AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thanks.” There’s not much more to be said, but before I make my excuses to end the call, I ask her, “Can you make sure Mason doesn’t do anything too crazy? Pope was everything to him… and his dad.”
“Myles is keeping him close, but I’ll do my best.”
“Thanks, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you soon, yeah?”
“Make sure you do, or I’ll drive to the city to check in on you.”
This makes me smile. “I will, I promise.”
Placing my phone on the table, I close my eyes. I need a minute.
“Did you know Pope passed away last night?” I ask Angel.
Judging by his eyes widening and open-slacked mouth, I’m guessing he didn’t.
“No.” He rises from the table. “Excuse me, I need to make a call.”
I make my own excuses and head out to the back. I fall into the chair by an unlit fire pit.
I should be at Mason’s side if only my presence is what he needs. It’s killing me being away from him during these times, but if he wanted me there, he’d have called. And I haven’t heard a thing from him. I still wouldn’t know about Pope if it weren’t for Emma.
Princess appears from who knows where, and I stroke his head before he plods away, off to do his business. King plops down on the chair beside me and tips a bottle of beer to his lips.
“I just heard about Pope. He is or was your in-law, right?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Was. It’s another stab to my heart.
“Victoria was missing home a while ago, and Luc arranged for him to come stay for a few days. I can safely say I’ve never met anyone like him.”
“No one has. I doubt they will again.”
“Victoria’s gonna be beside herself, first her father and now her grandpa. She’s too kind and nice to go through such grief.”
“That she is.”
“The brothers are making arrangements to head to Willow’s Peak in a couple of days for the funerals, and we wanna make sure Victoria’s doing okay.”
I smile at him. “You care about her?”
“We all do. Don’t go telling Luca that. He’ll shoot every one of us. But yeah, she’s like the freakin’ sun on a cloudy day or some shit. And she’s our president’s old lady. She has our loyalty, but she has our respect earned in her own right.”
“She deserves it.”
I didn’t take to Victoria as quickly as I did Emma when I first came to Willow’s Peak with Mason. I couldn’t believe someone could be so happy and pleasant, not in this world of lost souls. But over time, we connected, and our bond was formed.
“With everything that’s going on here and the deaths in Willow’s Peak, it’s like everything’s shifting.”
“Welcome to the club. You’ll feel it more often than not. In my experience, as an old lady, of course, it’s best to roll with the shifts, or it gets pretty lonely when you’re left behind.”
Princess plods back toward us, and King sits forward, stroking his back before standing himself.
“You good out here on your own?”
“Sure.”
On my own. That’s exactly how I feel nowadays, even when I’m sitting in the bar with everyone around me.
