I shut the door before MacKenzie could even try and come up with another reason for not going.

Mason was leaning against the wall, hands in his pocket, ankles crossed. Damn he’s sexy. Dark hair all tousled from me running my hands through it, arms and chest flexing every time he moved.

I was biting my bottom lip when he caught me ogling over him, he smirked. “Asshole,”

He laughed.

I padded to his room and bounced on his bed. I heard Mason walk in behind me but he didn’t say anything, he didn’t make a move to come towards me. I leaned up on my elbows; there was an uncertainty in his expression, “What’s wrong?”

He stood there staring at me for a long moment, “Do you think this is the right thing to do?”

Mason and I talked earlier today. Both Hunter and MacKenzie were miserable without each other. They weren’t going to solve anything if they didn’t talk. Hunter’s little trick with the seashells hasn’t worked yet, I’m not even sure she noticed that they were spelling out I’m sorry over and over again. Mason still beat himself up over the fact that he’d stood in their way of being together, but he was only trying to protect her from this mess that she’d gotten into anyway. He wanted to see her smile and be the kid sister that she used to be.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” I didn’t really know one way or the other if this was going to work.

Jaylinn, Chloe, MacKenzie and I were going to head down to the house on Thursday after my last class; we were calling it a girls’ weekend even though MacKenzie would have Ryder. I was picking my battles, I wasn’t about to tell her to leave him with Hunter or her mom. Everyone was in on our weekend, except Hunter and MacKenzie that is.

I got Cooper and Jackson in on our plan to try and force Hunter and MacKenzie to talk. Cooper was all about it, Jackson not so much.

“Don’t you think you involve yourself in their lives enough?” Jackson asked, glaring at me.

I was pacing the family room, “Yes I know, but now I’m trying to make up for that. Look, they have to talk about this and with Kenz hiding in her room, in this house, every day, nothing’s gonna get solved. We all hid something from her and she handled that pretty damn well.”

Jackson raised his eyebrows. Cooper chuckled.

“Ok so maybe she didn’t talk to us for a couple of weeks but she forgave us. We’re family, we fight, we argue, but at the end of the damn day we love each other.” Damn, now I sound like a sap.

“He’s right Jackson, you know he is. We have to at least try. If she gets too pissed off or tries to leave then we pack our shit and get a motel room or some shit.” Cooper said.

Jackson shook his head, “Fine, but if this weekend goes to hell I’m blaming it on you.”

Of course he would, I was always taking the blame for everything, most of the shit was caused by me so yeah, whatever.

“Deal. I’m going to talk to Hunter and figure out when we can leave.” Thank God we stopped talking about it because a few minutes later MacKenzie came downstairs with Ryder.

I looked over at Jackson and Cooper; both had picked up the X-box remotes and acted like they were waiting for the game to start while I stood there like a jackass.

“Hey guys.” MacKenzie said when she walked in the room.

Cooper and Jackson grunted hello while I just stared at her, waiting for her wrath because she’d caught us talking about ambushing her.

“Mase, everything ok?” she asked.

“Yup, everything’s fine.” Maybe she didn’t hear.

“Can you hold him while I go make a bottle?” She was handing Ryder over before I even had a chance to respond.

I grabbed the little man from MacKenzie, and it was no sooner than she walked out of the room, that he threw up all down the front of my brand new Hurley T-shirt.

“What the f**k?” I yelled, scaring Ryder.

Cooper and Jackson burst out laughing; MacKenzie came running back in to us.

Then, of course, she started laughing too.

“Oh relax; it’s just a little throw up. I’m sure you’ve puked on yourself before.”

So what if I had? It didn’t smell anything like this did.

I handed Ryder over, “I’m never having kids!”

Hailey decided to walk in at that moment, “You sure about that big guy?”

Fuck me!

Being back at work this week sucked, but at least it was distracting me for a little while. I started running again every morning, needing to clear my head to get me through the day. CC’s mom’s house was a little more than two miles from where I lived, so every morning I would get up before dawn, throw on some clothes, grab one of the seashells from CC’s collection downstairs and start my run.

The mornings were freezing and it hurt my lungs to breathe in the cold air, but it was refreshing at the same time and it never lasted long once I started sweating. When I made it to CC’s house I’d grab the key from under a rock by the front door and let myself in. Elle was normally already up and in the kitchen when I’d get there. She’d peek her head around the corner, see that it was me and give me a nod. That was the all clear sign. I’d make my way upstairs, draw a letter on the shell; place it in front of the door and leave. If CC was awake, Elle would start coughing and I’d quickly shut the door and leave the shell on the porch for her to put it by the door later.

This morning, after my run, I stopped at my mom’s before I went into work.

“Morning Ma,” I said as I stripped off my sweat soaked sweat shirt.

“I’m making some eggs, do you want some?” she asked from the kitchen.

“No thanks, not really hungry.” I answered. I hadn’t really been eating all that much since all this shit went down.

“Hunter,” Mom said sternly, “You’re eating, now get in here.” When Mom says something you do it without question.

I grabbed a cup of coffee and took a seat at the breakfast bar. “I need to talk to Jason.”

She sighed loudly and dumped the eggs on two plates, then took a seat next to me.

“I know you do. I wish you wouldn’t though.” she said sadly.

“I need to know that he’s not going to come after us, I need to make sure I don’t have anything to worry about with Ryder and CC.” I didn’t want to talk to that dickbag at all, but I knew in order for me to move on I had to.

“I understand.” She put her fork down and pushed away from the table before she’d even finished eating.