Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cash
“Hey.” Beau pounded on the wall. “Y’all wake up. The ‘rents called a family breakfast.”
I groaned and put my pillow over my head. “You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?” Katie climbed on my back and laid the length of my body. “I think we slept for maybe three hours.”
“You’re the one who put see the sunrise on the list.” She rested her cheek between my shoulder blades.
“You’re right.” I rolled to the side, dumping her off and then pulling her back against me. I kissed her neck and inhaled the flowery scent of her hair. “I did something before I came over here last night, and I really hope you don’t get pissed when I—”
“I mean it you two. Let’s go.” Beau beat on the door again. “They realized we haven’t had a family dinner in two months and they’re freaking out.”
Katie stood and walked down the mattress to the foot of the bed. “I only have what I had on yesterday. I need to go home and change.” She hopped to the floor and the bedroom door flew open.
“Clothes.” Beau threw a pile of clothes into the room and then shut the door again. “You have five minutes.”
She picked up a sundress off the floor. “He’s bossy.”
“He’s probably annoyed he’s going to have to order another new mattress.” I sat, letting the sheet pool around my waist. I came here to get her last night for a reason. I wanted to tell her about the plane tickets I booked. But then she’d asked me to teach her how to give a blowjob and all rational thought left my brain.
What my dad said yesterday had stuck in my head. And for the first time, in a long time, I did something completely for me. “After breakfast, let’s go for a drive.” I’d take her away from the chaos of my family and tell her when we were alone.
She looked at me over her bare shoulder. “Okay.” Then she slid a thin white dress over her head. I looked more like a slip—not that I was complaining.
“You’re keeping that, by the way.” I got to my feet, placing a kiss on her neck. “I’ll buy Halen a new one.”
***
I had my arm around my girlfriend, and we were talking to my mom. We were a couple, with no drama, with no reason to hide. My cousins were missing out. Easy and in love felt real fucking good.
Crue still wasn’t speaking to me, but he was here, so that was a start in my opinion. My twin knew how to hold a grudge and ice someone out. If he was really pissed? He’d have skipped breakfast all together.
“I feel terrible that you leave tomorrow and we didn’t get to spend much time together.” My mom squeezed Katie’s hand. “Come to dinner tonight? I’ll make whatever your favorite thing is.” My mom was practically beaming. For all she knew, Crue was a player and I’d never dated anyone. I was surprised she hadn’t hogtied Katie and locked her in our nonexistent basement.
“My favorite food is mac and cheese.” Katie winced. “Like the really cheap kind that comes in a box.”
My mom laughed. “Then that’s what we’ll have.” Avory came up to us, and my mom put her arm around Avory’s shoulders. “And I’m sure this one will come too.” She whispered out the side of her mouth. “Lex is the worst cook.”
“I heard that.” Aunt Lexi made a face at my mom from across the patio.
She could hear my mom whisper from ten feet away but she couldn’t hear her daughter sneaking out? How was that even possible?
“Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” Crue appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Avory’s arm, trying to pull her away.
“Crue, don’t manhandle her like that.” My mom slapped his hand. “What’s wrong with you?”
His eyes darted from Aunt Lo to me, and back again. He looked panicked, like he was seconds away from throwing up all over our shoes. “I, uh, I need her help with—”
“Uh, Luke, which one of your twins is in this picture our publicist just sent over?” Uncle Smith spoke up over the noise, getting to his feet and handing his phone to my dad. His face was hard, his jaw clenched in anger.
I swear I stopped breathing when my dad closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay. Well. Since there is a random topless girl in this one, I’m assuming it’s Crue.” My dad looked up, glancing between the two of us.
“No.” Avory shook her head. “It’s Cash, right?” She shook loose from Crue’s grip, turning pleading eyes my way. “You had a date last night, didn’t you?”
Katie backed away from my side, her smile long gone. “What? Is that where you were before you came over? Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? I thought you said no.”
