Born to Be Wild: Welcome to Paradise, Book 3 by Elle Kennedy Page A

concern etched into her delicate features.
    He opened his mouth, prepared to deflect the question, when angry footsteps sounded from the hall.
    A second later, Austin brushed past them, his green eyes flashing with unrestrained fury.
    “Austin—” Jake started.
    “Not now.” His brother marched out the front door, slamming it so hard the walls rattled.
    Jake was two steps from the door when he heard the muffled sobs. He spun around and sprinted toward the kitchen instead, but Bree intercepted him in the doorway. Their gazes drifted to the table, where Jake’s mom still sat, her head buried in her hands as she cried.
    His heart promptly cracked in two. “Mom—”
    Bree touched his arm. “Let me talk to her,” she said softly. “Alone.”
    As much as he wanted to comfort his mother, he realized Bree’s suggestion was the better option. From the quiet sobs racking his mother’s body, she clearly needed a thorough heart-to-heart, something he’d never been very good at.
    Fearing he’d say the wrong thing, Jake took a step back, his body sagging with defeat. He watched as Bree approached his mother with timid steps, watched as she knelt on the tiled floor and wrapped her arms around Della. An arrow of pain pierced his heart, followed by a rush of anger. Austin was a real fucking asshole.
    Setting his jaw, Jake left the two women in the kitchen and raced to the porch, only to encounter the cloud of dust left behind by Austin’s pickup hightailing it outta there.
    Cursing, he snatched his smokes from the pocket of his button-down, lit up, and inhaled deeply. Shit, he didn’t need this family drama, not when his entire future was hanging in the balance.
    He spent the next hour chain-smoking on the porch, wondering what the hell was going on in that kitchen. But he trusted Bree. He knew without a doubt she wouldn’t do anything to upset his mother, and when the two women emerged onto the porch a while later, he realized he’d done the right thing by letting Bree take the reins.
    Della’s face was red and splotchy, but she was no longer crying. If anything, she looked utterly resigned, but she offered Jake a genuine smile when she saw him. “Well, you tried,” she said quietly.
    “You okay?” His voice came out gruff, his touch somewhat awkward as he reached for his mother and hugged her tightly.
    “I’m fine.” Her sigh warmed the crook of his neck. “Your brother needs more time.”
    He stiffened. Christ, he was so damn tired of hearing that.
    Della stepped out of the embrace and turned to Bree. “You really don’t mind giving me a ride home?”
    “Of course,” Bree said warmly.
    “I’ll take you,” Jake protested, already making a move to put out his hundredth smoke.
    “It’s all right, honey.” His mom smoothed strands of hair from her forehead. “I’d like to spend some more time with Bree, if you don’t mind.”
    Bree touched Della’s arm. “Why don’t you wait in the car? I’ll be there in a sec.”
    Jake watched with unease as his mother descended the porch steps and headed for Bree’s Lexus. After she’d settled in the passenger seat, he tore his gaze away and focused on Bree. “What happened?”
    “We talked.”
    “And?”
    Bree just shook her head.
    Aggravation shot through him. “You’re not going to tell me?”
    “It’s not my place,” she said simply.
    Although her secrecy irritated the hell out of him, he had to respect her for it. And it warmed his fucking heart that she’d spent the last hour comforting his mother, a woman she hardly knew.
    And whose fault is that ?
    Guilt sliced into his gut as he realized how true that was. Although he and Bree had dated for three months in high school, he hadn’t bothered introducing her to his family. Hadn’t invited her over for dinner, hadn’t even told his parents about her. Partly because he was ashamed of his father and didn’t want Bree anywhere near him, but that wasn’t the only reason for keeping her at a