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Turns out in the end, the joke was on me.
She wanted me to pleasure every inch of her beautiful body. I wanted her to have my babies. I thought she was the one.
We were just kids, but what she did to me? It not only landed me in prison. It broke my fucking heart for life.
One silver lining to an otherwise dark and ominous cloud that threatened to swallow me whole…What she did to me landed me in a place I could be found by the Bachman Brotherhood. I joined the family as soon as Rockland asked me.
They were there to pick up the pieces after I fell apart. They truly have become my brothers. Blood is thicker than water. But what we have is thicker than blood.
Rowan knows I’m thinking about her. Ten years later.
Breaking into my silence, he holds up his whiskey in a cheers. “Anyway. Gotta live in the moment. You know what I mean?”
He’s right. I push her memory away, focusing on the evening ahead of me. I raise my glass, clinking gently with his. “We earned this drink after the week we had.”
His grin spreads slowly as his gaze fills with pride. “Hell, yeah, we did. Bottoms up.”
“Bottoms up.” We tip our glasses, draining the last of our amber liquor in celebration.
Paige cruises by, catching my eye as she flits from guest to guest.
“Tell me,” I ask him after she passes. “Have you heard anything?”
He clinks the ice against his empty glass. “’Bout what?” A server comes by, taking the glass, offering a replacement.
“Bronson and Paige want to grab me for a solo chat.” I catch his eye. “In the library.”
“Oh. Right.” The fresh glass doesn’t make it all the way to his lips. His hand hovers, holding the glass in the air.
And the motherfucker just stares at me.
He knows something.
My stomach drops. “What?”
four
7:45p.m. After Paisley’s made the rounds downstairs at her parents’ cocktail event
Paisley
Since my big day is tomorrow, they didn’t expect too much of me tonight, but I’ve put in the effort. Threw on the teal-and-pink-patterned Melloday tiered party dress, the one with the frilly mock neck and no sleeves—so not my style—but Mom likes it on me. Donned wavy silver hoops and three coats of mascara.
I go to say my hellos to the handful of ladies that are downstairs, carefully avoiding any and all burly mafia men ‘cause I’m a girl’s girl. I meet Jinx as well as a handful of other reality television stars my mother is hosting tonight. Mom loves hosting, and socializing with them is a side hobby of hers.
Mom sneaks me a second glass of champagne in gratitude for showing up and wearing the frilly-necked dress. I nibble on a cheese board. There are no sweets laid out. Not even a bowl of those pastel butter mints with the tiny silver spoon so you don’t get germs on them.
Thomas always puts his hand in the bowl even when you remind him about the spoon. He’s got a penis, so he’s allowed to go out with his friends that came in from the city with their parents and play glow-in-the-dark disc golf with his friends. Okay—it’s not a sexist thing, it’s just that it’s my party tomorrow so I should be the one to thank them for coming into town.
And, as my friends all moved on after high school, I’ve none to sneak off with and currently, no social life of my own. After politely visiting my guests, luckily avoiding all cheek pinching, I go back upstairs.
With my mom snooping around with her supernatural mom sense, there’s nothing to do but sleep and wait for tomorrow. I change into my comfy jogger sweatpants, put my hair up in a ponytail. Wash my face. Slather my skin with the new face cream my mom swears by. She’s now onto acetyl hexapeptide-8 as her main ingredient for skincare. It’ll be something different next month. A few weeks ago, it was mucus from snail trails. Blech.
I brush my teeth twice, using an anticavity toothpaste—all those gummies from earlier—then follow it up with a purple mouthwash that’s all the rage and supposed to make your teeth whiter.
Mom and I both know the real secret to a truly bright smile is as much time spent on the coast of Greece as possible.
Now, to slip under the covers and pick up where I left off in my book.
