For a minute, there’s nothing but a long exhale on the other line.
“Corbin, you called me, man. Why you being all heavy-breathing on the other line?”
Jax continues laughing, but Corbin has me worried.
“You remember when you and Dale went to see Edward? All that weird shit going on?”
I remember, but I never told him. Apparently Dale filled him in. “Yeah,” I drawl, not interested in anything dealing with Edward right now.
“Well, that woman that threw you out wasn’t his maid. She was his nurse. Apparently Edward has had psoriasis of the liver for a really long while now. It took a turn for the worse recently. I guess he tried to drink his guilt away for years and years.”
Ah, shit. “How bad is it? Is there anything they can do?”
Tria doesn’t need this shit. She and her father have too many unresolved issues.
“It’s pretty bad, and I doubt they can do anything, considering he died just an hour ago.”
Just like that, my heart slams into my chest. Shit. Tria. Motherfucker!
“I’ve got to go. Tria—”
“Rain just went to pick her up and tell her in person. They’ll be going over to Eleanor’s. If you call—”
“Corbin, I really don’t give a fuck if Rain knows right now.”
He blows out a breath, and I can almost hear him nodding in agreement. “Alright. Let me know if you need anything.”
I hang up without responding, ignoring Jax when he starts sounding worried, and I dial Tria while grabbing my stuff and jogging toward the door. She answers with a voice as dead and dull as I’ve ever heard.
“Hey.”
Taking a deep breath, I search for anything to say. I suck at consoling.
“Hey, where are you? I’ll come to you.”
She sniffles, and a small whimper escapes her, but she clears her throat as though she doesn’t want to be crying.
“I’m with Rain right now. I’m fine. I’ll be staying with Mom tonight. They’re going to… I can’t talk about this right now. I’ll call you in a little while.”
She hangs up, and I stop in my tracks, trying and failing to come up with what I’m supposed to do. Son of a fucking bitch.
I saw how Kade reacted when he lost his grandfather. Tria just lost her dad. Kade needed space. Hell, he still does. But is that what Tria needs, too? What the hell do I do?
***
TRIA
I stare at the phone, wondering if he’ll try calling right back. Fortunately, he doesn’t. I’m barely holding myself together right now, and if I fall apart, I want to do it alone. All alone. There shouldn’t be any witnesses to see me cry over a man that I should have hated.
“Who is Sex Master?” Rain asks, trying to lighten the mood.
She didn’t love Dad. How could she have? It’s understandable why she’s not falling apart, but I don’t have it in me to play nice with the perfect girl at the moment.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” I mumble numbly, and I hear her sigh that seems to come from deep within.
“Of course. Sorry, Tria. I was just—”
“I know,” I interrupt, still staring out the window as we close in on our childhood home. There are already numerous cars outside. Mom is probably an absolute wreck.
“Why didn’t someone call me sooner?” I ask as we near the house.
Rain hated him, yet she found out before I did. It’s like I’m always the last on the list, even when my father dies. It’s truly impossible for one person to always be so overlooked.
“No one wanted to tell you over the phone, since you actually cared about him.”
She sounds sympathetic, and there’s pity lacing her tone—pity I don’t want or need. Everyone praises her for being strong. She is. She truly and honestly is. I refuse to be the weak one that everyone has to pet while they rave about her being so strong.
Sucking in all my unshed tears and wiping away the few strays, I open the door as soon as we park. Rain has to run to catch up with me, and she laces her fingers with mine as we head toward the door.
“I’m here, Tria. I’m here for you and Eleanor.”
Maybe Kode is right. She really is perfect. Can’t blame him for taking notice, because right now she’s keeping me from falling apart.
“Thanks, Rain. That means a lot.”
The tears bang at the backs of my eyelids, but I restrain them. My phone chirps, and I release her hand as we walk in, so I can check the message.
Sex Master: I’m here for you.
Breathing out in relief, I stare at the screen for five long minutes. I’ll wait until I’m not on the verge of a sobbing breakdown before calling or responding. Right now, he’d see how weak I really am, and that’s something I’d like to keep hidden.