Piecing Together Sydney (A Sydney West Novel Book 3) by Brittney Coon

Her face was still sour with a pout that made her look like some kind of depressed model.
    “Bye,” Ellie said over her shoulder. Kylie said nothing, just walked out like a small child whose favorite toy was taken away from her.
    I took a few deep breaths and went into the kitchen to take a shot of Jack. Actually I took two. After a couple heartbeats, I went up the stairs and knocked on our bedroom door. “Jason?”
    Nothing.
    “Honey, everyone is gone. You can come out now.”
    Silence.
    “Jason, please talk to me.” I pleaded, placing my forehead against the door.
    “I just need to be alone, Sydney.” His voice was distant; broken, even. Was he crying?
    “You don’t have to hide from me. I know what it’s like to have a shitty father. We can get through—”
    “No! You have no idea! Just go.” Something heavy hit the door. I jumped back and narrowed my eyes.
    Never thought I’d be locked out of my own bedroom before.
    “Fine!” I turned on my heel and went back downstairs. If Jason wanted to be alone, he had the right to be.
    I poured more Jack into my mug. How did things become so sour? We were perfect and in sync. Now I had no idea how my future husband was feeling. He didn’t seem to remember that we had the same pain. Both abandoned by useless fathers. No, they didn’t deserve that title. They were sperm donors.
    How the tables have turned in the worst way. I was the cold one. I was the one with the icy heart and a chip on her shoulder. Jason was warm and sweet, even with his dark background. I finally let Jason in, and he helped heal my shattered heart. Now he’s the closed off one, and I feel hurt that he didn’t come to me. He was my glue when my father died, and when his father shows up, he goes into lock down mode. What did that mean? What was I to him if not the glue to fix his heart?
    Was I overthinking things? Maybe, but my stitched-up heart was bleeding at the seams. Any more stabs and it would be in pieces again, and they might be microscopic. There’d be no repairing it after this.
    I swallowed some more Jack and looked at my phone. Amelia and Hunter were having too much fun and crashing at a hotel in Santa Monica. At least they could live in a bubble of bliss.
    My brain searched for a quote to explain things, but couldn’t come up with one. My old habit wasn’t prepared for this. The only thing I could do was wait out the storm and hope Jason wasn’t lost to me. Perhaps he was overcome with pain he hadn’t felt in a long time. I’d have faith in my Jason. He didn’t give up on me, and there were so many reasons to last summer.
    This summer it was my turn to help Jason heal from the deep scars of the past.

Chapter Ten
    It was ten in the morning, and I was on my second pot of coffee. Jason never came out of our bedroom. I had to sleep in Amelia and Hunter’s room after changing the sheets. Actually, I wasn’t sure if lying in a bed for hours staring up at a ceiling counted as sleeping. Dreamland’s gates wouldn’t open for me. My brain was too focused on Jason, and the stress kept my eyes wide open. I didn’t have the heart to call Ellie and tell her about Jason, I didn’t want her to hear how concerned I was for him. I texted her that he was still distant, but I was not giving up. She hadn’t replied.
    I was going back and forth in my head if I should leave the house and do something alone, like cruise through LA and maybe hit my favorite record store, or demand Jason let me into the room, even going as far as taking the damn door down. Though I wasn’t sure how to do that. Maybe go to a hardware store and buy an ax that’s kept in those emergency cases for fires in office buildings?
    “Maybe a coin would help.” I grabbed my purse from the counter and dug out a quarter from my wallet. Just as I was about to call it and flip, Jason walked through the doorway.
    He was a complete mess. His sexy, wavy hair was flat on one side like he laid on the bed and didn’t move for