23. Scarlett
Chapter twenty-three
Scarlett
A ir fills my lungs as I take a deep breath, hold my head high, and enter the indoor pool room.
“Scarlett!” Maddy jumps from her lounge chair, nearly tripping over her bag as she runs over to me. “I’m so sorry!” She wraps her arms around me, squeezing hard.
“What for?” I ask, pulling back.
“I should have gone with you to the bathroom. Leo was right.” Her eyes look downcast. Does she blame herself for what happened last night? “I shouldn’t have let you go alone. I just thought you needed some space and—”
“Maddy.” My lips curve up. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, it was a solo stall. Were you going to stand in the corner facing the wall while I peed?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “You’re right.” She shrugs. “I’m trying to do everything right, and I think I’m sucking at it.”
I purse my lips to the side, taking in her slumped shoulders. “Honestly, you’re the only one treating me like everything is normal. Like I’m normal. And that’s all I want.”
She gives a sad smile. “You are normal, Scar.”
I let out a breath of air, looking away. So badly, I wish she was right. The beach lies less than a hundred feet from the house, and with a nearby window open, I listen to the comforting sound of the crashing waves. “What did you have planned for us today?” I ask, hoping she’ll get my hint to change the subject.
“Oh!” She grabs my hand, pulling me to the free lounger beside hers. “I have a full spa day planned for us. The manicurist will be here any minute.”
I sit back on the lounger, dropping my bag to the ground. “That sounds like my kind of day.”
She plops back down on her chaise. “Alina went for a walk on the beach but should be here any—”
“Hey, guys!” Alina strolls toward us from the other side of the room, her hair wild from the cool ocean breeze. She sits at the end of my chair, looking at me when she asks, “How are you feeling?”
I lift my shoulders. “Honestly, more embarrassed than anything.”
“Don’t be,” they both say in unison.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. One minute, I was fine, and then I saw…” I pause, swallowing down the terror that tries to sneak up inside me. “The text…and then it’s like I just blacked out. I don’t remember much of anything after that.”
Except I do.
I remember the way Leo carried me in his arms to safety.
I remember the warm bath and his willingness to join me when I asked him to.
And I remember feeling complete tranquility before falling asleep in his arms.
Maddy reaches for my hand. “Vin updated me, so I told Alina what was happening. I hope that was okay?”
“I was a little…concerned,” Alina admits. “So I kind of forced it out of Maddy.”
I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. “I’m sorry if I—”
“Oh no. Don’t be sorry.” Alina unzips her purple puffer vest and drops it to the side, revealing her black athleisure wear. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I show a small, appreciative smile. “I am.”
Maddy squeezes my hand. “They’re going to find him, Scar. I know they will.”
“I know.” I feel the familiar tightness in my chest whenever someone mentions him. “Can we talk about something else? Anything else?”
Alina bites her bottom lip, stifling a smile. “How about how your husband stormed out of the club carrying you in his arms like he was on the cover of some Harlequin romance novel.” She fans herself. “Now, that is a man.”
My cheeks heat up, and I can’t help the laugh that slips through my lips.
“God, you think the whole world is one never-ending romance book,” Maddy teases with a smirk. She sits up, removes her bathing suit cover-up, and adjusts the red straps on her bikini.
Alina shrugs. “I can’t help it. Sometimes fictional worlds are better than the real thing.” She looks lost in thought before saying, “Besides, look at you, living the fairy-tale life. Marrying your knight in shining armor.”
Maddy’s smile falls, her expression turning into stone.
I look to Alina, who gives me an I have no idea what’s happening expression before turning back to Maddy.
“Maddy?” I ask, snapping my fingers in front of her face.
She shakes her head, blinking. “Sorry.” She throws on her perfect smile. “Just distracted.”
I lean toward her. “Is everything okay—”
But before I finish, a few women walk through the door with the head guard on duty.
Maddy claps her hands together. “Perfect timing.” She jumps up, striding toward the team of women, telling them where to set up.
I watch her carefully, observing the mask she wears so perfectly in front of everyone and knowing that for just a moment, it almost slipped, revealing more than she was willing to share.
And I’m worried about her.
