“JJ,” I yell.
“Yeah?”
I got home from Vault thirty minutes ago, took a quick shower, tossed my hair in a knot on top of my head, and applied a light layer of mascara before stepping out of the bathroom, only I didn’t make it far because there’s a big pink box sitting on my bed, with an equally big bow, and it most certainly was not there when I got home.
“What’s this?”
A few seconds later he walks into my room. “That came while you were in the shower.”
“I figured that much, but what is it? Who sent it?”
“Really?” he admonishes, and I turn to look at him. “You have to ask? I don’t even know, and I already know.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m guessing it’s from the same guy who called me at the ass crack of dawn last week and demanded I bring you a change of clothes.”
I grin, remembering how much fun my surprise was.
“Thank you for that.”
JJ rolls his eyes. “I wasn’t going to do it, but he’s convincing, and I actually like the guy.”
My smile grows, and then I remember that with JJ’s crazy work schedule, I never got to tell him about what Rex did.
“He took me on a bike ride and had a group of strangers sing happy birthday to me.”
“Didn’t he just have a skating party for you?”
I nod. “He did.”
Shaking his head, JJ sits on the edge of my bed. “The guy has it bad.”
My eyes go all misty. “It was sweet.”
“Disgustingly so. And you have it worse. Wipe that look off your face, and open the damn box.”
“Maybe if you took the time to get to know one of your many conquests, you could find someone disgustingly sweet to dote on you.”
“For your information, I enjoy my conquests,” he says, using air quotes. “When I’m ready to settle down, I will. But for now, would you open the damn box?”
“Open what box? What are we talking about?” Erin walks into my room, chomping on a brownie.
“There better be more where that came from,” JJ says, eyeing the gooey piece of chocolaty goodness in her hand.
“Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. How about you tell me the name of the girl I saw making the walk of shame through our living room at five o’clock this morning?”
“What?” My mouth hangs open as I look from Erin to JJ. Her hip is jutted out as she waits for an answer, but JJ is tight-lipped.
“There’s an entire pan of double fudge brownies somewhere in this house, and as soon as you tell me who the mystery woman was, I’ll tell you where to find it,” Erin says, licking chocolate from her fingers.
JJ scowls. “You’re playing dirty.”
She is playing dirty, and I love it. JJ has an addiction to brownies. They’re guaranteed to get him to squeal.
Eyes locked on JJ as I wait for him to cave, I hold out a fist. Erin bumps it with hers.
“Fine,” he growls. “Her name is Lauren, but she wasn’t making the walk of shame.”
“Oooh, Lauren. I like that.”
Erin lifts a brow. “Sure looked like the walk of shame to me.”
“We work together. She came over to help me with a project, and we stayed up late talking. She fell asleep. Nothing happened. End of story.”
I shake my head. “Nope. Sorry. Try again.”
“Excuse me?”
“She’s right,” Erin agrees. “You don’t bring girls home. Ever. Not with us in the house. Not to fuck and certainly not to talk.”
“She’s different.”
Erin and I both gasp, and he stands up, clearly frustrated.
“I mean I don’t look at her like that. I don’t want to fuck Lauren. She’s a cool chick.”
“Remember that whole getting-to-know-someone thing we talked about earlier?”
“I am getting to know her,” JJ insists. “As a friend. She isn’t my type at all. I look at her the way I look at you two.”
“Or maybe she’s exactly your type, but you’re too afraid to take a chance.”
“Maybe you should open the goddamn box.” JJ picks up the box and shoves it at me.
Erin sits cross-legged on the bed. “He’s right. Your love life is much more exciting. Open the box.”
I start pulling the bow off and JJ asks, “Are you going to tell me where the brownies are?”
“I didn’t really hide them. They’re on the kitchen counter. Now go.” Erin waves him off, and JJ scurries from the room as I lift the lid and set it aside.
Erin tries to peek in, but I push her aside and take out the envelope that’s laying on top.
Slipping my finger under the edge, I tear it open and pull out a note, along with a small silver key.
Shae,
A car will be waiting for you outside your building at seven-thirty. This key will open the door to the roof of my building. Meet me there. Bring the blanket and frosting. I have plans for both. See you soon.
Rex
I drop the letter, and Erin snatches it up as I reach inside the box. There’s a small purple tub with the familiar Sugar logo and a plush, white blanket.
“You’re so lucky,” she croons, holding the letter to her chest.
That’s pretty spot-on with how I feel. “So are you.”
“Jacob’s amazing, but we’ve been together for years, and he hasn’t done anything remotely this sweet.” Setting the letter down, she reaches for the frosting. “A tub of icing? What’re you going to do with that?”
“I’ll give you one guess.”
She studies the tub and turns to me, a gleam in her eyes. “Shae Black, you dirty girl.”
“What are we talking about?” JJ asks, returning to the bedroom, a brownie in each hand. “Oh good, you finally opened the box. Was I right? Was it from loverboy?”
“They’re going to have a romantic evening on the roof of Rex’s building,” Erin announces. “They’ll cuddle under the stars, and he’s going to lick chocolate fudge icing off her body.”
“Whoa, what?” JJ takes a step back. “Way too much information,” he says, continuing to step backward until he’s out of my room.
Folding the blanket, I tuck it back in the box along with the icing and stuff the key in my pocket.
“You better get moving.”
I glance at the clock. “Oh, shit. I bet the car is already here.” Grabbing the box, I slip on my shoes and hurry downstairs. Sure enough, a black town car is waiting out front.
An older gentleman sees me coming and takes a step forward. “Miss Black?”
“That’s me.”
He opens the door and I slide in, melting against the soft leather seats, and in a matter of seconds we’re weaving through the city traffic. It doesn’t take long to get to Rex’s, and when we arrive, the doorman smiles widely.
