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“On the contrary. Now you can appreciate the power of love. Now you can take off those rose-colored glasses and see what someone will do for those they love.”
Callie was right. She never saw it that way. Marshall loved his family more than anything. And maybe anyone. He’d do anything for them and had said as much. Even if it meant hurting her in the process, she guessed. Lessons learned the hard way.
“A toast.” Ivy raised her glass high.
“What could we possibly be toasting?” She gave her a long side-eye.
“Love, silly, and its many facets.”
Callie raised her glass and she followed suit, “A passionate sex, love and its burning, healing, all confusing facets.”
Callie raised her glass again, “Another toast.”
“At this rate, we’ll be spending summer with a major hangover.” But Juniper raised her glass anyway.
“To sisters of the heart and family.”
“To my sisters of the heart. Both of you. And fuck men.” She eyed each of them and let them see how much they both meant to her.
“The ones that will help hide the body and never forget to pack the shovels.”
“Callie, I don’t know what I would do without you.”
They spent the rest of the night talking of old boyfriends, sighed over the days gone by of teenage puppy love and instalove. She looked around at the smiling faces and came to realize places didn’t make the memories. People did. Ivy’s home, her home, it was all a shell that could change but the people in it and by her side could never be replaced.
Hours blended together, and one bottle turned into two. Sometime well after midnight, Callie and Ivy made their way to bed as Juniper watched the moonshine play out over the Pacific.
Tomorrow would be a better day but tonight she gave her heart permission to hurt one last time.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Juniper. Juniper, wake up.” Firm hands shook her and she recognized Callie’s voice.
“Why what’s wrong?” The entire world pitched forward as if ten drunk ballerinas danced in her head. She peeled an eye open and immediately regretted it. She fisted her hand into a nearby pillow and yanked it to cover her face.
Too much light. “Someone, kill the sunlight already.”
“She’s awake,” Callie bellowed and Juniper sprang up from the couch, and the memories of the night before tumbled out.
She forgot about the light killing her eyeballs when an earthquake shook her fully awake.
Callie jumped on one end of the couch, Ivy on the other. They looked way too chirpy for killing two bottles of whiskey a few hours before.
“Juniper, wake up.”
“I am. How do you expect me to sleep through all your noise? Aren’t you a little old to get so excited over nothing?” She bundled her pillow and tossed it with no real aim. “Now go back to sleep already.”
“Uhh, not this time we’re not. Come on, you gotta see this. Move your ass, woman!” Ivy pulled and Callie flung her blanket off.
“Okay. I’m up. What is so damn important? Is the house on fire?”
She blinked rapidly until the blurred vision of Ivy’s living room came into focus.
The front door burst open and her mom came barreling through with Gran in tow.
“Turn on the TV.”
“Good morning, Mom, Gran.” Juniper passed hugs around, aware she must smell like a distillery.
