I’m sure I’ve made her feel real comfortable about sharing personal shit with me now.

My phone rings in my vest. Pushing off from the truck, I reach for it as I walk back over to the job site. Mia’s name flashes on the screen.

“Hey.”

She takes in a shuddering breath. “I know you’re working, Reed, but is there any way you can come over? Like right now? Please?”

My footsteps abruptly cut short, kicking up dust out of the gravel. She’s crying. Why is she crying? “Mia, what’s going on?”

“It’s Ben,” she answers through a whimper. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t . . .”

“Fuck! Was he shot? I’m at St. Joseph’s now. Are they bringing him here?” I start off running toward the entrance to the hospital.

Shit! Motherfucking shit! The boys. Mia. This can’t be happening.

“No, no Reed. He’s home. I said I need you to come here.”

“Oh.” I skid on the gravel. “Mia, what . . .”

“Reed!” Tessa yells into the phone.

“Jesus Christ.” I rub my ear with my free hand, then raise the phone back up, keeping it at a safe distance from Tessa’s mouth.

Why is she yelling at me?

“Get over here! My brother needs you. Mia needs you. Stop asking a million fucking questions and move!”

The call disconnects. I stare at the screen. What the hell could be going on?

“Weston!” I yell out to one of my laborers as I take off running back to my truck.

He looks up at me. “Yeah, boss?”

“I need to go. Go find Connor and tell him he can reach me on my cell. And call the shop and let my dad know I’m leaving the site.”

He nods and gives me a thumbs up.

My heart is pounding by the time I settle against the leather seat. I strip off my vest, throwing it and my hard hat into the back. Tires spinning, I peel out on the gravel and take off toward the gate. My mind tries to work out possible scenarios, all of them scary as fuck.

The kids could’ve gotten hurt. I could’ve left one of my tools out from working on the deck and Nolan could’ve grabbed it. He’s obsessed with watching me. Maybe he was trying to copy what I was doing or something.

My breathing becomes heavier. I tug at the collar on my T-shirt, loosening the choke-hold the material suddenly has on my neck.

Chase.

Fuck, what if Mia had him up on the deck and he got too close to the railings. He’s so small. Could he fit through the slats? Did I even secure the railings this past weekend? I told Mia she could walk out on the deck, but fuck! I’ll never forgive myself if that shit wasn’t one hundred percent safe.

Wait, no, they’d be on their way to St. Joseph’s if something happened to one of the kids. That can’t be it. So, what the fuck? What would make Mia that upset, or Ben? What the hell is going on?

My fist connects with the steering wheel. This is why I was asking a million fucking questions, Tessa!

I weave in and out of traffic, running two red lights to get to the house as quick as possible. A patrol car is in the driveway, Tessa’s Rav4, and another car I recognize as Beth’s. I stop beside it after jumping down from my truck.

It’s small, a two door beater looking Chevy, with paint chipping everywhere and rust spots covering the roof. Bending down, I look into the backseat. Some blankets, a few T-shirts, and some shit that looks like trash cover the seat and the floor. My neck muscles twitch.

She lived in this.

I straighten up, fingers pinching the top of my nose, chest heaving against my shirt. I can’t think about this shit right now. I can’t think about her being alone, how scared she might’ve been. Not with whatever the hell is going on inside.

“Hello?” Pushing the door open, I listen for voices as I look around the entryway. “Mia?”

Nolan comes running down the hallway, holding his stuffed dragon above his head. “Uncle Weed!” He jumps up and down in front of me, the biggest smile lighting up his face. “Arwe we worwking on the deck today? I’ll go get my tools!”

I pick Nolan up, squeezing him gently against my chest. He’s okay. I’m sure Chase is okay too. “No, little man. Not today. Where’s your mommy?”

He points in the direction of the kitchen. “She’s weally sad. She keeps crwying.”

Carrying him with me, I continue down the hallway as he walks his dragon across my shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” I tell him, seeking comfort in my own words.

Mia, Beth, and Tessa are sitting in the small room just off the kitchen, huddled together on the couch, the two girls on either side of Mia. I watch the three of them slowly lift their heads when I step into view. Mia’s face is wet with tears, while Tessa and Beth look like they’re trying to keep themselves from breaking down.

I put Nolan on his feet, my chest tightening, every muscle in my body flexed. “Go play, Nolan. I’m going to talk to your mommy for a minute.” He runs back down the hallway and I step further into the room. “What the hell is going on?”

Mia stands from the couch. “Thank you so much for coming over. I hope it wasn’t a problem leaving work.”

“No, it wasn’t, but would you please tell me why you three look like that? I’m starting to freak out.”

She wipes her fingers across her cheeks, then pushes her dark hair back out of her face. “I found a lump in my breast last week when I was feeding Chase. I went to the doctors and had an ultrasound, and he suggested I get it biopsied because of my family history.” She pauses, pinching her lips together.

Beth and Tessa both stand, flanking Mia’s side in support, offering her comfort by each of them grabbing a hand.

I stare into Mia’s eyes, my stomach twisting, my chest burning. Thoughts of Mia’s mom dying from breast cancer two years ago flood my mind with panic.

“Did you?” I ask.

Mia nods. “A few days ago. We didn’t tell you guys because we didn’t want you to worry if it was nothing. We were supposed to get the results yesterday, but nobody called. Then we woke to a message really early this morning from someone at the office. They said my results were in, and for me to call back, but I can’t reach anybody. I’ve been calling them all day, and it just sends me to voicemail. It could be nothing, it could still be nothing, but I can’t get an answer.” Her chin trembles.

She pulls free from the girls and steps closer to me.

“Reed, Ben’s losing it. He seemed okay yesterday, but he was so angry we missed that call this morning. And then he blew up when they didn’t just tell us the results in the message. I told him they can’t legally do that, but he won’t listen to me. His mind is made up that something’s wrong. I can’t calm him down, I can’t talk to him. I told Luke to take him outside because I was afraid he would start scaring Nolan. I’ve never seen him like this. I don’t know what to do. You know how he is with me.”

I reach up, gripping my neck with both hands.

Shit, the whole fucking state knows how Ben is with Mia. He’d kill for her. He threatened to put my ass in the ground several times when I first met her and he thought I was making a play. I’ve never met anyone that insane over someone before, and it’s been like that since the beginning for Ben. If he lost her, I don’t know that he’d ever recover from that.