“Good evening, Miss Black. Mr. Ambrosi said you’d be coming by tonight.” He opens the door and ushers me into the quaint lobby. “You’re going to take the elevator to the fifteenth floor, and there will be a small staircase leading to the roof. Mr. Ambrosi gave you the key?”
I pat my pocket. “Got it right here.”
He nods, pressing the button for the elevator, and the door slides open. “Have a good evening, Miss Black.”
I follow the directions, getting off the elevator and climbing the stairs. Using the key Rex gave me, I unlock the door, push it open, and step out onto the roof, smiling when I see what he’s done.
The space is small, but beautiful. Strands of white lights are strung along the railings, providing enough light to see my way around. A wicker couch and chair are adorned with navy blue cushions, and there’s a round glass table with a stainless-steel bucket.
Unsure of what’s in it, I walk across the small space and peek inside to find a bottle of sauvignon blanc buried in ice.
For the second time in a week, my heart flutters with excitement. I place the frosting on the table next to the wine and pull the blanket from the box. Shaking it out, I curl up on the seat, my feet tucked under my butt, and wrap the cozy warmth around my legs.
The days here are gorgeous, but the evenings can be cool, especially sitting on a roof, several stories up. Tilting my head back, I gaze up at the sky. The sun sits low in the horizon, casting the city in an array of beautiful colors. Streaks of red, orange, and pink paint the sky, and when a gentle breeze rushes past, my eyes drift shut, and I pretend I’m back at the lake on one of my birthdays.
If I concentrate really hard, I can almost hear the movement of the water as it laps against the dock, but the sounds of crickets chirping and frogs croaking are long gone, replaced by the noise of the busy street below, and the moment passes almost as quickly as it came.
Anxious for Rex to get here, I pull out my phone and text him so he knows I’m waiting.
Me: I can’t believe you did this. It’s perfect. Now get up here and join me. This sunset is too magical to enjoy alone.
I wait for a reply, but it never comes. I sit staring at my phone, wondering how I got here. When I came back to Chicago, it was to try to jog my memory—and if I was lucky, find my brother. I still want that, but somewhere along the way, my purpose changed. Rex charged his way into my life, took hold, and hasn’t let go. I don’t think I want him to.
Maybe I’ve been looking at things the wrong way. It’s possible that Bianca DiMarco is long gone, buried with the rest of her family. Maybe just being free of the burdened part of Shae Black is enough. With a heavy heart, I wonder if that’s what I should do with the letter—bury it away and leave the past in the past. If I find out that my father did, in fact, cheat on my mother, it could ruin every memory I have of him. And I don’t want to taint them, because memories are all I have.
But can I walk away knowing I might have a living sibling?
I’m not sure I can.
But maybe—maybe—I can focus on me for a while. I can get through Erin’s wedding and the Ambrosis’ anniversary party and enjoy my time with Rex.
Rex.
A smile touches my lips. Closing my eyes, I replay our time together. It’s only been a few weeks, but I feel like I remember every laugh, every smile, every kiss, and boy oh boy have there been some amazing kisses.
A shiver runs through me, and when I open my eyes, the sun has made its descent and the crescent moon hangs against the dusky gray sky. Pulling the blanket up higher, I tuck it around my body and reach for my phone again just as the door to the roof opens.
“Hey.” Standing up, I wrap the blanket around my shoulders and walk straight into his arms. “I was just getting ready to message you. This is so perfect.” I kiss the center of his chest before resting my chin on it.
Rex’s eyes don’t meet mine, and I notice that he’s never reached for me. His arms hang limp at his sides, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand up.
“Rex?”
Jaw clenched tight, his hard eyes find mine. Without saying a word, he removes my arms from his waist, steps around me, and walks toward the ledge. Resting his elbows on the railing, he looks out at the city.
I tighten the blanket around my shoulders, and it isn’t because of the cool breeze. I’ve never seen Rex like this. I open my mouth to demand he tell me what’s wrong when he spins and takes a step toward me. The warmth I’m used to seeing in his eyes is gone, replaced by a cold, lifeless stare, and I know I’m going to hate whatever comes out of his mouth.
“This,” he says, waving a hand between us. “Isn’t going to work.”
I take a step back. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Yes, I did. But I don’t understand. What do you mean this isn’t going to work?”
Pinching his lips together, Rex scowls. “You and me, we’re not going to work. It’s over, Shae.”
“Really?” I scoff, looking around at everything he’s planned for tonight. “I don’t believe that for a second. If you were planning to end things, why go through all of this trouble? Why spend so much time making me feel special, doing these nice things for me?”
“Don’t fucking push me on this.”
“I will push you on this,” I yell, stepping into his personal space. “Because I deserve to know what I did. I deserve to know why you suddenly feel like we can’t be together.”
“I can’t give you these things,” he shouts, motioning toward the rooftop. “You deserve them, and I thought I was the man to give them to you, but I was wrong.” Swallowing hard, his eyes dart to the ground. “I can’t give you want you need.”
“And what is it you think I need?”
“Listen, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“A little late for that. What happened after I left Vault?”
He shrugs, his eyes returning to mine. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit.” We stare at each other, each of us waiting for the other to cave, but Rex’s face is hard as stone, and I know it won’t be him. “You know what? You’re right. This will never work. Because in order for it to work, we have to be honest with each other. I bared my soul to you, but you’re a fucking coward who can’t give me a straight answer.”
Pulling the blanket from my shoulders, I toss it at him.
He catches it, his wide eyes watching me warily.
“I do deserve all of this, and I deserve a strong, confident man who can give it to me, and clearly that isn’t you.”
I slip my shoes on and pull the key he gave me out of my pocket. I drop it on the table next to the wine and snag the icing because damn it, I need the icing. Then without a second glance, I walk out of Rex’s life.