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A small Kingston army. They’ve always been so tightly knit, and I’ve always envied that.
To know you have these people who will always stand by you.
Who will always love you.
Who will always know you better than you know yourself.
That will never be Haley and me.
* * *
Sawyer -6 Years Ago
Offering to have the luncheon at my restaurant after Dad’s funeral seemed like a no-brainer at the time. Closing the place for the day and hosting what seems like the entire city of Philadelphia might not have been so bad if I wasn’t trying to keep myself busy. I’m not sure whether I’ve stopped moving since we got here, even though my manager has it completely under control.
But maybe that’s a good thing. No time to stop means no time to think.
Not about the argument I had with Dad the day before he died.
Not about the fact that my newest stepmother, Ashlyn, is pregnant with a baby who’ll never know our dad, or the way Max stepped up as Jace’s guardian. Lenny’s already got her ticket for the first flight out of here tomorrow so she can get back to Cambridge. And forget about the fact that Dad’s lawyer informed us the other day there’s a long-lost sibling of ours out there somewhere.
It feels like our family is falling apart.
“Hey.” A glass of red wine is placed in front of me, and the spicy scent I’ve only ever known to belong to Wren Davenport envelops me. She stands in front of me in a standard black funeral dress. It has a big, open neckline and shows off just a hint of her chest and her tiny little waist before the skirt flares out around her legs. She’s got that perfect hourglass figure that could bring a man to his knees. “How are you feeling?”
I look around us and realize people have started leaving, then take the offered wine. “Thanks. It’s been a long day.”
She smiles a sad smile. “I’m sure it has. Everyone who’s anyone in Philadelphia society came out to pay their respects today.” She looks around the dining room, then back to me, and leans in and whispers, “I doubt half these people even knew your dad, or that he actually liked most of them. John wasn’t exactly the most welcoming to outsiders.” She laughs, but then she realizes what she just did and stops.
I grip the delicate, soft skin of her shoulder and trace the freckles there, then smile for the first time all day. “Have I ever told you how much I love your laugh?”
I can answer my own damn question.
No. I haven’t.
We don’t say nice things to each other.
We never have.
Maybe it’s time to fix that.
The crazy electricity zapping between my palm and her skin should make me pull back. But as I take in the overwhelmingness of today, I don’t think, and I don’t fight.
Instead, I lean in and tuck a lock of her thick, copper hair behind her ear. “Wanna get out of here? I’m over dealing with people today.”
“You said the magic words. I’m definitely peopled out.” Her green eyes shine with a glint of excitement, like I’m daring her to do something she shouldn’t, before she holds her hand out for me. “Where to?”
“Do you trust me?” I question.
“Absolutely not.” She doesn’t hesitate. “But you’re kinda cute when you’re pitiful, so lead the way.”
Absolutely not.
And she shouldn’t.
Never trust a liar.
“Pitiful?” I take her hand in mine and ignore the attraction surging between us, then tug her along behind me through the kitchen. I stop at the back door and shake my head at the beautiful smile on her face. “I’m not pitiful,” I insist, even if it’s a lie. Leave it to Red. “Always gotta call me out on my shit, huh?” I pull her through the door, then crowd her against the wall of the building in the alleyway behind it.
