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Chapter 4
Maria pulled down the wooded driveway and parked behind Fiona’s minivan. She gave an amused snort, thinking about the vampy rock star driving around in a very unsexy kid-mobile. The ladies were gathering at Allie’s since she wasn’t feeling up to going out.
Maria knocked, and without waiting for a reply, pushed open the front door.
“We’re in here!” Liss shouted from the kitchen.
Making her way through the foyer, Maria saw the kitchen was bustling with activity. Liss operated the blender, a series of margarita glasses lined up on the counter next to her. Fiona scooped guacamole into a bowl and Dani, Cam’s sister, pulled something cheesy and bubbling out of the oven.
At the head of the table, Allie sat wrapped in a blanket, a colorful scarf wound around her head. She sipped a cup of tea, looking peaceful but frail.
“Hey, chica bonita,” Maria said, kissing Allie’s pale cheek.
“It’s our favorite badass bitch,” Dani said, smiling. “Welcome back.”
“Thanks,” Maria said, depositing her dish on the counter, far away from Lissa’s margarita mess.
“Oh, what did you bring?” Fiona asked, peeking under the foil.
“They’re actually called Maria cookies. My abuela’s recipe. I think I’m named after the cookie, not the saint,” she joked.
“That would make more sense,” Dani said.
Everyone laughed, and Maria felt a warm sense of belonging. She’d never really had a female friend group before, and it was surprisingly fun. After growing up with two older brothers and then becoming a Marine, she’d been surrounded by men, and had mostly been good with that. She hadn’t known what she was missing until Lissa dragged her into this lively sisterhood.
“So, Fiona, are you excited about the tour?” Maria asked, sipping from the glass Liss handed her.
“Oh, yeah. Of course, I feel a little guilty that I’m so excited. I mean, I love being a mom...”
“Don’t even, girl,” Allie interrupted. “You get to have a life beyond kids.”
“You need the balance. I run off to work some days,” Lissa added, taking a huge slurp out of her fancy glass.
Maria kept out of this part of the conversation. She didn’t think having kids was in the cards for her, so she really had nothing to add. An old, familiar sadness washed over her. It had softened to a dull ache over the years, but never fully disappeared. Her mind wandered as she sipped her drink and dipped a chip into the fresh guacamole.
“What about you, Maria? Are you excited to be coming with us?” Fiona asked.
Maria blinked, returning her attention to conversation. “Definitely. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go on tour with Madison Grace, one of the most famous rock bands in the world?”
“Jeez, Fi. What else is she going to say?” Dani teased, rolling her eyes.
Fiona’s cheeks blushed lightly, and Maria laughed.
“Well, I know Teag will be happy,” Fiona said, giving the group a mischievous smile before stuffing a cookie into her mouth.
It was Maria’s turn to roll her eyes. “Whatever. He’s a player.”
“He can be,” Fiona agreed.
“I hear a ‘but’ in your tone,” Maria said, wagging a finger at Fiona.
Fiona shrugged. “He asks Jake about you whenever you’re on assignment, and he was fishing for information about you tonight when he came over to babysit. I think he’s really interested.”
“Well, I know what happened to the last woman he was interested in, so…” Maria left her words hanging.
The reports in the tabloids had made Teagan out to be a callous prick who’d blacklisted a young, talented rising star after she broke things off with him.
Fiona scowled. “Don’t believe everything you read.”
