Page 114 of Always Love You More

I push past him, darting my eyes around the space. The room is empty, the TV playing on a low volume, beer bottles scattered across the coffee table. “Where is she?”

He shuts the door, walking into the room and staring back at me, his gaze unfocused.

Where is she?” I repeat. “Come on.”

“In her room,” he says, his voice slow, like he’s not all here.

“The cops,” I ask. “They’ve been by already?”

He drops his eyes to the floor. “Yeah,” he chokes out. “Yeah, they’ve been here.”

“So she knows.”

He nods.

Billy comes through the door, and Carson turns toward him.

I snap my fingers, bringing his attention back to me. “When?”

“What?”

“When did they come by?” I take a step forward. “How long has it been?”

“I don’t know, maybe thirty minutes.”

“Where’s your old man?”

He clears his throat, looking past me. “He left after—”

“What do you mean he left?”

Carson shrugs, feigning indifference, but he looks gutted. “Probably went to get wasted.”

I point toward the stairs. “So you’re telling me she’s been up therealonefor thirty minutes?”

“Yeah, but—”

I don’t listen to whatever else he says before I barrel up the stairs, searching for her room.

My mind is fuzzy as I try to remember the night her and Johnny led me through this dark hallway.

I push open the first door I see and find an empty bedroom. The next is a bathroom, and the door after that is just a closet. That only leaves one.

I hear my heart pounding in my ears as I reach for the door and realize my hand is shaking. My handsneverfucking shake.

Pushing open the door, I search the room. It’s dark inside and, at first, I don’t think she’s even in here, but then I see a shape on the floor and hear her muffled sobs.

A rush of air leaves me, and my heart fucking breaks.

I’m at her side in an instant, dropping down beside her on my knees.

She’s curled up in a fetal position, her body shaking. I want to grab her and pull her to me, but it’s like she doesn’t even realize I’m here.

Gently, I brush the hair away from her face and whisper, “Sam?”

She blinks her eyes open, and then they widen when she sees me. “Jamie?”

“Yeah, baby, it’s me.”