I wake up in bed with Arrick wrapped around me, still fully dressed, on top of the sheets and holding me tight, with his face against my cheek. He’s asleep and I can tell by his messy appearance that he crawled in with me as soon as he walked in the door. He still has his shoes on, and his suitcase is propped against the bedroom door with his jacket laid over the top.
I fell asleep and didn’t wake, so it’s like I only spoke to him minutes ago, when in reality, I have lost whole days already. The painkillers the doctor gave me must have knocked me out cold, to not even wake when he got on the bed. I have no clue how long it’s been since he left here. I watch his slow even breaths, oblivious to my being awake, afraid to move for a moment.
He must have got in the early hours and even though it feels good to wake up in
“Here.” Arrick hands me the salad bowl around my mom’s table where everyone is eating, barely looking me in the eye and avoids touching me when I slide the bowl out of his grip. I told him I didn’t want anyone to know beyond Jake and Emma right now and I want to act normal and enjoy being home for once. Just one normal afternoon before I single out my mother and talk to her. I know he’s told Jake from the beginning; I mean I always knew he would. He tells him everything and Jake would have told Emma, so even though I haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet, I can tell by her glances my way that she knows.We are playing polite and nice, idle chit chat with a table of mixed Carrero and Huntsbergers who all appeared for food when they found out we were here. Arrick and I are masters of appearing unemotional and fine; we are doing it to Oscar winning standards and no one seems to be any wiser to the fact we are barely able to look at each othe
I find Arrick in the garden on his own, sitting on a swing in the shadow of the trees under his childhood treehouse, lost in thought as he picks at grass on the ground underneath him.He looks crazy young, hanging from the seat to lean down and makes me hate how these past few weeks between us have been. It’s easy to forget all we are to each other when faced with all this bullshit. Watching him now is a reminder of sitting here on summer days and laughing at his lame jokes, a happier time that warms me a little to my core.I slide into the swing next to him and gaze at him for a moment, and yet even though I can tell he sees me, he doesn’t react. Carries on picking at blades and acting like I’m invisible.“You giving me the silent treatment now?” I nudge into him by swinging myself over and he frowns and carries on killing grass. The air of petulant boy that’s more expected of his brother than him and for the first time in we
“What are you doing, Kiddo?” Jake nudges me in the side as he comes up beside me on the wooden bench, where I have been watching their kids play together from afar. Sat in the far end of their beautiful gardens under the shade of the trees.Arrick left. I don’t know if he drove one of his family cars back to the city or hopped on a flight, but all I know is he is gone and has been for a couple of hours.“Sitting in your garden” I clear my throat and avoid eye contact, knowing fine well what he means.“Breaking up with the guy you want to marry and sending him packing? We both know you can’t survive without him, so I am asking again… What are you doing?” Jake slides his legs out casually and stretches beside me, occupying way too much space to ignore him and I sink back beside him with a huge sigh.“Trying to get though whatever this is, alone for once. To stop needing other people to help fix me
“Now we’re done eating how about I get out all the stuff I have planned for your wedding and we go through it, there’s a ton you still need to agree to and oversee. Arrick’s been great at responding… When you won’t, but I need your input.” Leila blinks at me across the dinner table as the twins high tail it after their father for the TV room, squealing like crazy because he promised them a transformers movie marathon and popcorn. Leila seems glad to have her two hurricanes leave her alone for a little while and looks overwrought and a tad frazzled tonight.I never doubted my sister loves her kids, but I don’t see them having anymore. Two boys with Leila’s spirit, and Daniel’s ADHD, is enough for any family to handle. Daniel seems content too, he loves his boys and I think they have their happy number.“How about, not right now?” I try to avoid the topic, heart sinking at even the thought of a wedd
They live close by, their house practically a replica of this one and I guess they came over for a reason and got into it. My mom, as sweet and unassuming as she may appear has always been a lot like Sylvana. A momma any child can run to, even when they hit their thirties and I guess it’s partly why I wanted to come here and see her.I needed her.I sit Bree on the couch as she continues to sob and put a protective arm around her, silently watching him walking around like a caged animal and feel that detachment for him I’ve had for a while, when he’s this version.“She knocked it over, not me!” He barks at my mom and I scowl furiously that he would dare talk to her like that. The woman who loved and raised him and saved him from a life that was destroying him. My mom takes a deep breath to calm herself and turns to him appealingly.“Rylanne, you know what drinking does to you… She came here to see me. I
“Sophie?” Sylvana’s voice startles me as I get to my own pathway. Walking back from dumping my idiot brother on his couch to pass out as she appears with Mia in tow, looking cute in a unicorn fluffy Onesie with sneakers. Obviously having a girl day with her grandmamma. Mia is going through a phase of living in Onesies and rather than try and talk her into day clothes, Jake decided to buy her about fifty themed Onesies, so she never had to wear the same one twice. Emma seems to have let it go and I wonder if all kids are weirdly cute like theirs are.Little geeks.“Hey.” I give them both a hug, one after the other and get a huge kiss from Mia on the cheek that absolutely melts my heart. The older she gets, the more she looks like Emma, yet there is something of the Carrero in that beautiful little fac
“Feeling better?” Sylvana hands me a fresh glass of iced water as I sit out in the back veranda in the cool afternoon air. She’s put Mia in the playroom with the housekeeper, while the maid is in cleaning the kitchen and making me feel guilty as hell.“A lot. I think it was the heat from the kitchen and I haven’t been feeling great since we landed back home.” I sigh and relax back, glad of the breeze. She comes and sits opposite me on another lounger and regards me with a concerned expression.“The fresh air will help that.” She watches me pensively and I know there are questions waiting to come out of that mouth, I can tell, but she seems hesitant.“I should go and let you get some time with Mia. I’m ruining your Nona day.” I go to get up, now almost back to normal, but she lays a hand on mine and stops me mid lift.“Mia is fine, she’s with Colette making glitter painting
“I hear you’re tagging along with me tonight?” Jake pats me on the head as he passes me in the kitchen and kisses Emma a little naughtily on the mouth. She giggles as his hands skim her body sneakily and I can almost imagine him winking at her before he pulls away as I watch that broad back and shoulders from this viewpoint.I used to feel uncomfortable with their constant public affections and how often they get lost in each other. Now all I want is to be standing here with Arry this way and I’m impatient to go back to the city to see him. Talking to Sylvana earlier gave me the kick up the butt I needed and now I don’t want to waste any more time.Emma told me he was flying to the city for a few hours for work and I am taking full advantage of the Jake Carrero cab service.“Yep. I’m going home to fix my life.” I smile confidently, my head has a plan and I am not waiting here another day to sort things out. I haven