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A small rectangle-shaped infinity pool takes up most of the space on the balcony with four loungers strategically placed to one side. Soft blue and green lights light up the pool in an ethereal glow. Tall, thick glass panels act as the only barrier between the balcony and air.
Las Vegas glitters in the predawn light, a spectrum of color lights up the night sky and just the barest wisp of a dry breeze wafts into the room. It’s an incredible sight. Can you imagine what this looks like from the air? I wouldn't be surprised if Sin City is a bright spot from space. It's beautiful in a chaotic sort of way.
A little seed of hope sprouts. I push my shoulders back and stare at the cityscape, wondering where Leo is right now. Determination settles in my bones, and I know that I won’t leave Las Vegas without him. It might be a fool’s confidence, but my dad always told me to fake it until I make it. And his advice has never let me down.
With my dad fresh on my mind, I remember that I need to call my mom. Slipping my phone out of my pocket, I sit on a lounger on the balcony. Aries leans a shoulder against the wall just inside the room, his eyes on the skyline but I can feel his attention on me. I can hear Dante and Matteo’s murmured conversation from somewhere inside too.
I decide to call Lainey first, since she’s the easiest to talk to. All the time spent with my men—whoa. That thought stills my hand on my phone. My men.
My lungs expand as I pull in a deep, satisfied breath at the thought of them being mine. I can feel the grin spread across my face, and I’m sure it looks smug as hell. I roll my lips inward, because I am feeling a little smug. I mean, I think anyone in my position would be. When all this is over, and we’re back in New York, Lainey and I are going to have to have a serious gossip session. I know I need someone to talk to about my . . . unique situation, and I imagine she feels the same way.
I shake my head to get me back on track. Phone calls.
I dial Lainey, and her phone rings five times before going to voicemail. I should’ve known. It’s like five o’clock in the morning—if she’s still in the city. Shock pops my bubble for a moment just as her voicemail beeps.
“Hey, babe, it’s me. I just realized that I have no idea where you are. And I’m too tired to look back on our texts, but I’ve been a shit friend. I’m sorry. Anyway, long story short, I’m in Las Vegas. And I thought I should tell someone, so call me back when you get this! Love you!”
I hang up and blow out a breath, pushing up my sleeves. One down, two to go. Pulling up my sister’s contact information, I hover over her name before I switch over to texts.
Hey! Just thought I’d let you know I’m out of town. I ended up going on a last-minute trip to Las Vegas, but I’ll be home soon. Let’s grab dinner together soon. I miss you.
I give her a minute, but when I still don’t see those bouncing balls indicating she’s typing a reply, I close out of my texts. I’m sure she’s sleeping too. I bet she’ll see it in a few hours when she wakes up, and then she’ll write me back. Hopefully.
Just one person left. I bite my lip and square my shoulders, exhaling a breath as I click on the phone icon over my mother’s name. She picks up on the second ring, which startles me into silence. I really wasn’t expecting her to answer.
“Madison?” It’s loud wherever she is, voices and music nearly drown her voice out.
I clear my throat. “Mom? Mom, where are you?”
“Madison, why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”
Her question feels more like a reprimand than a curiosity, and I curl my fingers around the edge of the lounger. “I haven’t talked to you in a while, and I wanted to check-in on you.”
“Hang on, I can’t hear you.” Rustling fills the line as the noise lessens. “Okay. I’m in another room. Is something wrong? Is your sister okay?”
I grit my teeth as her questions pick at the old wound that is the relationship I have with my mother. Of course the first thing she thinks of is my sister. Shit, maybe I’m not being fair. Maybe if Mary had been the one calling, she’d ask about me.
“She’s fine. I wanted to tell you that I went out of town.”
I can’t explain why I didn’t tell her where I was. I already told Lainey and Mary, so it’s not like I was keeping it a secret. But something urged me to keep that little detail to myself, and I’m not sure if it was out of spite or something else.
“Madison, hello?”
I lean forward in my chair and speak a little louder. “Mom? Can you hear me?”
“Madison, I was in the middle of something, so if there’s nothing wrong—”
“Mom!”
“Jesus, Madison, what? What are you calling for?” Her voice snaps like a whip, ripping open the old scars.
I grit my teeth and focus on the mosaic tile around the pool. There are four different shades of blue, a citrus orange, and a sugar lemon yellow. The pattern proves a nice distraction from the rising tide of suppressed emotions my mother brings out of me. “Nothing, Mom. Just wanted to tell you that I went out of town for a few days.”
“You’re an adult, Madison. You’re free to go wherever you want.” Her words slur together, but it doesn’t lessen the sting of her indifference.
People are wrong when they say hate is the opposite of love. It’s indifference. I’m not being fair, and I know it. I know my mother loves me in her own way, but the problem is, she’s always loved herself so much more.
I flinch and feel the back of my neck flush. “I know that, Mom. I wanted to let someone know, just in case something happened. Or you needed me for something. But it sounds like you’re not even home.”
