3. Carter
3
Carter
W hen we landed, drivers were waiting to take us to the studio apartment I’d rented sight unseen over the internet. It was the size of the bathroom in my old digs, and the bed folded up into the wall in the middle of the space.
Miri raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips, glancing around with her arms crossed. “Cozy.”
“It’s not much, but it’s in my price range.” I dropped my bags and bit my bottom lip as I tried to figure out where to put my things.
“This is a closet, Romeo.”
“There’s a bed and a toilet.” I shrugged, trying to see the bright side. “That’s all I need.”
Miri peered into the tiny room at the back and snickered. “The bathroom is the shower.”
“Convenient,” I said.
“No.” She shook her head and walked toward me, her flowing pink skirt fluffing around her as she moved. “Absolutely not. We’re going.”
“What? Where?”
“My family owns a house in Malibu.” She grabbed my hand and nodded toward the door as if there were no arguing with her. Of course, I knew better. Princess Miriam Stuart typically got what she wanted.
In this case, the royal family had one of the most expensive properties in the area, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. At well over four thousand square feet, it housed five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a balcony that wrapped around the building, and floor-to-ceiling windows in every room.
“Good fucking lord.” I twirled around as I walked. The chandelier in the entryway likely cost more than both of my parents’ houses put together. I dropped my backpack at the doorway so I could marvel at it.
“My room’s the primary,” she said, drawing my attention back to her. “Obviously. You can have any of the others. My cousin, Edward, likes the blue room because of the tub in the bathroom.” She set her purse on the table by the door and walked through the enormous living room to the kitchen on the other side. Staff hustled around, gathering our things from the car to bring them to our rooms. Her bodyguards confirmed she was safe before heading to their house on the property.
The open floor plan was decorated in fresh whites and grays. The couch could easily seat twenty people, enough to entertain a Super Bowl party with the ninety-inch television in front of it. The kitchen had a convection stove top and one of those things where the copper-colored pans hung from a rack over the island. When I found the blue bedroom, I nearly tripped over myself at the size of the Jacuzzi tub.
“What the hell is a pleb like me doing here?” I ran a hand through my hair as I took in the view. The crystal clear ocean crashed not too far in the distance, a stark contrast to the desert-brown California landscape. Stunning. Absolutely breathtaking. I’d fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing every single night, and there was a part of me that couldn’t believe my good fortune .
When I agreed to rent the Mount Vernon apartment with Lex, he understood I’d never be able to afford as much as him. I was at TW on a scholarship, and my parents gave me what little they could in allowance, which wasn’t much compared to what came out of his trust every month. We split most of the utilities, but he paid two-thirds of the rent knowing I couldn’t do half on my own. It wasn’t fair, but Lex insisted and he never brought it up. Money wasn’t an issue between us so long as I tried to pull my weight.
Miri and I didn’t have the same relationship, and this felt too much like charity for me to accept. I went to find her bedroom to tell her so, but I caught her standing over her bed with her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she quietly cried.
My heart sank.
This. This is why I’m here.
It wasn’t charity. It wasn’t out of the kindness of her heart. She’d married me in those woods, too, and I’d married her. She was my last link to Ivy and Lex until we saw them again, and together, we weren’t alone. They had each other, and all we had was us.
“Hey.” I closed the distance and wrapped my arms around her to pull her in close, and she linked her hands together at the small of my back. She smelled like flowers and sunshine and coconut lotion, feminine but so different from Ivy, who had always reminded me of vanilla and coffee and sugar cookies. “It’s okay, Juliet.”
She took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. “I know, Romeo. I know. Let me have some privacy, yeah?”
I couldn’t leave her to cry by herself, especially not when I was agonizing over the same thing. “You don’t have to be alone in this. I miss them, too.” I brushed hair behind her ear, and she lifted her honey-brown eyes to meet mine.
She’d always been so beautiful. I’d never deny that. And if I didn’t have such fucked-up feelings about them , I might have made a pass at the princess. But look at this opulence. Look at this twelve-million-dollar home in the heart of the most expensive place in the country. I could never compete with this.
I didn’t deserve Lex. I didn’t deserve Ivy. And I definitely didn’t deserve Miri.
She gave my cheek a comforting pat and wiped at her eyes, taking a step away from me. She yanked her princess mask up around her emotions so quickly, I nearly got whiplash. “Tonight, we settle in. Tomorrow, we get started.”
“Get started?”
“I’m not trying to be rude, darling , but if you want to get anywhere in this town, you’ve got to be fuckable.”
I tried not to be offended. “Uh, Juliet. I’m downright smoldering. Fourteen out of ten absolutely would bang.”
“Sure, in Chicago,” she said. “Out here? You’ve got to be hot and look like you cost a billion dollars.”
