My stomach fucking grumbles. “Are you eating Mexican?”
“Yep.” He goes ahead and bites loudly again. “Three chicken tacos, roasted salsa, chips, and cans of Fizz.” I practically hear be goddamn jealous attached to the end.
I’m in a car full of Calloway sisters and my half-sister who won’t speak more than a couple words to me, too reserved and shy to open up. About five years ago, I pushed Lo to start a relationship with me, but he was an alcoholic who needed the biggest dose of tough love.
I can’t do that with Willow. I’ll just end up pushing her away, and she’ll run towards Jonathan fucking Hale.
“Congratulations by the way,” I tell my brother.
There’s a long pause. “For what?”
“You know what.” It’s the first week of October. Today marks the fucking day that my little brother has been sober…for two long years.
I think he’s going to say something biting in return. After another pause, he says, “Thanks, you know, for everything.” His edged voice is full of sincerity.
“You did it on your own. I just stood by you.”
“Yeah, well…I needed a hardass.” With a mouthful of food he says, “And now I’m going to hang up on you.”
The line dies, and I feel the corners of my mouth tic upward.
Rose still wears a satisfied grin, and I watch her cross her legs and sit straighter in the seat. Flirting by text with Connor Cobalt. Those two are more apparent than they’d like to believe.
“Why am I driving again?” Lily asks, hands tight on the steering wheel.
Daisy drums my thigh with her fingers, more fucking antsy the closer we are to our destination. I set an arm across her shoulders while she answers her sister.
“Because you’re the best driver out of everyone here.”
Eh—I’m definitely the best fucking driver.
Lily perks up at the compliment, and Daisy smiles even more.
Rose coughs dramatically into her fist. Dead air hangs where Lo would slip in a comment like is that your inner-demon trying to escape, Rose? or Don’t touch her. Evil is contagious.
Not having him here is fucking strange. Being in a car full of girls is even stranger for me, but it’s not bad. It’s not something I’d ask to change.
Rose lets out a more aggravated sound when no one invites her into the conversation. She raises her chin. “I’m a better driver.”
She does haul this mammoth car into the city and parallel parks, but she’s still not better than me. And if Connor were here, he’d probably dispute the fact just to incite her.
I’m not her husband. “It’s not a fucking contest,” I say, ending anything before it begins.
Rose huffs and returns to her cellphone to text. She won’t say it, but she misses both Connor and Lo. When they’re not around, she can’t argue or verbally fucking spar.
Rose swivels in her seat to face me. “You could at least tell us where we’re going.” Her manicured, blood red nails grip the middle console. “As your future sister-in-law, you’re not earning any points by keeping me in the dark.” Her yellow-green eyes pierce me, thinking she can scare me enough for the answers.
She can’t.
This is a fucking surprise.
Daisy’s surprise.
I’m not giving that up. “Turn back around,” I say flatly.
Her lips purse, and I break eye contact before she can start a staring contest for supremacy. She concedes and turns back in her seat.
Willow flips her phone in her hand, and she pushes her black-rimmed glasses further up her nose.
“Can you check my messages?” Lily asks Rose. “I want to know how Moffy is doing.” Their kids are spending time with Greg and Samantha, who think we’re out shopping all day.
Rose mumbles something like, I should be driving. She’s not used to being ordered around by Lily.
I attempt to draw Willow’s attention by tapping the back of her seat, but she avoids me. Anyone who’s had an easy time building a familial relationship in the middle of your life—I need some fucking help. Because it’s never been clear-cut for me.
She’s not angry that I didn’t tell her about her father earlier, but I think she may be confused why Lo and I told her to wait a little while before she jumps into a conversation with Jonathan Hale. I think she needs to process things before she sees him.
Our dad, however, is more than ready. He keeps fucking texting me, asking when he should come over and see her. I just keep saying wait. But that’s not something he’ll do forever.
