Page 57 of Avery's Hero

I grunt. Ashamed to admit the truth. “I don’t know.”

We stare at each other in the darkness of the cab of my truck. The shadows curving along her face are just like the ones from last night, right before she crawled on my lap and gave herself to me.

A second rush of emotions hits me square in the sternum. This strong, smart, brave beauty cares. She fucking cares about me. About Lincoln.

And god knows I fucking care about her. It’s crazy how possessive and concerned Avery makes me. I want to fix her world. Protect her from her pain. Past and future.

She sits up suddenly, “Hey, don’t you use an app or something where you can track him?”

I palm my forehead. “Jesus, I didn’t even think about that.” After a few seconds of staring at the app, I say. “It’s blinking. That means his phone is online.”

Making a U-turn, I head back toward Lynn’s Cove proper. “Thank fuck for one thing today.” I pass Avery the phone so she can navigate.

“Brock, look at this.” She holds up the phone so I can see the screen.

“Shit. That’s our house,” I groan. “And I know why it’s pinging there. He doesn’t have his phone on him. I made him hand it over yesterday. It’s in the dresser in my bedroom.”

She twists her mouth. “Oooh.”

I slam the heel of my hand against the wheel.

“Don’t beat yourself up.” With tired eyes, she holds my gaze.

Sighing, I mutter. “Just three more years.”

The ringtone of my cell phone is loud and rude. Avery passes it to me with a worried look on her face. The display shows the number for Mick’s Dad. “Shit. I hope it’s Linc.” I throw a silent prayer skyward and answer.

“Hey Brock, this is Mick’s dad. He asked me to call you to tell you he’s here. He doesn’t have his phone.”

“I know. He lost his phone privileges. I’ll come right over.”

After a few silent seconds, the man says, “Actually, I was going to see if he can stay. Lincoln seems upset. Mick got pizza for them. They're in the den and the conversation seems pretty heavy.”

For a solid minute, I fight an internal battle. I need Linc home. We need to talk. “I’m not sure.”

“They are working through something. I know it’s hard being that age.”

Fuck. I stifle a growl. “Can you make sure they don’t leave tonight? He got into some trouble the other night.”

“We’ve had our share of late night challenges here. Let’sjust say, I’ve made some changes to our security system. I’d know if they even left the second floor.”

My fingers start to ache and I realize I’m gripping the phone so hard the thing might snap. I’m a ball of worry.

Mick’s dad must know exactly how I’m feeling. He says, “He’s good here. I promise we’ll look out for him. I just think he needs some time to process whatever’s going on. I’ve been in your seat. I know how hard it is to deal with kids like ours—wild as hell. I’ll call if there are any problems.”

Unclenching my jaw, I say, “Alright. I’ll admit. I’m not in the best place to talk to him right now. I’ve got to figure out some things. But do me a favor, brother. Tell him that I’ve reconsidered the private school.”

He lets out a relieved sigh. “Sure. I know he’ll be so happy. I think you’re making the right choice. Let’s grab a beer tomorrow evening, what do you say?”

That, I didn’t expect. And I didn’t expect myself to like the idea so much. “Yeah, I’m in. I’m realizing how bad I am at this teen-parenting thing. I could use some commiseration.”

The guy lets out a groan, a sound of exasperation. “You’re not the only one. I’ll call you in the morning and bring Lincoln to you when he gets up. I won’t let him out of my sight.”

“Deal. And thanks.”

He disconnects and I toss my phone on the seat between us. “He’s in for the night at Mick’s parents' house.”

Avery’s relief is visible. With eyes so fucking soft, she says, “You did a good thing.”