”

“Same bullshit as before,” Liam mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. “Acting all concerned, talking about how she wants to help. Offering to boost the search on her social media, like she actually gives a shit.”

I grind my teeth, my jaw aching from the pressure. “She’s been trying to weasel her way back in since this started. She’s using Avery’s disappearance to get close to us again.”

Liam nods, his expression hard. “It’s fucking sick.”

That’s the thing about Sarah. She knows how to manipulate, how to sink her claws in and twist, pretending to be the supportive, concerned ex when all she really wants is to see if there’s a crack in our armor. She wants in. Wants to be the shoulder we lean on. But we’re not falling for it. Not this time.

“She called earlier too,” Liam adds, his voice tight with frustration. “I let it go to voicemail, but she left a message. Saying she understands what we’re going through, that she’s here for us if we need anything.”

“Yeah? She can shove her ‘support’ right up her ass.”

Liam chuckles, but there’s no humor in it. “Kamden almost lost it when she showed up at the news conference the other night. Had to be dragged into the back before he said something that would’ve made the highlights.”

“Good,” I mutter, swirling the last of my beer in the bottle before setting it down with a little too much force. “She deserves to be put in her place.”

Liam sighs, rolling the bottle between his palms. “She’s not gonna stop, Lenn. Not until she realizes there’s nothing here for her.”

“She never should’ve had anything here to begin with.”

Liam nods slowly, then tips his bottle back, draining the last of his beer. I follow suit, the liquid bitter on my tongue, but doing nothing to wash away the frustration clawing at my chest.

After a minute, he pushes up from his chair, stretching his arms over his head. “Come on, let’s head inside. See what Jax and Kam are up to.”

I hesitate, my gaze lingering on the dark expanse of the yard. “Liam, we’re going to find her.”

Liam doesn’t respond right away. He follows my line of sight, his jaw tightening. Then he claps a hand on my shoulder, squeezing firmly. “Then we’ll bring her home.”

The conviction in his voice is enough to shake me loose from the grip of my own thoughts. I nod, pushing to my feet, and follow him inside.

Jaxton and Kamden are in the kitchen, bent over the table with a laptop and a pile of papers. They glance up as we walk in, exhaustion written all over their faces.

“Anything?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

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