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I almost choke on my own saliva. “What? Oh God, I’ll never look at him the same.”
“It must be a guy thing. Austin enjoys it too.”
“Um, you guys are weird, and this conversation is weird.”
Ava huffs. “Knowing that Masen is a former playboy, I’m sure he has his preferences in the bedroom too.”
“Yeah,” I mumble, remembering tonight before dinner. My immediate assumption of the woman at his apartment was that he was sleeping with her. Boy, was I wrong. Another fuck up on my end. “Or bathroom at Mom and Dad’s place, his office, parking garage …”
A hand smacks my arm, causing me to scowl. “Ava, that hurt!”
“I’m just so excited you unleashed your dirty side. Masen is like a brother, so don’t give me any more details but his office? That’s hot.”
“I fucked Will once in his office …” Millie trails off, then continues. “While Dad called.”
Ava and I gasp at the same time.
“Poor Dad.” Ava giggles.
“Poor Dad?” Millie repeats. “The man is notorious for screwing our mother whenever and wherever. Why is his sex drive not slowing down? No wonder Alexa is desperate to move out.”
“So basically, we’re genetically made up of two dirty people, and therefore it’s in our blood to get our kink on,” I say.
“You said it, sister,” Ava quips.
I take a deep breath, but then tonight comes back like a nightmare, unwilling to fade away into the night.
“You guys, what am I going to do?”
Millie sighs heavily. “You allow yourself to feel the pain. It’ll hurt, make you feel like you can’t breathe, and then you’ll wake up one day and know exactly what you’re going to do.”
“Are you sure?”
“It might be tomorrow, the day after, next week, or next month. There is no time on mending a broken heart,” Millie says faintly. “But that moment will hit when you know you can’t live without them.”
My sisters don’t leave my side for the rest of the night. I count my blessings, and two of them are holding onto me for dear life. I’m not sure what I’d do without them, realizing the importance of family when your darkest hour has finally struck.
Millie was right. I felt all the emotions she said I would and more. I stayed in Manhattan for a few days, distracting myself with Millie and Ava’s children. There’s nothing like a trip to the zoo with three kids and two crying babies. The number of times we stopped for feeding and diaper changes was next level.
I do everything possible to not think about Masen, but the pain refuses to subside. As days pass, my mistakes shine brighter in the light. He’s not to blame entirely, and I’m far from perfect. Love has made me do crazy things. If this is love, I understand everything Mom said. The question is, am I fighting for us to stay together, and will this fight be a lifetime of heartache or the start to a new beginning.
Back in LA, I continue to stay at Mom and Dad’s before confronting Cruz again. His actions in all of this aren’t innocent, but I recognize his pain too. I just don’t know how to approach him right now, barely able to hold myself together.
It’s another late night with insomnia welcoming me to the dark side. Wearing my slippers and robe, I shuffle to the kitchen to find Mom and Dad laughing quietly. I still my movements, watching how Dad gazes at her lovingly as she tells a story. Before entering, I clear my throat.
“Addison, come sit with us,” Mom offers.
“I’m not interrupting, am I?”
Dad motions for me to sit beside them. “It’s been nice having you back. Though I don’t know the full extent to why you’re back.”
As I sit down, my eyes fall upon my hands resting on the table. “It’s complicated.”
“Does the complication have anything to do with the incident at After Dark?”
It’s impossible to hide anything from this man, but unlike my sisters, I’m not scared of his reaction. Dad is Dad in my eyes. He’ll have an opinion, but I know he’ll never stop loving me.
“Yes,” I answer, then intake a deep breath. “I’ve always promised myself that when the time came, I’d think rationally and not allow my life to be dictated by raw emotions. Yet, here we are …”
