Page 39 of True Honey (The Hornets Nest #4)

SHORE

T wo weeks after Cael’s surgery, he’s slamming into the house with Clementine and August on his heels and a massive, goofy smile on his lips. “It’s raining outside,” he declared.

“It’s been raining for a week, Cody.” Josh slammed the fridge closed. “If it keeps up, they’re going to cancel our games.”

“We can have them moved to Harbor,” I interjected, “I’m sure they won’t mind and it will prevent a week of rain delays in the schedule. Everyone wants this season over, not just us.”

“You’re the only person that wants the season over,” Jensen said, sliding onto the counter and shoving a sandwich in his mouth.

“Can you blame a guy, every time I blink one of you has a new injury. Cael is barely lucid at this point,” I said and he gave me a dirty look, “these games are going to be the hardest you’ve played in a while and you're down the best shortstop in the league.”

“Awe, Gramps,” Cael’s tune changed.

My eyes focused on the glass angel, back where it belonged and the rain hitting the window outside in a rhythmic pattern that filled the momentary silence.

Cael had only been home for a few days, Clementine followed him around like a guard dog making sure he wasn’t doing something stupid completely drunk on pain.

They had picked August up from school because Cael begged to be let out of the house.

The thought of August in a car with either of them driving gave me heartburn but Drew had to work and I couldn’t let the kid walk home in the rain.

It had been two solid weeks of bliss with her, most nights I snuck into her bed because I couldn’t find sleep without knowing she wasn’t going to run.

And maybe that was stupid but I hadn’t figured out a way to stop myself from wandering in the dark to find her.

We had suffered through three more very important outings.

Each time she was more beautiful than the last and she was impressing everyone constantly.

It was like she floated, moving around a room, working a crowd with a smile and soft voice.

Somehow giving me everything I needed without a second thought and all while still working at the stadium and finding time to spend with me without prying eyes.

“Earth to Doc,” Jensen said, “you alright?”

“Yeah, Jenny… Fine.” I assured but everything was either really incredible, or a fucking shit show.

There was no in-between. In a few weeks the trial would start for my father’s charges, and each day we got closer to them asking Josh to get up on that stand and testify against his father.

It’ll be the first time he's seen him since the beginning of the season, and it made me sick to my stomach to even ask him to do it.

But we needed his word.

His voice, his story, is what would lock him up for good. We had no choice.

“Yeah,” Cael looked at me suspiciously. “There is nothing fine about you,” he narrowed his eyes on me. “You know what you need?”

“We aren’t doing that again, it made a mess last time,” Dean said as he dug through the fridge.

“Shut up, not that,” Cael grumbled, his face twisted in pain for a second. He did his best to breathe through the wave before speaking again. “It’s a puddle jumping day.”

“We aren’t kids anymore,” I said instantly, “and you can’t get that cast wet.”

“Okay, buzzkill.” He smiled wickedly and turned to the cupboard, hauling out a massive box of garbage bags with a hiss of pain and a loud thump. “Don’t be silly, wrap your—”

“Do not finish that sentence,” I said looking between him and an innocent August.

“Problem solved, Grandpa.” He whipped out a bag, ripping the bottom with his teeth to make a hole and pulled it down over his head like a poncho. “No wet cast, we can still have fun and you can’t say no because if Momma had asked, you wouldn’t have even thought about it!”

“We aren’t—”

Arlo cleared his throat from the archway, “we were never kids.” Ella stepped up behind him. “The best part about puddle jumping was that it gave us permission to be kids again Si, and you know it. If Rainy was here she’d be pissed we were wasting time arguing over it.”

“It’s stupid,” I said looking around the full kitchen at my family.

“That’s the fucking point,” Van said, leaning against the counter in a sleeveless t-shirt with a approving smile on his face. “I’m in.”

“What is going on?” Ella asked.

“Lorraine believed that the rain could wash away all our stress, she believed in the power of rainy days because they only showed up when one of us really needed them.” I explained because the rest of them had gone silent.

“She said the weather man was a glorified overpaid psychic and Mother Nature was healing.”

“It’s raining for a reason, Doc.” Dean said. “We’d be stupid not to go play in it.”

