“We appreciate you coming out to pay your respects,” his mom said. “I know this isn’t necessarily the appropriate time, but would you mind if I got your number? Or at least your email? Just in case we hear anything else, I mean. With you living in the city where he was…” She cast her gaze to the floor. “Well, just in case,” she said again.
“Um, yeah, of course,” I told her, already pulling out my phone while simultaneously regretting agreeing to share my contact information with her but knowing I had no good reason not to.
After I sent her a text so she’d have my number, Ransom and I excused ourselves and headed for the exit. Once we were outside, I felt like I could breathe for the first time in weeks, and the look on Ransom’s face told me he felt the same way. I didn’t want to ruin it, but I knew the feeling would be temporary.
The two of us leaned against the side of the building for a minute before Ransom looked over at me. “It’s okay,” he said. “We’re gonna be okay. I mean, it’s a crazy fucking coincidence that this Pete guy went to your school, but still. It means I didn’t kill anyone.” He almost smiled.
“No, you didn’t.”
“Then why do you look so worried?” he asked.
Unsure of whether I really wanted to tell him now, as Ransom seemed freer than I’d seen him look in weeks, I remained quiet as he studied my expression.
“What? What is it?”
Fuck it. Whatever all this turned out to be, we were in it together. “Because Brad’s last name is Lacey.”
Chapter Twenty-One
R A N S O M
Returning to normal life after thinking we’d murdered someone was not as easy as one might expect. We’d carried a belief—albeit false—that we’d irrevocably changed the course of a family’s life, so it was difficult to adapt to mundane things like laundry and catching up on schoolwork.
Thinking like that probably made me an asshole, as if killing someone somehow made me special, but I couldn’t deny it felt…unsettling to suddenly be thrust back into pre-alley life.
Thankfully, my professors were understanding of my absences. Even though it had felt like a lifetime, I’d only really missed a few classes, and since I’d never missed any before, they were all accommodating.
Since Taylor’s classes were online and self-directed, she had more leeway in catching up, but with the semester quickly drawing to a close, she also had some added stress of making sure all her requirements were completed so she could graduate.
I was so fucking proud of her. She was on track to graduate Magna Cum Laude, and she’d done well on her LSATs. Who’d have ever thought I’d land a girl who could accomplish all of that? Definitely not my aunt Renee, that’s for damn sure.
Speaking of family, things had been quiet on that front. Kari texted a couple of times, but she didn’t push to rehash what had happened after the reunion. She seemed content, at least for now, to let the chips of our relationship fall where they may.
What surprised me was how I hadn’t heard from Hudson. Not even a text, which I thought was weird. I’d thought I’d made it known that I wanted her in my life, but maybe I hadn’t been clear. I needed to call her to set things right, but it had been a busy week. I guessed I couldn’t fault her for not calling when I hadn’t done so either. I’d call her soon and be a more involved brother from here on out.
Taylor and I continued to spend almost all our free time together, her at my place or me at hers. It just felt normal now for the two of us to be together, sharing meals and the details of our day. It felt normal to share our life.
And while we hadn’t discussed next steps, I felt like we could weather anything that came at us. I wasn’t sure where Taylor planned to apply to law school, where I’d find a job after graduation, or even if Brad was still lurking in the shadows. But we’d figure it out. Together.
When we’d gotten home from Pete’s funeral, the Scooby Gang had descended on us like rabid mother hens, but we’d held them off for the most part—other than Xander, who thoroughly berated us for not listening to his voicemails. He’d called to warn us the viewing wasn’t for Brad after all—a fact that would’ve been helpful to know before walking in there. I blamed the old ladies.
We had so much to process, and we felt we deserved to give ourselves time to digest at least some of it. But time was up.
Sophia was on her way over for breakfast to get the scoop, and she’d mobilized the troops to join her. Thankfully, they were all bringing something, and Carter and Toby offered to cook up some waffles. Taylor and I were not gifted enough in a culinary sense to feed all these people, nor were we volunteering since the gathering hadn’t been our idea.
Taylor came into the room, tying her hair back in a loose ponytail. She’d just showered, and while the impulse had been there to join her, I’d needed to straighten up a bit before the crew arrived. Who knew friends would be such an epic cockblock?
“How much time do we have?” she asked, her gaze drifting toward the clock on the TV.
I opened my mouth to reply, but a knock on the door answered for me. “I guess none.” I walked over and swung open the door to reveal Toby and Carter.
“Sorry, we’re early. We wanted to get things prepped for breakfast,” Toby explained, a blush blooming across his cheeks.
I wasn’t sure he was embarrassed they’d potentially interrupted us or if it was something else, but I simply smiled and held the door open for them. “No worries. Come on in.”
“What’s up, man?” Carter said by way of greeting as he gave me a bro-shake.
“Hi, guys,” Taylor said as she settled in next to me. “Can I take your coat?” she asked Toby.
