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7
Doe
Standing in front of my mirror, I turned back and forth, trying to tell if my ass looked too big in the little black dress I had on. I rarely wore them, and I wasn’t exactly comfortable in this one. It showed off my arms too much with the spaghetti straps and ended a few inches above midthigh, displaying far more skin than I was used to.
“You look hot,” Piper assured me from the computer screen. We were on a video call so she could help me pick what to wear. She was a popular rocker and was considered one of the best-dressed celebs in the world. I trusted her opinion on clothes—for herself.
For me? I didn’t really trust anyone’s input.
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “Are you sure it doesn’t look like I’m trying too hard?”
“No, it looks like a beautiful girl is going on a date with a guy who is lucky she even glanced his way,” my cousin assured me. “You’re absolutely gorgeous in that dress, and with your hair down like that, you are, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever set eyes on.”
“What if this is too dressy for our date?” I worried. “Maybe we’re just going to grab a burger or—”
“Doe.” Piper’s sharp voice cut me off. “Listen to me. You look amazing. That guy is going to take one look at you, and one of two things will happen. His jaw will hit the ground, and he may need medical attention to reattach it. Or his tongue will glue to the roof of his mouth, and he will stop breathing. Either way, he’s going to think he’s the luckiest man in the world. The universe… No, the freaking galaxy.”
Her overembellishment made me giggle, and I sat down at my desk to give her my full attention.
“Thanks, Piper. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“That goes both ways, cuz,” she said with a smile. “Now, if you’re done freaking out, I have to get ready for this event tonight.”
“I’m here if you need to vent afterward,” I promised, knowing that anytime she had to deal with Cannon Cage, she always needed to release some steam. Their relationship had improved a little over the last year or so, but not so much that she didn’t want to beat him to death with her violin.
“It will be way too late to call you tonight. This charity concert is expected to last until at least one in the morning Pacific time. But don’t be surprised if I call you tomorrow.”
“I’m available anytime you need me.”
“Go,” she said, shooing me with her hands. “And I want all the details tomorrow.”
Blowing her a kiss, I ended our call, but I still had another half an hour before Jenner was supposed to pick me up. Grabbing my phone, I snapped a few selfies and sent them to my brothers in our group chat.
Jackson: Holy shit.
Bryant: Dad is going to kill someone.
LJ: Where the fuck are you going without one of us there to go with you?
All three texts hit my phone at almost the exact same time, but no sooner had I finished reading the last one than my phone rang. It was Jackson calling, but I knew that all three of them would be on the line. Laughing, I answered, but before I could greet my brothers, they were already talking.
“You look so pretty,” Jackson cut in while the other two were getting hysterical in the background. “Did that dumbass bodyguard finally pull his head out of his ass and ask you out?”
“Don’t call him names,” I warned. “But, yes. Jenner is taking me out tonight.”
“What does Dad say about this?” Bryant demanded.
“I’m eighteen years old. There’s not much he can say.”
“Eighteen or eighty, you’re our baby, and you need to be protected at all costs,” LJ spoke up. “No way Dad just agreed to let you go on a date with some guy we barely know.”
“Well, he did,” I said with a huff. “And he knows Jenner well enough. He works for Aunt Emmie’s son-in-law. Don’t tell me she doesn’t know everything about him down to his blood type. Mom and Dad probably know more about him than I do at this point.”
“She’s right,” Jackson cut them off when they tried to argue more. “Now, leave her alone. You two are going to spoil her night.”
“Sorry,” Bryant muttered.
“Yeah, sorry, Doe,” LJ seconded. “We just don’t want anything to happen to you, baby sis.”
“It’s fine. I’m used to you three being overprotective Neanderthals,” I told them with a roll of my eyes, even though they couldn’t see me. Typically, it was Bryant and LJ who were more over the top than Jackson. My eldest brother and I were a little closer, and when the other two made either of us mad, we liked to say that since the two of them were identical, they shared not only the same face, but the same brain at times.
“Have fun tonight,” Jackson encouraged. “But if he does anything to make you uncomfortable, you let us know. We’ll bury his ass on the farm, and no one will ever find him.”
