Page 59 of Freeing Hawk
“You’re an adult.” He sighed dramatically. “I saw the two of you kissing. He looks at you like they do in the movies. My parents never look at each other like that. Please tell me you didn’t come back here without telling him—that you’re not making these life changing decisions without involving him in some way.”
I sighed. “I’ll talk to them about starting the paperwork to become your foster parent.”
“So, that’s a yes.” Keegan sighed. “You’re making a mistake.”
“I’m trying to get you out of here. How is that a mistake?”
“That’s not what I mean.” Keegan frowned, a look that was so adult on his young face. “And you know it.”
He left me sitting on his bed, looking around at the sterile walls all the way wondering if a fifteen year really did just verbally kick my ass.
Leaving the home with the paperwork needed to start the process to foster, I stopped to pick some takeout then headed home. I picked at the meal while reading through all the papers I had to fill out and the information packet.
Just after midnight, I filled out the papers and set them under my badge beside my bed.
The last few weeks had been hell. At work, Kingston and I had become the outsiders. I had a few years to get used to it, but Kingston was getting more and more agitated. I knew he was at the point where the only reason he was doing was because he had little Violet now and needed the job. Otherwise, I was sure he would have handed in his badge and gun weeks ago.
He’d mentioned taking Angel up on his offer for a job. He’d spoken with Mia who agreed she’d go where she could if it meant they would be happy.
I shifted to my back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
You’re a fool.
Keegan’s eyes rang through my head.
Out of the mouth of babes.
The part of those words that hurt the most was that I knew it. Even before Keegan called me out, Kingston had.
Eris.
Ghoul.
Mia.
Tex.
All those people couldn’t be wrong.
Iknewfor a fact, they weren’t wrong. In a second, I’d lost my temper and by the time I realized just how ridiculous I was being, a week had passed and I had ignored his calls and deleted his messages without listening to them.
Angel James was too good to be true—my second set of excuse for shutting him out.
Then Eris had sent me a photo of him at Nikau’s club with a woman. She was perfect, red hair, skimpy dress—Angel had bowed his head toward her ear while she pressed her palm to his chest. Seeing him with another woman had forced me to send an angry text back to Eris.
“You lost the right to be jealous of him, Hawk. You left—not the other way around.”Was Eris’ reply.
I didn’t have a comeback.
It was the truth.
That night, I cried myself to sleep.
The next day I went through Facebook. Eris had an account now and there were pictures of a birthday party for Angel. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans that fit him perfectly, a graphic T-shirt that saidI’m the one your mom warned you abouton the front. I held my breath the entire time I scrolled through the photographs, loving the smile on his face. He danced with his sister, had cake squished to his nose by Eris and opened presents from his friends.
They took selfies—the one with Cheyenne and Eris kissing his cheek at the same time burned my soul, especially seeing the smile on his handsome face.
Everyone was there—everyone except me.
