Free Wicked Reunion (Wicked White Series Book 2) by Michelle A. Valentine

calling, so she had to realize we’d worry once we couldn’t reach her.”
    Wes nods as he opens the car door. “Agreed, she’s probably fine. Maybe we overreacted for nothing.”
    Jared sighs. “I hope you’re right.” He turns to me. “Ready?”
    We all file out of the truck, and Jared threads his fingers through mine after he shuts the door. We walk up the sidewalk, and when we reach the door, Wes turns the knob to find it unlocked, as if Julie was expecting us.
    Wes glances back at Jared, his brown eyes worried. Jared frowns, and the concerned expression he wore on the way over here returns. Julie is a fanatic about locking her door, especially since she’s been alone so much lately with Henry being overseas and both of her sons away at college.
    Wes pushes the door open and instantly calls out, “Mom? You here?”
    We all wait with bated breath as we step over the threshold. No answer comes, and Jared tightens his grip on my hand.
    Wes tries again. “Mom?”
    When he doesn’t get an answer, he rushes toward the kitchen with Jared and me right on his heels.
    As we turn the corner we see Julie sitting at the head of the table with a vacant expression on her face. She’s not moving—it’s like she’s so lost in thought she doesn’t even realize we’ve been calling her name.
    Jared releases my hand and rushes over to his mom’s side and drops to his knees beside her. “Mom?” His voice is barely above a whisper, as if to not frighten her. With a slightly shaky hand, he reaches up to her forearm that’s resting on the table in front of her. “Can you hear me? What’s wrong?”
    Jared’s touch causes her to flinch like he startled her from a deep trance. Julie turns her face toward Jared, and the first thing that draws my attention is just how red and swollen her eyes are. It looks like she’s been crying for days. “Jared? When did you get here?”
    Despite his calm exterior, Jared’s blue eyes are full of panic as he flicks them up toward his brother’s face. It’s easy for me to read him because I’ve known him for so long and know pretty much what he’s thinking. Even though he looks calm, he’s panicking inside.
    Wes steps up next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders like he’s bracing himself as Jared turns his attention back to Julie.
    “We were calling your name. Didn’t you hear us?” Jared asks.
    She slowly shakes her head. “I guess I didn’t.”
    He draws in a slow breath and then releases it, doing his best to stay calm as he tries to get to the bottom of the situation. “Are you hurt?”
    She frowns. “No.”
    The muscles tense in Jared’s back beneath his dark T-shirt. “Is Dad okay?”
    Wes’s fingers dig into my shoulders a bit, and I hold my breath as fear rocks me. I pray to God that what comes out of her mouth isn’t what I think it’s going to be. Whatever she’s about to say, it’s bad.
    Julie’s eyebrows draw in and her lips pull into a tight line while she tries hard to fight back tears. “No. He’s not.”
    As soon as the words leave her lips, she bursts into tears. She gasps and begins crying so hard that she can barely catch her breath.
    The three of us are paralyzed, like we didn’t just hear what she said.
    “What do you mean? Did he get hurt?” Jared licks his lips slowly and gives her a gentle shake. When she’s unable to answer him, he raises his voice, causing her to jump. “Tell me!”
    “Jared . . .” she whispers, and then her gaze turns up to Wes, who is still by my side. “Wes . . . your dad . . . he’s . . . he’s . . .”
    Jared drops his head into his hands and nearly collapses onto the floor but is able to keep his body upright. A hard sob rips through him, and he fights hard to catch his breath. Wes’s hand flies to his mouth as tears begin pouring from his eyes.
    My heart breaks for this family that I love so much. I don’t even bother trying to hide my tears as I drop down to my knees beside Jared and