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“I told you,” Kyle says. “Crazy shit happenin’ in this town.”
There was a minimum of one shooting each shift in Chicago. I witnessed shit I’ll never forget. I lost shit I’d thought I’d never lose.
The scars are there.
And I have scars here.
Two women ruined me.
One I gave my heart to.
The other who punished me for it.
Seven
Lauren
I’m struckwith a blast of air-conditioning when I climb into the passenger seat of Willow’s luxury SUV. My head throbs, and I use my hand to shield my eyes from the sun’s reminder of the idiotic choices I made last night.
“Please tell me you have a spare pair of sunglasses.” My plea is wrapped around a groan, and a sigh leaves me when she tosses a pair in my lap. “You’re my favorite person in the world.”
Willow looks from Gage’s house and then to me as I slide the glasses on. “Morning, sunshine. And whose home is this?”
The loft was empty when I woke up. The view of Gage’s truck in the driveway sent my anxiety into overdrive. I had to get out of there in case he decided to make a visit and have a conversation about last night. Facing him hungover wasn’t happening.
Not only was seeing him a problem, but what I felt was, too. I slept better on that old, ratty couch than I had in my own bed. That terrified me.
My phone on the coffee table reminded me that Gage had never given it back last night. When I grabbed it, I found he’d texted both my mom and Alec, letting them know I’d made it to my destination safely.
Willow was my first call, and luckily, she was available to save me.
“A friend’s,” I answer.
“A friend with a vagina or cock?”
I was well aware questions would be asked by whoever picked me up this morning. Everyone in my family knows my history with Gage and where he lives. Willow was my safest option. Sure, she’d ask if I had a one-night stand, but she wouldn’t think it was with him.
Still, a subject change is in order.
“Thank you for the ride.”
She shakes her head. “I’ll let you evade that question for now since you look like you were ran over. I owe you for all the trips you made for me back and forth from the airport. Plus, your brother practically kicked me out of the house to have some me-slash-girls’ time. He and Samuel are having a daddy-son day, and Maven is hanging out with your mom at some bake sale.”
Willow and my oldest brother, Dallas, had a one-night stand nearly a year ago. He was having a hard time with moving on with his life after losing his wife to breast cancer. Somehow, Willow broke through his wall one night. Fast-forward a few months, and Willow was trying to hide her pregnancy from him. Her boss and best friend, Stella, is dating my other brother, Hudson, and he overheard Willow spilling the beans to her.
Now, Willow and Dallas live together and take care of Samuel, their new baby, and Dallas’s daughter, Maven. Willow was a saving grace to Dallas and our family. She’s cool as hell, so I scooped her up as a best friend.
“You’re a kick-ass mom,” I say.
Let’s keep this convo on babies.
Her lips arch into a smile. “I don’t know how great I’d be without your brother. He’s an amazing father who doesn’t mind changing diapers. I hit the baby-daddy jackpot.”
Their happiness fills my heart with joy. Our family is tight-knit, and we always look out for one another. If one of us is hurting, we’re all hurting.
She glances over at me. Her red hair is pulled into a messy bun, and her sunglasses cover nearly half of her pale and freckled face. “So, I have to ask, did you catch our apartment building on fire?”
“No!” I throw my hands up. “Jesus, how can people even question that?”
