“Oh, no, you’re more than welcome to stay. We were just about to get dinner started,” I replied.
“As tempting as that sounds, I’ve got to get back. Annabelle hasn’t been feeling well, and I don’t like leaving her for too long.”
“Is she sick?” I asked.
“No, it’s just worse with twins,” he answered, then instantly slapped his hand over his mouth.
“Daddy?” Ember hesitantly asked, standing hidden behind Duke and Dash.
“Fuck. Your mother is going to kill me,” Phoenix said, swiping his hand across his forehead.
“Mom’s pregnant?” she asked.
Phoenix sighed. “This isn’t how we wanted to tell you, or your brothers, but yes, she’s pregnant with twins.”
Ember smiled so wide it was a wonder her face didn’t split. “Me, too! I mean, we’re not having twins…” she trailed off, realizing what she’d just said to her father.
“I guess we’re telling people,” Dash mumbled.
“Okay, this conversation did not happen,” he looked pointedly at Ember, then to Dash. “Announcements can be made when you two get back, yeah?”
“Of course, Daddy,” Ember answered, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
Phoenix opened his arms wide for her. She didn’t hesitate to run to him and be engulfed in a hug. “I’ve got to get back to my wife. You guys enjoy your weekend, but please behave. I really have no desire to bail anyone else out of jail in the near future.”
“Jail?” I screeched. “Is that where they were?”
Phoenix cursed under his breath. “Yes, but that’s all you’re getting out of me.”
“Where are they now?” I demanded.
“They both wanted to shower and sleep. Shaker was too wound up to get any sleep last night, and Hilarie was too scared,” Phoenix said.
Phoenix seemed anxious to get back to Croftridge, so we said our goodbyes and started preparing dinner. Between the smell of food and the noise we were all making, I thought for sure we would see Shaker or Hilarie make an appearance, but by the time Chase and I were climbing the stairs for bed, we still hadn’t seen them or heard a peep from either one.
I sat up in bed and glanced around, unsure of what woke me. Titan was awake, but he wasn’t barking or growling, which put me at ease. I was just about to lay back down when I heard the sounds of someone moving around downstairs. Curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself tiptoeing down the stairs in my pajamas to see who was doing what in the middle of the night.
When the kitchen came into view, I saw Hilarie bent over with almost half of her upper body in the refrigerator rummaging around for something. “If you’re looking for the leftovers from dinner, they’re in the bottom drawer,” I said.
She squealed and jumped, banging her head on a shelf. “Shit, Harper. You scared the hell out of me!” She closed the refrigerator and turned to face me, shoving her hands into the hoodie she was wearing.
I giggled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” I made my way into the kitchen while she fidgeted and shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Hey, are you okay?”
She cleared her throat but didn’t meet my eyes when she spoke, “Yes, I’m fine. I was hungry and looking for a small snack. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I meant with everything that happened last night. We weren’t given any details; I only know that you two were arrested and kept overnight. Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
“Would you be offended if I said no? It’s so embarrassing. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that it even happened,” she replied.
“No worries. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You know I’m here if you decide you do want to talk about it,” I assured her.
“I know. Thanks, Harper. I’m going to go back to bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said before descending the stairs.
It wasn’t until I was drifting off to sleep that I realized she never got anything to eat. And why the hell was she wearing a hoodie in the middle of summer?
***
I sat in the front of the boat, casually observing my friends. Something was off, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. The fun and carefree feeling surrounding us the day before had all but disappeared. We had spent most of the day tubing and swimming. While the activities were fun, the interactions between the guys seemed stilted, and Hilarie wouldn’t say more than one or two words at a time. There was also an obvious rift between Hilarie and Shaker.