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I wished I’d been able to do that for him back then. Unfortunately, I’d been in my own trauma, and though I still wasn’t better by any sense of the word, I was stronger. I could be strong and be there for him. He wouldn’t lose out on his Christmas because of me, and this was me returning the favor for all those easy smiles. For all that kindness he so effortlessly gave. It had meant the world to that broken, fucked-up girl back then.
It had meant everything.
CHAPTER NINE
Ares
I didn’t know what I’d been about to say to Red on the shuttle that morning. I guess I’d been confused why she’d said she was going to come. I may have said I had no problem, but I certainly hadn’t meant that. I guess I assumed, regardless of what I said, she wouldn’t go.
I assumed wrong.
Going to talk to her had been impulsive, but I wanted to question her and establish that hard line. Red had gotten ideas in her head about us before, and I wanted to clear up any confusion. She and I weren’t anything, and we were never going to be anything.
I think that’d been what I was going to say.
I honestly didn’t fucking know, and she avoided my ass like she already knew that hard line. She appeared to be establishing it herself, and though I hadn’t heard what Bru had been saying to her at the back of the shuttle, I figured he’d been trying to give her an out. That was something he’d do, but nothing must have come of it. Red did go with us to the airport on this trip, and right away, I got separated from her and my friends. My parents may have gotten us all on the same flight as the rest of the Legacy families, but they had me sitting at the back of fucking economy.
I supposed I got the extra ticket they purchased.
I was being punished by my family, but I anticipated this. What I hadn’t anticipated was being separated from everyone, again, on our layover. There was some confusion with my ticket, and I’d been placed on another plane for the second flight. Something about overbooking.
“Sorry, critter,” my mom said when delivering the news to me. She and Dad were the only ones to greet me when I finally got from the back of the fucking plane. Apparently, the guys and everyone else were rushing to get on their second plane, which left my ass at the airport.
Once more, I was being punished.
Of course, I said nothing. I nodded, and I was happy Mom hadn’t seemed as pissed at me. She’d been running her hand through my hair when she called me by her nickname for me, and Dad let her for a bit before nudging them both along. I couldn’t get much of a read off him, but he did tell me to check in as soon as I boarded. He wanted to hear from me, which was good.
I had a lot of time to think on that plane by myself, and I did a lot of fucking thinking. There were a lot of things that needed to be said, and I had yet to say them. I had my reasons for basically hurting everyone I’d ever loved. I had a lot of collateral damage on my hands, but the worst by far rested with one person.
Why did you do that? Think that?
My thoughts had automatically placed Fawn amongst the ranks with my family and friends. I did that, and I couldn’t fucking do that.
Dangerous.
It was the only word that kept coming to mind when I thought of her. Danger. Pure and unadulterated.
And you’re fucking toxic.
Swallowing, I stared out the window of a Tesla, my ride from the airport to the Reeds’. I’d been given the address for the property and got to sit with more thoughts on my way there in the rideshare I got.
I closed my eyes to them, trying to think about anything else but Fawn fucking Greenfield and what I’d done to her. There were so many other things to think about, but for some reason, I was holding my fucking breath until I did get to the Reeds’.
Until I saw the shuttle.
It was a second one and different from the one that’d taken my family and friends to the airport. It was one that was supposed to be there, and I knew for a fact it had taken everyone who’d been on that first flight to the Reeds’. It had because I’d arranged it.
I ran my tongue in a dry mouth, my focus moving to the property my Tesla pulled up in front of. How Thatch and Bow’s parents had managed to get a mansion in the middle of fucking nowhere South Carolina was beyond me, but they had. It had a body of water alongside it, docile and temperate, and the whole thing was nestled amongst a never-ending landscape of tall trees. The house itself kind of reminded me of the Reeds’ own home in Maywood Heights. Large brick home, columns. The place looked like it had stepped out of time, and the environment was basically jacket weather. It was enough to never make me go back to the Midwest during the winter again. It was cold enough to freeze a guy’s dick off back there right now.
My mother definitely had something about moving the Christmas festivities over here. I was sure the decision was made by her, Dad, and the other parents, and the holidays appeared in full bloom here. Dusk was bringing out the brightness of the holiday lights on the white brick home. The place was dripping with them, and each set of windows held an evergreen wreath and silver bow.
I thanked my driver before getting out, a feat in itself since I was stiff as fuck. The back of economy had been a bitch on me.
Adjusting, I passed the shuttle outside of the house, and there was movement on it. I peered in and noticed Dorian and his dad in there. They were getting bags, and I waited by the bus until they were standing in front of me.
Dorian and his pops, Royal, looked like fucking twins, and it was always a surprise to not see him in a suit. He always wore one in the business he was in, investment banking, but today, he was dressed down in a sweater. The Prinze family owned the majority of the banks in Maywood Heights.
His hands full, Royal offered me an arm nudge when he passed me and was one of the rare parents who hadn’t scowled when they saw me at the airport. The parents had all clearly caught wind of what I’d done, and those who didn’t give scowls (the moms mostly) just looked sad and disappointed. Wells’s mom, Cleo, couldn’t even look at me.
