Page 178 of Losing Faith

I walk for a few blocks and every step feels harder than the last. Sire’s voice plays on a loop in my head, and the sight of Sage’s tears remains in the front of my mind. The shock on August’s face when I hit Sire flashes through my mind before Sire’s words yell at me.

I’m just like my mother. Guess everything they said about the apple and the damn tree is true.

A knot grows in my throat and I blink my tears away as I pull out my phone and order a car to a liquor store.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Jackson

IwatchIsabellethroughthewindow as she dances her heart away in her ballet class. She can dance circles around every five-year-old in there, and I’m too proud to act like she isn’t the best in the class. My kid’s a star and it feeds my Dad ego.

My phone rings in my pocket, and I step away from the door before looking down and a picture of Isabelle on Sire’s shoulders lights up my screen. A smile touches my lips at the sight of his contact picture and the joy on my daughter’s face as Sire smiles up at her like he’d go to the ends of the earth for my kid.

I slide my finger across the screen before bringing it to my ear. Just as I open my mouth, he’s already speaking up.

“Is Lis with you?”

“Hello to you too. I’m great, thanks for—”

“Yes or no, Jackson?” he rushes out, his voice wavering.

I feel my brows pull together as I step further away from the other parents. “Is she okay? What’s wrong?”

A loud sigh sounds from the speaker. “She turned her location off, and I don’t know where she went.” The panic seeps from his voice and straight to my bones.

“I haven’t spoken to her. We got into a fight and—”

“What fight?”

I ignore his question because while he was my friend long before I started dating his sister, I don’t like telling people about my relationship issues, and I don’t doubt for a second that he’d hurt me for his sister.

I flip the conversation back on him. “What happened? Why would she turn her location off?” I listen carefully as he recites what I told him to who I think is August.

“Call me if she calls you.” He ends the call with that and immediately I feel my nerves eating at me.

I’ve been calling Lisette since yesterday’s fight, but every message I sent went unanswered and something in my gut tells me something is wrong. Now Sire’s call just confirms my worries.

“She’s so big.”

I look up as a mom from beside me voices. We’ve both been bringing our girls here for years and I always forget her damn name.

“I know, right?” I tuck my phone in my pocket.

“Who are we watching now, Jane?” Another mom comes beside me and I silently thank her for reminding me of Jane’s name.

“Jackson’s baby.” She nods towards Belle as she spins on her tippy toes.

“She’s a natural.”

I smile at her praise.

“She must take after her mom. Was she a dancer?” the new mom asks, and I don’t miss the way she glances down at my left hand.

“Nope, but I like to think I’m rubbing off on her just a bit.”

I turn on my heels at the sound of Lisette’s voice and I let out a breath of relief at the sight of her. She tugs at her sleeves and I feel my brows pull together at how tired she looks. Like she hasn’t slept in weeks.

“Hey, JJ.” She smiles up at me and a smile of my own grows on my face at how pretty she is. She looks a hot damn mess but she’s still gorgeous.

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