Chapter 7

Kin

The apartment was empty when we got to the large three-bedroom rental in West Hollywood. From what my stepsister had told me, I knew we had a roommate already, and even though Angie had been there for a little over two months, she hadn’t met the other chick yet.

Probably because Angie was rarely home, spending most of her time at work or with Jenna, only coming home to sleep.

I liked the place as soon as I entered the apartment, maybe more than the apartment my stepsister and I had shared the past few years. The only downfall was that I couldn’t see the ocean from my bedroom window, but that was more than okay with me.

“Nice,” Lucy commented as she glanced around the living room and kitchen. “Really homey. Any idea who your roommate is?”

“No clue. Angie probably knows, but we haven’t really talked about it. I was just happy not to have to come back to the old place and all the memories.” Especially my old bedroom. I didn’t need to be haunted by all the times Jace had slept in that room with me, made love to me there. It would have been unbearable, and I would have lost my freaking mind.

The sound of keys and the door opening had us both walking out of the kitchen. My breath caught as I waited to see if maybe it was the new roommate, but Angie came in with Jenna and Santana right behind her.

Seeing me, she screamed, and seconds later, the small blonde was throwing herself in my arms. I caught her at the same time her legs wrapped around my waist. Laughing with pure happiness, I swung her around.

“I missed you,” we both said in unison, making us giggle.

Jumping down, Angie gave me a tight hug before stepping back, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. “It’s so good to see you. I was scared you would look like a damned wraith, but your color is good, and it doesn’t look like you’ve lost much weight.”

“Amara kept me fed with some crazy concoctions,” I admitted. Fried Oreos were addictive, minus the sriracha for me that my pregnant manager liked to dip hers in.

Jenna and Santana were glancing around the place curiously, as if they hadn’t been there before.

“Nice place,” Jenna commented.

“You haven’t visited Angie here yet?” I asked.

The tall brunette shook her head, but it was Angie who spoke. “About that…” She started hesitantly. “The truth is, there was only one room available when Emmie and I talked about moving in here. I took the offer because it was lonely in our old place, but I always planned on letting you take the room. Jenna and I have been talking about me moving in, and now that you’re back …”

“Really?” Lucy squealed excitedly.

Jenna grinned, her blue-gray eyes shining with happiness, and nodded. “Really.”

“Oh my gods!” she screamed and threw her arms around the older girl, her long curly hair tangling around her. “I’m so happy for you.” Tears started pouring from her eyes as she laughed and hugged her friend. “I can’t wait to tell Harris… I can tell him, right?”

“I called him earlier,” Jenna admitted. “But I was going to tell everyone else Saturday at your baby shower.”

My eyes were on my stepsister. Moving in was a huge step for her, especially when she hadn’t officially come out to her dad yet. Angie never hid who she was from Caleb or me, but she’d never openly admitted she was a lesbian before. Even though she and Jenna had been officially dating since right after Thanksgiving the previous year, she still hadn’t told Carter as far as I knew. If she was moving in with her girlfriend, that meant she was going to have to face others’ opinions about her sexuality.

But Angie was all smiles, not an ounce of uncertainty coming off her, and that made me happier than I’d been in months.

“I’m really happy for you, Ang,” I told her as I pulled her in for another hug. “It’s about time you got your head out of your ass.”

Choking on a laugh, she pushed me back. “I’ve already told Dad.”

“And?”

“And nothing,” she said with a shrug. “He already guessed.”

“Told you he wouldn’t care.”

“Yeah, well, we still have to tell Jenna’s parents.” Her jaw tightened, and she lost some of that happy glow.

Lucy’s phone went off with a text, announcing Marcus’s arrival downstairs. A glance at my phone screen told me we had to get moving so we could meet Harris on time. “We’re heading to dinner, but maybe we could hang out tomorrow?”

The other girls nodded. “Time and place, we’ll be there,” Angie assured me.

After locking up, the five of us took the elevator downstairs. “I need to go down to Aunt Emmie’s office tomorrow to record a couple of the new songs I’ve been working on so a few record labels can hear the demos, but I’ll text you afterward.”

“Should I invite Kassa?” Santana asked hesitantly. “I wasn’t sure if…yeah.”

“Kassa is invited,” I assured her as we walked out of the building.

Marcus was already pulled up right in front of the entrance. Seeing us, he jumped out of Lucy’s Rover and opened the back door for her. After hugging everyone goodbye, she walked over, letting him help her into the vehicle.

I paused, giving my stepsister another once-over. “I really am happy for you, Ang. Don’t let anyone pull you down, okay?”

“I won’t,” she promised. “Now, go. You don’t want to keep the pregnant woman from her food. We’ve seen the carnage she can wreak when she doesn’t get fed regularly.”

Laughing, I waved and jogged over to the Rover to climb into the back with my friend.

“I’m so freaking happy for Jenna and Angie,” she said as she got comfortable and turned to face me. “But I’m a little worried about what her mother is going to do when she finds out.”

“Jenna’s been in relationships before,” I reminded her.

Lucy lowered her eyes, a grimace twisting her lips at the memory of Jenna’s last girlfriend. Tessa was still in prison after taking the plea deal for what she’d done to Harris, and I hoped she stayed there. “Yeah, she’s had other girlfriends, but none of them have ever been this serious. I can see how much Jen loves Angie. This relationship means a lot to her. And her mother has never really taken Jenna’s sexuality seriously. When she finds out that Angie is living with her daughter, she might cause trouble.”

“Would Jenna break up with Angie if her mother decides she doesn’t want them together?” Concern for Angie had me holding my breath, waiting for Lucy’s answer. It took a lot for Angie to come out to her father, to go public and move in with her girlfriend. I didn’t want to see her hurt.

“No, of course not. Jenna can’t stand Stella. But that doesn’t mean her mother won’t try to break them up through other avenues.”

“Bitch better watch herself if she tries to hurt Angie. My stepsister can hold her own, but Caleb and I will destroy this Stella cunt if she tries anything.”

--

Dinner with Harris and Lucy took up most of the night. We lingered over dessert and drinks afterward, and I was glad to be there with them. I’d missed them both so much while I was hiding from the rest of the world, and it wasn’t until I was with them again that I understood just how much I really did enjoy hanging out with them.

But it also made me remember all the times we’d hung out in the past. Jace always sat beside me, feeding me bites off his plate.

Harris went back to work, and Lucy and Marcus dropped me off back at my new apartment. The lights were off except for a single lamp in the living room so I could see how to get to my room.

I could hear my new roommate moving around in the room next door, but I didn’t have the energy to knock on her bedroom door to introduce myself. I was tired all the way to my bones, having spent hours on a plane and then hanging out with my best friend. On top of all that, the memories of Jace were shredding me.

I face-planted on the bed, already made up with my sheets and comforter thanks to Angie, but I could have sworn I caught the scent of Jace on the pillowcase. Had my stepsister not washed the linens before putting them on the new bed?

Gross.

But as I breathed in the scent deeper, I realized it really was Jace’s scent. His body wash and cologne clung to the pillow itself. Tears instantly stung my eyes, and I pulled the pillow to my chest as a sob tried to break free from my throat.

No.

I couldn’t think about him, not now. Back at the cabin, I was getting better, able to function without crying or wanting to blow up the entire world with my anger. I put all my rage and pain into the many, many songs I wrote. It was cathartic but left me raw. Still, I thought I was ready to face the real world again.

And yet, with the scent of him on my pillow reminding me of the last night we spent together, I was shattered all over again.