“That was probably the longest flight ever!” I exclaimed, sliding out of the back of the limo. It wasn’t good to be home, because this place hardly felt like home anymore.
“That’s because you couldn’t stop jiggling with excitement.” Tate got out of the car and helped Tillie. “Seriously, your love for danger has me second guessing our entire friendship.”
“Like you’re one to talk!” I shot back. It wasn’t until the silent engine of the car behind us cut off when I realized someone had pulled up behind. Crap. We got caught.
I turned around slowly, biting down on my lip and hoping I could sweet talk my way out of this— my face instantly fell into disgust. “What the fuck do you want?” I snapped, just as Elizabeth shut the passenger door. She was in a pearl white Lexus with chrome wheels and her driver looked half her age.
“Got yourself a new boytoy, I see.”
She winced but straightened her shoulders. “I understand why you’re mad at me, Madison. I guess I wanted to come see you before I left, to see if there was anything salvageable with our relationship.”
“Well, there’s not.” I flicked my hand toward the car she arrived in. “You may leave.”
My eyes went to Scarlet, who was shooting daggers at Elizabeth. She glided closer to her like a butterfly would if it had fangs, and her voice dropped to deathly tones. “I would listen to Madison, Liza, because if I so much as get within an arm’s reach of you, I’ll strangle you myself and bury you in an unmarked grave at the back of my home” —Scarlet grinned, whispering— “and you and I both know who your neighbors will be.”
Pain flashed over her face, then she looked back at me. “I do love you, Madison. I always have. When you’re ready to forgive me, I’ll be waiting for you.” Then her head bowed and she retreated back to the car. A twinge of guilt pulled inside of my chest, showing my humanity. I spent most of my life loving her, and now I’ll probably spend the rest hating her.
“Okay, so if we could get organized that’d be great as we are supposed to be at the airstrip in two hours,” Tate ordered, going straight for the front doors. Just as she was about to open the door, it flung open and Elena stood there with an apron wrapped around her waist and flour embedded through her hair, smudged on her face.
My lips widened, but before I could start spewing a whole bunch of excuses, she interjected, “Come on, you’re on borrowed time!” My eyebrows shot up in surprise. She knew? Then I remember the conversation Scarlet and I had last night. The Tate to her Madison.
“Come on, Swan,” Scarlet tapped my butt while walking past, and just as I was about to take the steps up to the front door, I noticed Tillie wasn’t following. Turning around, I looked at her. “Coming?” Then realization washed over me, and I spun back around to look at Elena, who was watching Tillie with interest. Her eyes flew between Tillie and the baby and then back again, and just when I thought the level of awkwardness couldn’t get much worse, Elena gestured into the house.
“I’d love to meet my grandchild.”
I exhaled a loud breath of air, shaking my head and walking into my house. “I’m not cut out for this lifestyle.” Dropping my bags near the front door because I knew I’d need them again, I headed straight into the sitting room where Tate was hunched in the corner suite and Scarlet was helping herself to my dad’s scotch.
“Cheers, Joseph, you fuck.” She lifted her glass in the air and shot the amber liquid back. I could almost taste the hard liquor hit the back of my throat just by watching.
“You don’t like Madison’s dad?” Tillie asked, slowly handing Micaela to Elena.
Elena smiled adoringly down at Micaela. “Aw, she has never liked Joseph.” Then winked at me and took her attention to the baby. “I’ve baked pie.”
“You did?” Scarlet snorted, one eyebrow lifted. “Judging by the amount of flour on you, I would have to debate.”
“Don’t listen to her, she’s just scratchy!” Elena said in a baby voice to Micaela, then brought her eyes up to mine. “Before you do this, honey, you need to realize that your birth mom and dad will both be there. Are you prepared to face them?”
The room fell silent. I mulled over her words. I thought I was. They gave me up, which was probably the only thing I would struggle to come to terms with. I miss my guys and my guy. I feel unwanted from people who were planted in my life through blood. Jesus was obviously on crack. I’d struggle with it, though. I’d come from being quite secure in my family home, single child, with both parents being married and in love, to finding out they weren’t in love, I was adopted, had three brothers, and one was a schizophrenic who had demons whispering in his head.
I gulped. “I have no choice.”
Elena looked at Scarlet, a silent conversation quickly passing through them before Scarlet got to her feet and came to sit beside me on the sofa. Her hand grasped around mine. She tucked her short jawline hair around one ear. “Honey, when you are ready, I will be here to talk with you about anything.”
“We both will be,” Elena added, and that’s when I realized that it didn’t matter if Jesus was on crack and put me in the wrong family, because what made these people special was they didn’t have obligations to me. Their loyalty didn’t come from some false sense of need because we were blood—it came from the purest form. Friendship and love.
I gave them both an appreciative smile. “Thank you both so much.”
“Power.” Scarlet winked at me and then shot to her feet. “Right, so…” she glared down at her watch. “We’re meeting Miller in an hour. Tillie? You’ll be okay here with Elena, okay?”
Tillie looked between all of us. “Okay.”
“You can both stay in my room and keep using my clothes and whatever else you need. When we get home, we will all sit down and talk about what we spoke about, mmkay?” I was really hoping that Elena would work some grandmother magic and make Tillie see that she wasn’t alone. She had me and Elena, and Nate—even though he hadn’t realized it yet—but she had him as Micaela’s father, and that was what was important for right now.
Tillie pulled her lip into her mouth. “Ok.” And just when I went to leave to get some last minute things organized, Tillie quickly jumped to her feet. “I’m really sorry!”
I paused, tilting my head in confusion. “Sorry for what?”
Tillie shoved her hands into her front pockets, her eyes falling to the ground. She patted down some of her hair that had fallen over her shoulder, her silver bangles jiggling in the movement. I noticed she still had her silver dream catcher diamond necklace on through it all. “For messing up your guy’s dynamic, I guess.”
“Tillie,” I started, but Elena stepped in for me.
“You, sweet girl, are not a nuisance.” Elena wrapped her fingers around her chin, lifting her face. “You and Micaela are family now, just like Madison, and Tate, and the rest of the Kings. Just like Scarlet and I. You will find that no matter how much we may hate each other at times, we always take care of our own.” She pulled in a breath. “I believe my son loves you.”
I gasped. Even though I knew it was true.
Scarlet grinned.
Tate shuffled in her spot.
I began to think Scarlet was more of Tate and I was more Elena.
Elena continued. “But right now, he’s so clouded in hate and confusion that he won’t allow any other emotion in. Time, please just give him time.”
Tillie’s shoulders relaxed slightly before she nodded. “Ok. I can give him time.”
* * *
Wrapping my belt on, I leaned to the side, catching Scarlet staring at me. “Hey, so how many people affiliated with the Kings are actually going to be there?”
I was getting comfortable, scanning around the plane. It was a lot different to the Hayes’ jet. Theirs seeming more superior.
“All of them.”
I froze. “Shit.”