Page 161 of Beautifully Reckless
He sighs, moving out of the shadows, his face lighting up under the moonlight.
"Who’s Hope Angel Musgrove?” he asks, eyeing the gravestone, and my eyes flick down to it, my smile falling away.
“Ringo’s daughter.”
Jared’s eyes flare, snapping to mine. “No shit?”
“No shit.” I nod, sliding my arm through his and resting my head on his shoulder. “It’s so heartbreaking.”
“Fuck… yeah,” Jared mutters quietly, probably thinking about his older brother, Tim, who died when he was younger. “Why the fuck is life so hard?”
“I wish I knew.” I exhale. “How am I meant to protect my child from the harshness of everyday life, let alone the monsters that walk in it?”
Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, Jared tugs me into his side, giving me a squeeze.
“Your baby will be protected, Abs. The guys back at home are stoked. Simon keeps going on about how excited he is to become an uncle.”
A grin spreads my lips wide at that.
Simon has such a big heart.
But then, the reality of my situation creeps back in and I shake my head.
“I can’t go back to Fox Pines,Jared. My baby and I have to find a new place to live which means we won’t have you and Simon and Shaun and Garrett… and Marcus.”
Pulling back, Jared stares down at me, his height so much taller than I remember him being the last time we were ever this close.
“It doesn’t matter if you move to the other side of the world, Abs. No matter where you are, we’ll always be your family.”
“What if I’ve found a new family?” I whisper, emotion thick in my throat as I stare up at my friend.
Jared’s lips thin, but he doesn’t rage at my question.
“Then I guess we have found a new family too. I guess it’s like when two people get married. Their worlds merge.” He bops me on my nose and grins. “Consider us merged, Abs.”
“Really?”
He nods. “Really.”
“But you hate Ringo,” I point out, and Jared shrugs.
“I don’t reallyhatehim, but I’m not about to make life easy for him. He needs to know you have people who will do anything for you. People watching and making sure you’re taken care of.”
“Which is why you’re still breathing.”
Ringo’s voice cuts in from behind us, and we dart our heads towards his looming silhouette, moving closer.
Jared chuckles at the warning, stepping back just as Ringo closes the distance and tugs me to his side. Protectively. Possessively. Unapologetic.
“You’ll never get the drop on me, old man,” Jared teases, holding his hand out, and a moment later, Hush slinks out of the shadows.
A chill runs down my spine.
She’s scary as hell. But I kind of love her.
“Your side piece won’t always be hiding in the shadows,” Ringo points out, his voice low and dangerous, but Jared just scoffs.
“Doesn’t mean you’ll ever get to me.”