“I did, baby, I did say no. I swear, I…” Realization finally dawned on me when I glanced up and saw Crue’s skin drain of color. Crue went out with Melanie, and then he let her blackmail him into so much more than a simple date. His eyes darted to Avory, and I followed his gaze. She was trying hard to fight the tears, and was blinking rapidly.
In that instant, I felt like my heart was being torn in two. I could either lie to the girl I loved to save my twin, or I could tell the truth and watch Avory shatter. I opened my mouth, still not sure of what was going to happen. A truth or a lie? Save myself, or save my best friend?
But Crue beat me to it. “I hooked up with some random girl last night, who the hell cares? It’s not like it’s something new or anything. Obviously I should have had her sign an NDA, but hindsight’s twenty-twenty. She’s over eighteen, the whole thing will blow over in a few days.” His words and his tone were careless and disinterested. But his face told a different story. His jaw was clenched and his knuckles were pressing into the table so hard they were going to bruise. He’d seen the indecision on my face; he knew there was a chance that I’d still lie for him. And he’d stopped me.
When Avory grabbed the back of her chair, swaying a little on her feet, he reached for her. It was automatic.
“Avory, sweetheart, are you okay?” Aunt Lexi leaned across the table, putting the back of her hand against her daughter’s forehead. “You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine.” Avory gave the table a weak smile. “Crue’s level of fuck boy made me a little dizzy that’s all.”
“Are you sure? Is there something else…? Is there anything we should know? You seem upset. There isn’t, uh, there isn’t anything going on between you two is there?” Aunt Lex gestured between Avory and Crue, and every person in the know held their breath. We were all quiet, but I was silently screaming at them. Screaming for them to come clean, to tell the truth, to be honest and let us all try to help them fix what had broken in front of us.
“No.” Avory turned her head slightly, finally looking at Crue. I watched her face, I saw the second she slipped her mask back into place. A sassy smile on her face. “Don’t be silly. There is absolutely nothing between Crue and me.”
Halen spoke up, changing the subject and immediately taking the attention off of her little sister. I couldn’t tell you what she said. My eyes were on Avory as she quietly took Wyatt when Landry handed him to her, giving her a reason to leave the table. Then I turned to the right in time to see Crue snag a vodka bottle off the bar and head to the gate. Avory went one way, and Crue went the other. And for the first time in two years, I knew that they weren’t going to meet up on the other side.
All the lies and all the sneaking around—everything all of us had done to help, all the sacrifices I’d made…they were all for nothing. Crue destroyed it all in the span of one night. He couldn’t tell the truth, and it had ruined them.
“I’m falling in love with Katie.” I spoke loudly, getting everyone’s attention. “I know it’s fast and I know we just met, but, there it is.” I reached for her hand, kissing the back of it with a smile on my face. “And Uncle Dash, you aren’t going crazy. I come in through her window, and usually, I leave through it too.” I laughed quietly. “In fact, I’ve been coming through that window on and off since the day Beau first left. I used to keep Halen company at night. We’d watch movies and I’d hold her while she cried herself to sleep.” I sent Beau an apologetic shrug. “I, uh, I don’t want to lie anymore.” And I didn’t, but the rest of my lies led to truths that weren’t mine to share. So I exorcised all the demons I could with the space I had. “Well. I feel better.”
“So. You’re in love with Katie and you used to climb into Halen’s window at night to take care of her after Beau broke her heart?” When I nodded, Uncle Dash continued, “All in all, it’s not the worst confession we’ve had at this table.”
“I love him too.”
My head whipped to the side. “What did you say?”
“I figured if we were spouting out truths, then I should share mine too.” She shrugged. “I’m in love with Cash, which feels a little crazy and a lot amazing to say. I, uh, I got a tattoo and I went skinny dipping in your pool. I trespassed and I tried to get Cash to tip a cow for me.” She held up a finger. “Oh, also, I applied and got accepted at UCLA. I’m moving there in August.”
“UCLA?” That’s where she wanted to go to school?
“You what?”
“Mom?” Katie’s eyes got wide and her jaw dropped to the ground.