I sit on the edge of the bed, twisting my hands together on my lap, practicing breathing in and out. “Why can’t I just be normal?” I pathetically ask myself. My shoulders slump as I drop my head, frustrated tears filling my eyes.
Knock. Knock.
Looking up, I spot Leo standing in the doorway.
“Hey, I thought you would be with…” His smile falters. “What’s wrong?” In a mere second, he’s over by my side, sitting beside me, wrapping a protective arm around my waist.
“Oh, nothing.” I hastily wipe at my damn traitorous eyes, throwing on a smile.
“You’re giving me your fake smile.”
My smile falls. “How do you know the difference between my smiles?”
“Because I know you.” He brushes my hair back. “Talk to me.” His hand trails down my spine in soothing motions, paying a little extra attention to my lower back.
I glimpse down at my lap, embarrassment filling me. How do I explain to him what I’m feeling? Or more like, what I’m not feeling?
“Weren’t you supposed to be having a spa day with Madeleine and Alina?”
“We were.” I squeeze my hands together. “And everything was fine. We got manicures and pedicures. And then…”
They started setting up three tables with blankets on them. I instantly knew what it was for, and I panicked, telling Maddy I was tired and needed to go inside for a nap.
“They were preparing to give us body massages.” My body tenses at the mere thought. God, how pathetic am I? “And I… I couldn’t stand the idea of someone touching me in that way. I mean, I could barely hold it together for the manicure and pedicure. But the thought of someone’s hands on my body…” I shake my head. “I…I couldn’t do it.” I cover my face with my hands. “When will I be normal again?” I whisper, defeat laced in my voice.
Leo gently pulls my hands away from my face, bringing them to his chest.
“What is normal?” he asks.
I glance away, not in the mood for this. “You know what I mean.”
“No. I don’t think I do.” I look back at him, my eyes narrowing. “Let’s see,” he starts. “Madeleine puts ketchup on everything, including eggs.” He grimaces. “Mauro has a fear of small spaces. Alex won’t let his food groups touch each other on his plate; if they do, he won’t eat it. Vin names each and every single one of his cars. And me, well, I prefer to know the ending to a movie before I watch it. Don’t care much for surprises.” He shrugs. “Everyone has something about them that makes them different. Maybe even a little special.” He gives a slight smile. “The word normal means conforming to a standard of what is expected. But if we all did what was expected, the world would be a little boring, don’t you think?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “I guess you’re right.”
“No one is normal, Firefly. Least of all, this crazy family you’re a part of.” He softly presses his lips to mine.
“Leo, I…” I love you . The words sit on the tip of my tongue, begging me to release them. But for whatever reason, I just can’t. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Well, you’ll never have to find out because I will always be here.” He kisses my temple, his hand resuming a circular motion on my lower back, right over the scars he knows are there. “And just so you know, woman or man, no one is allowed to touch you. Not even a fucking masseuse. Wait until I see Madeleine.”
I laugh at his threat. “She just wanted to do something nice for us. I know it was supposed to be her weekend, but I have a feeling she did all this for me. It was her way of helping me have some normalcy, and I really appreciate that.”
He sighs. “You’re right. She did do this for you. She begged me for weeks to make this happen.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She missed you while you were gone. I think she’s trying to make up for all the lost time now.”
“I missed her too.” I look up into his eyes when I say, “I’m worried about her.”
His forehead furrows. “Why?”
“I don’t know. Call it a gut feeling, but something doesn’t feel right between her and Alastor. He doesn’t seem her type.” I don’t mention that Eli was the only guy I ever knew to be her type.
I’m not sure how much he would love to hear that his baby sister had the hots for his best friend.
He presses his lips to mine. “I don’t want you to worry about it. Everything will be taken care of.”
“What does that mean?”
He looks down at me thoughtfully. “It means the Alaries will never let anything happen to one of our own.”
I pause, assessing his response. Words he said to me at Maddy’s engagement party echo in my head. Their wedding is not happening. “At Maddy’s engagement party, you told me their wedding wouldn’t be happening, but I didn’t think you were serious… But you were, weren’t you?”
He smiles, pressing his lips to my forehead, the only answer I receive.