Page 51 of Beautiful Ruins

We still had unresolved conversations that needed to be addressed, but for now they’d stay just out of reach.

Scout shifted from foot to foot, Bear beside him, arms crossed, a grim expression on his face. His gaze landed on Sadie, and the tension in his shoulders lessened slightly.

“You’re early,” I said, stepping back.

Perfect fucking timing. They had no idea how close I was to saying something I couldn’t take back.

Scout shoved inside first, bouncing on his toes the same way I had the first time my old man let me sit on his Harley. He glanced from me to Sadie, a knowing smirk on his face. His immaturity was showing. And I wasn’t the only one who caught it.

Bear shook his head as he entered. “As useless as tits on a bull, that one,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Everything good, bro?”

I sighed. “Peachy.”

“Hey Sadie,” Scout said, grinning down at her like he was already on top of the world. “Thought we’d come a little earlier, if that’s okay.”

Sadie smiled up at him, a genuine smile, not the forced shit she usually gave me. That hit harder than I wanted to admit. If Scout was good at one thing, it was easing tension in a room. And this room was about as tense as a virgin arsehole.

“Jasmine is on her way,” Sadie said, her grin widening as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Just like her to stir shit up. My focus stayed locked on her. Even after everything, she still fucking lit up the room like she was the only thing worth looking at.

Scout’s accusing eyes darted straight for me, attempting to pull the trigger with thought alone. “You told her? How could you, VP?”

I held my hands up, scoffing. “You’re not a kid anymore, Jesse. Stop acting like it.”

Sadie’s eyebrows shot up, and she poked Scout in the stomach like they were old friends. “That’s your first name? Jesse. I like it.”

“Oh yeah?” A slow grin replaced his scowl. The kid was so full of himself, I was surprised he hadn’t spontaneously combusted by that point. He dropped onto the floor beside Sadie’s legs, forearms resting on his knees. “Is Jasmine really coming?”

Sadie laughed, the sound as familiar as the back of my hand. For the first time since she’d walked through the door, she didn’t look like she wanted to bolt. “Would I lie to you, Scout? She should be here any?—”

“What have I missed?” Jasmine’s voice filtered through the open doorway, and Sadie’s grin widened.

I stood there, looking as pathetic as ever—nothing like the vice president of an outlaw motorcycle club. I couldn’t take my eyes off Sadie, and I still wasn’t sure if it was because seeing her like this was a relief, or if it was going to kill me slowly. Either way, it was going to be painful.

The door creaked in the warm breeze, the boxes stacked against the wall like Sadie was moving in instead of plotting God-knows-what.

Jasmine breezed past me, hips swaying, perfume trailing behind her, oversized sunglasses perched like a crown. She owned the room before she even stepped fully into it.

She dropped onto the couch beside Sadie, her hand finding Scout’s head, her fingers tangling in his mop of blondhair. “Miss me?”

Scout’s eyes widened, and his lips parted but no words came out. He just nodded.

For Christ’s sake.

He adjusted his cut, then ran a hand through his hair so fast he almost tore it out. I couldn’t exactly blame him. Jasmine was a looker, she just wasn’t my type. My type was sitting right there next to her—ignoring me.

“Let’s get on with it then,” I muttered, already regretting this circus. I rubbed at my forehead. “But first, I need a beer. Anyone else?”

Chapter Sixteen

SADIE

Notebooks, folders, and loose papers took up most of the surface of the dining table. The overhead light flickered slightly, catching on the rim of beer bottles and the edge of an old ashtray pushed to the corner.

Anything that connected Mum to Hollow Creek had been pulled out. It was all we had to go off at that point. But there was an energy in the room I’d forgotten existed.

It was the same way I’d felt when Logan, Jasmine and I were hatching up a plan to attend a party we knew we shouldn’t have been going to. It was the buzz of having each other’s backs, like coming home.