Hollow (Heaven Hill Generations #4) - Laramie Briscoe Page 0,2
of my skull, so take that for what it’s worth.” He shakes his head. “Deep down I know he’s excited. We don’t want to make any kind of announcement after what happened, and I wanted to be the one to tell you myself.”
This is the part that sucks, everyone walks around on eggshells around me. “Never think that your happiness is a part of my grief, my man. I’m stoked for you. The two of you are going to be amazing parents.”
“I hope so. I mean, I didn’t have the greatest of role models, but every single man in the club has taken me under their wing. I hope I can be half of what y’all are.”
“It’s a lot of trial and error.” A nostalgic smile tilts my lips, as I think of Walker when he was a baby. “So much trial and error. But if you’ve ever got any questions, that’s what our group text is for.”
He laughs. “Any way we can keep Tyler out of that text? I feel like the first time I ask a question, he’s gonna be like dumbass can’t take care of my daughter, much less my grandkid - hang on, I’ll be over in a minute to straighten everything out.”
I chuckle loudly, something I need in a desperate way. “Sounds just like him.”
“He loves Addie, he’d do anything for her, and we’re both lucky to have him, but damn if he isn’t intimidating.”
“Liam’s intimidating, too.” I take a bite of my fajita.
“Not as bad as Tyler, though.”
“You’re married to Tyler’s daughter, I’m married to Liam’s. Think about it.”
He makes a noise of understanding before he dives into his food. For a second, I glance at my wedding ring. The day Mandy put it on me, I was so sure shit was behind us. When she’d been pregnant with Walker, I’d been stupid, trying to keep her safe, and I selfishly assumed that was the only hard time we’d have to live through.
But I didn’t think this would happen.
Neither one of us did.
“Look.” Wild takes his phone out, showing me a positive pregnancy test along with a sonogram picture. “This is the announcement we’re gonna make in the group text and on Facebook for friends and family. She did a good job, huh?”
My eyes travel down to the picture, where Ranger - a dog they adopted almost a year ago now - sits on their front porch, wearing a shirt that says Promoted to Big Brother. We’d gotten Walker the same shirt to wear on the day we had the baby. It’s still in the nursery, packed away now.
My throat swells and I do my best to swallow against the intrusion. “Addie did a real good job.” I cough to try and loosen the muscles. “Be right back.”
Before he even says anything I’m heading for the men’s room. I head in, looking under the stalls to make sure I’m by myself. Hurriedly I move to lock the door and it’s only then I let myself collapse against it, and tears fall.
Tears have come more often than they should have lately with all of us.
But I can’t stop. My ass slides down the door until I’m sitting with my back against it, my face in my hands, sobbing like my life is over.
In some ways I feel like it is, and I’m never sure if I’m going to be able to get it back.
“I’m sorry if I brought up bad memories,” Wild says as we park at the shop.
He had driven us, and after I’d been in the bathroom for more than ten minutes, he came looking for me. I was still trying to pull myself together. Even with washing my face, there was no denying I had some sort of breakdown.
“You didn’t, man. I’m so excited for you and Addie. This is just my shit. Shit I need to get over.”
“Man, I don’t know that I’d ever get over what you’ve had to live through. I think you need to give yourself more credit than you have. Life sucks, especially when you’ve had everything you’ve ever wanted and it gets ripped from your hands.”
Or from Mandy’s belly.
There’s nothing else for me to say, so I settle on nodding. As soon as I put my boot on the asphalt, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Not my burner cell, but my personal cell. Immediately my anxiety shoots sky high, worried to death it’s something about Mandy.
Instead my shaking hands reveal Walker’s school calling. Sliding my