“No slip in slide, if any of you get hurt it's on me and—”

“We know!” The kitchen erupted and they all started to toss their phones on the island one by one before piling out of the kitchen. “I’m going to wake up everyone else,” Cael yelled, jogging through the house noisy and crashing to the upper floor.

“How is he?” I asked Clementine as the house emptied out.

“He’s a menace.” She smiled at me, “he’s in ton of pain but he’s the same talk first, think later, fuck hard and play harder Cael. Just a little unbalanced at the moment.”

“Do you need anything?” I asked her after a good laugh.

“We’re fine, Silas,” she said and for once I genuinely believed her.

“Alright, well if you need anything,” I started and she gave me a dirty look.

“I’ll call his dad, you have enough on your plate. Now get your ass outside before he finds out you aren’t out there and throws a fit,” she warned, her brown hair swaying as she turned to leave the kitchen.

“I’m glad you’re here, Clem.” I said to her as she walked down the hallway, only for her to raise her hand and wave me off. I pulled my phone out and slid it on the counter, stripping from my dress shirt to join the boys in the pouring rain.

I stood on the step watching them utilize the holes in the gravel driveway as they started to fill with water.

Cael found the stereo and set it up on the porch with Van’s help, blasting some of the worst ninety’s music they could find over the lawn.

I smiled to myself as they danced around, letting everything loose and just enjoying themselves the way they should at that age.

Ella was singing at the top of her lungs dancing around a stiff August who took a second to get into the groove.

My heart slowed in my chest as the rain hit my outstretched hand and I closed my eyes, stepping down off the step to let it wash away all of my stress exactly the way it was meant to.

My muscles relaxed and my breathing became even as if I’d never experienced a moment of worry in my entire life.

I felt bulletproof in the moment. The sound of the music, the rain and the laughter flooded my soul in a way I didn’t know I realized.

But Cael had.

Pain riddled and fighting for his life he had seen the need.

He shook his hair out like a dog in Clementine’s face who squealed and backed up about ten steps from him before jogging forward and jumping into the puddle at his feet.

Water flung up around them and coated them in tan mud.

I sighed, I was going to have to take him to the hospital tomorrow and get his cast changed.

There was no way it wasn’t soaked beneath that garbage bag, but the smile on his face told me it could wait.

Arlo looked over at me, rain dripping down his face and nodded, this is what it was about it. This was who I was fighting for. I nodded back and joined in on their playing until a set of headlights came up the drive and Drew got out with a bewildered look on her face.

“What are you guys doing?” She asked.

“Jumping in puddles.” August announced over the sound of rain and the music that roared from the porch. “You should try it,” he smiled, he was covered head to toe in mud and water, staring at his mother like she was the insane one for not immediately agreeing.

“You’re going to get sick,” she said to him, but she was overruled by a loud chorus of boos and jeers from everyone. I thought for a second it might harden her, or embarrass her but she looked over at me for help and I just shrugged.

“It’s therapeutic,” I said to her with a smile.

She closed her door and chucked her purse on the porch, pulling off her hoodie and returning to the downpour to stand next to me with a small sigh.

“What now?” She whispered to me as everyone went back to jumping around and playing.

I didn’t give her verbal instructions, instead I jumped forward into the puddle just ahead of her and splashed dirty water up over her clean jeans.

She inhaled a sharp breath as the cold water hit her skin, a scowl forming on her lips but her eyes were lit up like a fire as she took her turn to jump in a nearby puddle.

Her laughter was loud and infectious, bubbling up from her chest with each splash, step and hop. Eventually she was muddy like the rest of us, spinning August around in circles and singing alongside Ella to songs she recognized from Cael’s party CD.

At one point August made eye contact with me and I could see the warning flash across his expression as Drew rang out the bottom of her hair between her hands.

I wanted to say to him, don’t worry kid, I’ll make sure she keeps singing.

But instead I tapped my fingers to my chest, a gesture that meant nothing to him but everything to me.

“Silas Andrew Shore,” my mother's voice stirred me from sleep. I sat straight up, the blankets falling around my waist as I checked the bed for Drew. I was so exhausted that I had fallen asleep and not moved the entire night which meant I hadn’t gone in search of comfort from her.

“Where is your fiancée?” she asked, her head turning to the side.

Shit.