“Oh, uh, yeah,” he replied as he looked down at his arms that were full of groceries.
“Maybe after you put everything down,” she suggested.
He smiled. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Carter dropped a quick peck on Taylor’s cheek as a greeting before we all made our way to my kitchen.
“Do you have a casserole dish?” Toby asked.
“A what now?” I asked.
Toby’s shoulders slumped as he turned to Carter. “I told you we should’ve brought ours.”
Ours? They were sharing cookware now?
“He’s got one,” Carter assured him. “He just doesn’t know it.” He shot me a wink before ransacking my cabinets. “Ah-ha!” he declared as he pulled out a rectangular glass dish from my cupboard.
I’d gotten it as part of a set at a garage sale a few years back because it looked like something I might need. I hadn’t. While the things had clearly seen some use from its previous owners, I’d made no contributions to the few burn marks that scarred it.
Taylor took Toby’s coat when he slid it off and disappeared with it, likely putting it in the bedroom.
“You guys need any help?” I asked.
“Nope,” Carter replied. “And Toby doesn’t really like an audience, so if you don’t mind…”
Toby’s cheeks flamed red, making me think his mind had gone somewhere other than me leaving the kitchen.
“You got it,” I said. I returned to the living room just as another knock came.
“Everyone else can’t be early too,” I heard Toby whine.
“Relax. We’re not preparing a meal for Gordon Ramsay. These are college kids. They’ll eat anything.”
I laughed at Carter and Toby’s conversation as I made my way to the door.
Little by little, our friends trickled in. Even Aamee had shown up. Xander and Aniyah argued about…whatever those two argued about. Brody regaled Drew and Sophia with some story about how someone had thought he was Chris Hemsworth at a bar, to which Sophia questioned the health of the person’s vision. Aamee pecked at her phone as she rolled her eyes behind Brody, finally breaking in with “For the last time, he said you looked like a kid he grew up with named Chris Hemingway.”
“Hemingway, Hemsworth, I know what he meant.”
“I’ll tell you w
hat he didn’t mean,” she mumbled.
Drew’s brother Cody burst into the room a few minutes later, completing the group. “Why aren’t we eating? I’m starving,” he said immediately upon entering.
“It’s nice to see you too, little brother,” Drew teased.
“Yeah, yeah, hi and whatever. You all know food comes before family for me.”
“I’ll go see how things are coming with the chefs,” I said. I went into the kitchen and saw Carter and Toby moving around one another with a practiced ease.
They were probably more fluid with one another than Taylor and me.
“Hey, guys. Just checking if you needed anything,” I said, since bursting in and demanding to know when we were eating seemed tactless.
“Nah, we got it. Should only be about five more minutes,” Carter said.
“Awesome. Thanks.” I turned to leave, but Carter stopped me.
“How was giving Owen a ride home?”
“Pretty good. He’s…interesting. But it all worked out for the best because my truck ended up dying and his dad’s a mechanic.”
Owen had shown up with my truck the day after we got back. His dad had done incredible work, and it was running as good as new. The inside was a little worse for wear since Owen had brought Gimli back with him, but I figured I couldn’t bitch about that when his dad had only charged me for parts and Owen had helped him do the work.
Owen hadn’t stayed long. He needed to figure out a way to sneak Gimli past his elderly landlord. He hoped she spent enough time high that he could convince her she was hallucinating if she ever heard barking. I’d told him to keep me posted, and he seemed pleased by the fact I’d given him an opening to contact me again. It seemed like I was collecting friends all over the place recently.
“He is a bit of a loose cannon,” Carter said with a laugh. “But he’s a good dude.”
“He is,” I agreed. Just as I was about to say more, my phone began to ring in my pocket. Withdrawing it, I saw Hudson’s name flash on the screen. A wide smile spread across my face—I was happy she must’ve been thinking about me too. “Hey, Blink. How’s it going?”
There was silence on the other end of the line for long enough to make my lips drop into a frown. I pulled the phone away to see that the call was still connected. “Hudson?”
A sniffle came over the line. “Ransom. Hi, um…” And then her sigh came down the line.
I moved out of the kitchen and into a corner of the living room so I could hear her better. Her voice sounded tinny and low, like she was whispering in a place with bad reception.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. My voice must’ve conveyed the alarm I felt, because the room went quiet around me, and I felt a hand settle on my back before Taylor entered my periphery.
Who is it? she mouthed.
“Hudson,” I murmured back.
My sister was crying on the other end—that much I could make out—but she was also rambling off words that I couldn’t put together, especially since it seemed every third one cut out. I put the phone on speaker, hoping Taylor could help me make sense of what Hudson was saying.
“Hudson, you gotta slow down and speak louder. I can’t understand what you—”
“Everyone’s going to be so disappointed in me.”
“Why would anyone be disappointed in you?” I asked.
“I should’ve known better. God, this is the kind of stuff you hear stories about, but you never think it’ll happen to you. I’m such a cliché.”
