Page 68 of Rise Above

“Aife.” His voice had deepened even more, his arm

thrown over his eyes. “Order the damn food.”

“You’re very demanding, Mr. Walker.” I sent him a

smirk as I pulled my phone out to order the food.

“Fuck me, Aife. Don’t call me that either.” He

turned over, burying his face into one of my pillows. “You’re killing me.” It came out muffled.

“Is this a kink I should know about?” The teasing

continued because it needed to. It kept the fear clawing at my chest at bay.

Before he could answer, his phone rang. Talon

didn’t even bother to check caller ID before answering. “Hello?” He pressed the speakerphone button. Weariness lined his body.

“TJ?” The voice on the other end was deep, just like

Talon’s. “I’ve got everyone on the phone. Are you okay?”

A sigh left his mouth as his right hand pushed

through his curly locks. The phone rested on his chest since

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his left hand was out of commission. “My wrist is broken. I’ll be out for at least eight weeks.”

“Shit.” This voice was a little lighter, more

accented. “Can we fucking Facetime? I hate this not seeing y’all shit.”

“Jesus Christ, CJ.” That was clearly his mother.

“Stop cussing.”

Talon rolled his eyes at me. Despite his annoyance,

it was so obvious how much he loved his family and how much they loved him. My family wasn’t like that. We loved each other, but I wasn’t sure if we liked each other. There was concern and care for each other, but we didn’t go out of our way to check in on each other. The last time my family got together was because of me, and I tore our family apart… according to them. We saw each other for holidays, but they were always awkward now. There was a weird, unsettling feeling at Gomez family gatherings. It was my fault. My family had their struggles, and what I went through only exacerbated those deep-rooted issues. Every family was dysfunctional, mine was just more open about it.

“Where are you? That’s not your living room.” Yet

another voice joined the conversation. I had forgotten that Talon had four brothers, that he was the middle child.

His face flashed red. I’d never seen him get

embarrassed before. “A friend’s home. She was nice enough to offer to help tonight.”

“She!” The word seemed to echo endlessly as five

voices talked all at once.

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