COLEEN

Hayden’s phone buzzed against my coffee table. We’d just come back from grabbing takeout, and he was halfway through demolishing a carton of lo mein when the screen lit up. His jaw tightened the second he saw the name.

I didn’t even need to ask who it was.

“Parents again?” I asked carefully, setting my fork down.

He gave a short nod, swiping to answer. “Hey.” His voice was clipped, polite but cold.

I tried not to stare, but it was hard not to catch the tension in his ...