“Hudson, please. You gotta tell me what’s going on.” I felt my anxiety rising, a pain in my chest starting to radiate outward, headed straight toward panic.
“There was this guy. He was…nice. At least I thought he was. But he…he wasn’t. He got me… I can’t even believe I fell for his shit. I don’t know what to do. I can’t tell Mom or Aunt Renee. Or Grandma. Oh God, what’s Grandma going to think when she finds out?”
Considering none of the women she named were saints, I didn’t think they had much room to say anything. Sharing that sentiment probably wouldn’t have helped the situation, though. My brain started to put the pieces together, and my eyes widened as I realized what she was telling me. “Hudson, are you—”
“I’m in trouble, Ransom. A lot of trouble. I can’t… I can’t stay here. It isn’t safe. This guy, he wants…but I can’t give him… I don’t know what to do.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m in South Carolina, but my car isn’t going to make it much farther. God, I can’t even afford a decent car. How am I ever going to afford—”
“It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. Can you do a quick search and figure out which airport you’re closest to? I’m going to buy you a ticket up here. You can stay with me until we figure this all out.” I wasn’t exactly rolling in money after our trip, but I’d make it work.
“I…really?” she said, her voice grateful, even though it was still heavy with tears.
“Yes. Just do a quick search and then text me the info. I’ll take care of it and call you back.”
“Ransom, I…I don’t know what to say. Thank you. I’m so sorry that I’m—”
“Stop. I’m your brother, and I love you. I want to help. Okay?”
She sniffled again and cleared her throat. “Yes,” she replied, sounding more herself. “Okay.” She hesitated a second before adding, “I love you too, Ransom.”
I couldn’t help but smile a bit at that. “We’ll talk soon.”
“Okay.”
She disconnected the call, but I couldn’t stop staring at the phone in my hand. Was this really happening? When I looked up, I was gazing into Taylor’s concerned face.
“Did my sister just tell me she’s pregnant?”
Taylor looked almost pained when she replied. “Yes. I think she did.”
And with her words, my heart felt like it fell from my body. What the hell were we going to do now?
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, we have to thank Meredith Wild for allowing us to achieve our dream of writing a rom-com series. This has been a cathartic experience for us, and we’ll always be grateful to you for this opportunity.
To our swolemate, Scott, these books wouldn’t be what they are without you. Thanks for giving us room to push boundaries while reeling us in when it’s necessary.
To Robyn, thank you for managing our writing lives—haha. We’re honestly not sure how we made it this far without you.
To the rest of the Waterhouse Press team, you simply kick ass. Thank you for everything you do to help us be as successful as we can. You’re an amazing group of people, and we’re lucky to have the honor of working with you.
To our Padded Roomers, we don’t even know where to begin to express how amazing you all are. You’re funny and crazy and supportive and crazy and fierce and crazy, and…have we mentioned crazy? You make this process all the more enjoyable because we get to share every success and setback with you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, such as posting teasers, sharing links, reading ARCs, writing reviews, and making us laugh. We don’t deserve you, but we’re damn glad to have you.
To our readers, there’s no way to accurately thank you for taking a chance on us and for your support. Thank you for letting us share our stories with you.
To Stephanie Lee, thank you for coming up with the name Ransom. It’s perfect for him.
To Google, thank you for providing the means for us to research things including, but not limited to, fraternities, sororities, marketing degrees, alcoholic drinks, dean responsibilities, business class topics, college codes of conduct, Gen Z lingo, and popular clothing trends.
To our sons for inspiring the last names of our main characters. Our lack of originality strikes again.
To Elizabeth’s daughter for being a spitfire and inspiring the way she writes female characters.
To our husbands, we know it’s not easy. Thanks for hanging in there. We honestly don’t deserve you.
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Also by Elizabeth Hayley
The Love Game:
Never Have You Ever
Truth or Dare You
Two Truths & a Lime
Ready or Not
Let’s Not & Say We Did
Tag, We’re It
Love Lessons:
Pieces of Perfect
Picking Up the Pieces
Perfectly Ever After
Sex Snob (A Love Lessons Novel)
Misadventures:
Misadventures with My Roommate
Misadventures with a Country Boy
Misadventures in a Threesome
Misadventures with a Twin
Misadventures with a Sexpert
Other Titles:
The One-Night Stand
For a full list of Elizabeth Hayley’s other titles,
visit them at
AuthorElizabethHayley.com
About Elizabeth Hayley
Elizabeth Hayley is actually “Elizabeth” and “Hayley,” two friends who love reading romance novels to obsessive levels. This mutual love prompted them to put their English degrees to good use by penning their own. The product was Pieces of Perfect, their debut novel. They learned a ton about one another through the process, like how they clearly share a brain and have a persistent need to text each other constantly (much to their husbands’ chagrin).
Let's Not & Say We Did (The Love Game Book 5) Page 21