Heat filled my face as I remembered what Jenner and I had done the night before on Luca’s couch. If anything, I wanted more of that. Much, much more.
“Doe, did you hear me?” Jackson said louder when I didn’t answer him.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said with a laugh. “You will be the first to know.” Not. Definitely not. Jenner would never do anything I didn’t feel comfortable with. I might not have known much about him, but I did know that. He was a good guy, definitely better than any other clown who lived in West Bridge whom I wasn’t related to.
“All right, then,” Bryant said with a heavy sigh. “Let’s get to something more important than whether or not we might have to bury a body. Doe, are you still going to that appointment on Monday?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation, and all three of them cursed.
“You still haven’t told the parents?”
“No, LJ. I told you, this is just an initial visit. I’m not planning on telling anyone about it until I know for sure.” I stood, smoothing out my skirt, and gave myself one more glance in the mirror. I still wasn’t completely comfortable with what I was wearing, but I did think I looked nice.
I only hoped Jenner reacted to the sight of me as Piper had predicted.
“I’m not pitching this week,” Jackson spoke up. “How about I fly home tomorrow and go with you?”
“What? No! Then Mom will wonder what’s going on.” Groaning, I turned away from my reflection and walked over to the window. “I told you three. This is something I have to do on my own.”
“But, Doe, isn’t this shit scary? The tests—” Bryant broke off when I shushed him.
“No, the tests aren’t scary. It’s just a simple blood test,” I assured him—for at least the twentieth time. “If they come back saying that I’m a match, then the procedure might be. I’m not really sure what that will entail. I plan on asking detailed questions at my appointment.”
“And if you are a match?” LJ reasoned. “What do you plan on telling Mom? After everything she went through when she was younger…”
“That’s why this is important to me,” I whispered, a knot forming in my throat as I remembered the tears in our mother’s eyes when she’d told us for the first time about her childhood illness, how she’d nearly died of leukemia. If Uncle Liam and Dad hadn’t made a public plea for their fans to be tested to see if they were a bone marrow match, they might not have found a donor in time. “Guys, I know you don’t understand my need to do this. All I’m asking is for you to have my back. If you can’t do that—”
“We will always have your back!” Jackson exploded. “We’re just worried about you. What if something happens to you during this whole thing? Doe, you’re like our superglue. You hold all of us together.”
A laugh burst out of me at his analogy. “Really? Superglue?”
“It’s all I could come up with,” he grumbled.
“Ah, don’t be like that. I thought it was sweet.” Through my curtains, I saw Jenner pull into the driveway, and my heart fluttered. “I have to go. Jenner is here.”
“But we aren’t done talking about this,” Bryant argued.
“Yes, we are,” I snipped. “I’m doing this, and there isn’t anything any of you can do to stop me. And before you even think about trying, remember that I know all your secrets. You ruin this for me, and I’ll make sure the entire world knows each and every one of them.”
I heard all three of them inhale sharply and felt a flash of guilt for a moment. But then I strengthened my spine.
“You would do that?” Jackson choked out.
“Not all your secrets,” I amended, knowing that telling some things would be crossing a line. He released a relieved breath. “But there are some I won’t hesitate to tell.”
“Okay, okay.” LJ was the first to give in. “But you better keep us informed every step of the way, baby sis.”
“Of course I will,” I confirmed. “You know I tell you three everything, no matter what.”
“Fine,” Bryant muttered, sounding anything but happy. “As soon as you get out of that appointment Monday, we better be the first ones you call.”
“You will be.”
“Doe…” Jackson sounded pouty, and I knew I’d spooked him.
“There are some things I will take to my grave,” I vowed. “No matter how upset you make me, I will never breathe a word of that secret, Jackson. It’s yours to tell.”
“Right,” he said, clearing his throat loudly. “I know that. I just…”
“I love you. All three of you. I’ll text you later.”
“As soon as you get home,” Bryant instructed.
“Maybe. I’m not making any promises. And it’s not like any of you text me when you get home from a date.”
“None of those are worth mentioning,” LJ countered. “This is different. It’s you.”
