Page 65 of Hello Forever
Five minutes later,we slowed to a stop outside the Williams house. Cax’s car was in the snowy drive. “Thank you,”Isaid.
“Will you call me if you need a ride home?” he asked quietly. “You don’t want to get in trouble with Josh. He might start checking on youfourtimesaday.”
I laughed. “Okay. I hope I won’t need a ride,though.”
Caleb regarded me thoughtfully. “I hope you won’t, too. But don’t give up. I waited years to be with Josh. And it wasworthit.”
Wow. “I guess I’ll try to bepatient.”
He grinned. “Call me if you need a lift, though. It’s, like, a seven-minutedrive.”
“Ipromise.”
After Caleb drove away, I picked my way up the snowy driveway and knocked on what must be thekitchendoor.
A few seconds later the door was yanked open by Scotty. “Hi!” he said cheerily. “What happened toyourface?”
My good hand flew to my cheekbone, as if covering my scar would make it go away. It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d have to answer that question. Cax had told the boys that their father was in jail for attacking someone, but he hadn’t told them who. “I had a bit of an accident,” I lied. “It looks worse thanitis.”
“Bummer!” Scotty opened the door all the way, making roomforme.
I stepped into a kitchen that opened onto a family room. The kitchen hadn’t been updated in a long time, but it was a good size, with a comfortable dining table. A teenage boy sat at the table reading the comics page from the newspaper. In the habit of teenage boys everywhere, he didn’t even look up when I entered. With his dark, bushy hair, he looked more like his father thanlikeCax.
In the family room stood a third boy, the middle one—he wasn’t a child like Scotty, but neither was he man-sized like his big brother. His eyes tracked me as I entered the room. But he didn’t stop eating the piece of toast he was busy cramming into hismouth.
“Mark!” Cax’s voice scolded from nearby. “Eat that in the kitchen. Or at least get a plate. The drill sergeant may not be here to march us around, but we can’t turn intoslobs.”
Mark shoved the last of the toast into his mouth and brushed the crumbs off his hands, rendering thediscussionmoot.
Cax made an ornery sound and then came into view. He stopped short when he saw me, his face opening up intosurprise.
“Hi,”Isaid.
He took a step toward me and then stopped. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. “Hi,” he saideventually.
“Um, I just…”I just shouldn’thavecome.
As I watched, Cax gathered himself together. He started toward me again. “Cup of coffee? I just madeapot.”
“I’d love one.Thanks.”
“Let me takeyourcoat.”
“Well…” That wasn’t as easy as it looked. “Give me a second.” I felt eyes on me as I fumbled with the zipper on my coat. I slid out my left arm with no trouble. But getting it off my broken arm required moreeffort.
“Here,” Cax said, moving closer. “Let me.” He lifted the weight of the coat off my shoulder and eased the sleeve offmycast.
We were standing very close. Lazy Saturday whiskers lay over his jaw, and I longed to lean forward and measure their roughness withmylips.
His gaze lifted to mine, and I saw longing there. The corners of his mouth twitched, too. But he said nothing. He only reached up to remove the hat from my head. “That’s better. Now let’s get you somecoffee.”
It wasn’t until he turned away that I felt all the eyes on me. Mark, the toast-monster, was watching me with a grim expression. And the comic-reading teen was staring with undisguised curiosity. “Who broke your arm?” he askedsuddenly.
Well, fuck. I looked to Cax for help, but his back was to me as he reached into a cabinet for coffee mugs. “Jared,” he said softly. “Notnow.”
“It was Dad, wasn’t it?” Mark askedsuddenly.
“Why would Dad break Axel’s arm?” Scotty asked. “Is Dad in jail forhurting Axel?” He finished the question on asqueak.