But I have a feeling that this tense silence has nothing to do with our dad. It’s what Daisy said; she finds this awkward. Me being her brother. I’m starting to feel it too.
“Hey,” I tell her.
Daisy presses her back to the seat, letting Willow have a better view of me.
She gives me a sheepish smile and then busies herself by re-braiding her light brown hair.
“How’ve you been?” I ask.
“Okay. Lily and Lo are giving all the employees at Superheroes & Scones a chance to create a new superhero in the Fourth Degree universe.”
I’ve listened to my brother enough to understand Fourth Degree. I haven’t read any yet, but their tagline, the fourth degree from you and me, and their original superhero called Extent (Vic Whistler) sold well beyond the expected amount.
Now they’re launching more origin stories, group comics, and creating tons of fucking merchandise. I’m really proud of those two. Lily and Lo have come a long fucking way to reach this place.
“It’s really competitive,” Lily chimes in.
Willow nods. “The employees are taking it over-the-top serious.” She passes her phone from one hand to the other. “Maya made a flow chart in her apartment.” She pauses. “So…um Jonathan, or—I mean our dad, left me a voicemail yesterday.”
I instantly tense. “Yeah?” I rub my mouth. “What about?” He wouldn’t wait forever. I grit my teeth some because he might have just abandoned my advice before I even offered it. And I’m fucking afraid he’s fueled by chaos and will do whatever his fucked-up brain thinks is love.
Her eyes flit to me and then back to her hands. “He wants to meet me for lunch at some country club.”
The car quiets.
I hold onto the door handle, my stomach tossing at every memory I have. Where I met Jonathan Hale at a country club each Monday. Where he served me alcohol as a kid. Where I fucking revered him and then despised him.
I don’t want Willow going, but I don’t want to control her fucking life either.
Daisy slips her hand in mine and squeezes. She brings her feet up to the seat, legs tucked to her chest. Then she turns to Willow, “Are you going to take his offer?”
“He sounded sincere,” Willow says softly, considering meeting him.
“I have some fucking reservation
s,” I express the best I can. “He’s going to pretend to be a nice guy, but he’s not.”
Willow lets out a breath. “All I really know about him is from the media, and it’s not that great…”
I wrack my brain, remembering that Jonathan was accused of molesting Lo. False, I believe now. I don’t doubt my brother, and he said that it was all a fucking lie.
Lily adds quickly, “It’s not true. None of that was true.”
“I know,” Willow says. “I know, but it’s hard for me to see anything else. And I really, really want to since he’s reaching out to me. He’s my dad…”
I lean forward in my seat. “Can I go with you?” I ask her outright. I don’t fucking say let me go with you. Or I have to go with you. I’m trying to do this the best way possible. If she says no, then I’ll push for Lo to at least be with her.
Surprise lifts her brows and widens her eyes. “You want to go?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“I thought…Lo said that you don’t like him.”
“I don’t, but I want to be there for you.” I add, “You’re my fucking sister.”
Her eyes flit to her phone again. “Do you think Lo will want to come too?”
“Yeah.” Without a fucking doubt.
“Maybe you both can be there just for like part of the time?” she asks. “Is that okay?”
I know I have to accept this, even if it’s not everything I fucking wanted. “Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Left, Lily!” Daisy calls out.
“Shit.” Lily turns the Escalade sharply to the left. The SUV behind us swerves at the last minute too. It’s safer having our bodyguards around, and since Mikey quit after breaking his leg surfing (on a short trip to Malibu), Daisy has had one of Connor’s bodyguards temporarily follow her.
We were going to find a replacement, but Greg called me and said, please let me handle this. The please kind of did it for me. He sounded more like the father who wanted to take care of his youngest daughter, and I wanted to respect that.
Rose swivels in the seat again, eyes blazing on me. “This”—she motions to Lily’s distress and rigid posture—“better be worth it.”
They have absolutely no idea what we’re driving to. Not even a fucking hint. Dais wants to watch the look on their faces when we pull up to her new business venture.