I swallowed down my pride. “That’s fair.”
“My cousins have some clothes in the closets upstairs. I’ll dig around to see what I can find,” she said. “Meanwhile, I’ve called my other cousin, Roxanna. She’s an agent who happens to be in town this week. She’s coming over for tea tomorrow evening.”
“Really?” Excitement rushed through me. “Wow, Miri. That’s quick.”
“It’s not a promise,” she said. “But it’s a start. We’ll see what happens.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
She nodded. “Until the end.”
The vow we’d made in the woods. The vow we carried on our hands. I tried to put on a happy facade, even though it tore my insides to pieces when I said the words. “Until the end.”
She met me with a bashful stare before changing the subject. “Now, let’s call our spouses, huh? Let them know we’re here.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed Ivy’s number, only to get an error tone.
“The number you have dialed has been disconnected.”
“That’s weird.” I tried to send her a text, only for it to go undelivered.
Miri picked up her phone to do the same, but nothing on her end went through either.
“I’m having the same issue with Lex,” she said. Sure enough, I couldn’t get ahold of either one.
“Maybe it’s something weird on their end,” I said, ignoring the alarm blaring in the back of my mind. “They’ll reach out once it’s fixed.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she said with a frown.
* * *
Roxanna Stuart was a force onto herself. Her grandfather had been brother to the current king and moved to America in the ’50s after a scandal involving a love child with another woman. Eventually, they reconciled with the royal family, but they stayed in the States. Now, Roxy was one of the most prolific agents in Hollywood. Her clients included multi-time award winners and the A-list of the A-list.
She was a short woman with pitch-black hair she kept in a professional updo. She wore slacks and a nice blouse and had this no-bullshit vibe about her that indicated just how long she’d been in the business. Meeting her the day after I moved to LA would not have been possible if it hadn’t been for Miri.
“This is him?” Roxy asked, sipping at her tea.
Miri had found one of her cousin’s suits that fit me perfectly, a decadent tailored piece made for a prince. Literally. I ignored the designer label as I slid the jacket on, preferring not to know so I didn’t spend the rest of the day guessing how much it cost. It was a far cry from the jeans and T-shirt vibe I preferred, but I had to give it to Miri. It did turn this ugly duckling into a shiny new swan.
“This is him,” Miri said. “He’s a good friend from college. We were in theater together.”
“Ahhh.” Roxy raked her incinerating gaze over me, piercing and terrifying in the same blink. “Fresh meat.”
“Indeed,” Miri said. “I was hoping you could find him work. Maybe take him on as a client?”
Roxy raised an eyebrow and took another sip of tea. “I work with show dogs, Miri. Not pound mutts.”
“Even tramps can clean up nice.” Trying not to take offense, I flashed her a charming grin and a flirty wink.
She redirected her attention to me. “Have you ever done a photoshoot before?”
“Some, when I was a kid.” I’d done a commercial or two for a local broadcast.
“Well, let’s get a look at you.” She stood and came closer, circling me like one might size up a prize horse. “Are you in good shape?”
“Amazing,” Miri answered for me. “And talented. I sent you the footage.”
“I saw,” Roxy said. “Still, the market is saturated, and for someone with no experience?—”
“I’ve got experience,” I argued.
“I don’t mean a rinky-dink college in the middle of Virginia.”
“I acted with the Royal Theater Company for a year in high school.” The RTC had a reputation internationally for a reason. Many of the British greats had trained with them.
That perfectly manicured eyebrow lifted again, this time impressed.
“I told you,” Miri said. “Talented.”
Roxy nodded and went back to her armchair next to Miri, picking up her tea with a thoughtful glance between us. “What’s your relationship?”
“We’re friends,” Miri said.
I licked my lips and dropped my gaze to the floor. Friends barely scratched the surface of the complexity between Miri and me. We were star-crossed lovers, bonded in brokenhearted solidarity. We were married in the soul, and we always would be.
“Right,” Roxy said. “And what does Auntie think of your…friendship?”
It took me a moment to realize she meant the queen of England, the king’s wife, the ruler of Miri’s social calendar.
“We really are friends,” I said.
Roxy’s eyes narrowed on me. “Weren’t you dating Ivy Washington?”
“Not for a long time,” I said. “Now, we’re just?—”
“Friends,” Roxy finished for me. “Right.” She looked between us again before taking another sip of tea. I slipped my hands into my pockets and played it cool, even if I was an anxious mess on the inside. I forced my shoulders to straighten when every instinct I had wanted to curl in on myself. Insecurities ran rampant through my mind.
What if I’m not good enough? What if I’ll never be good enough? What if no one likes me? No one respects me? What if I’ll only ever be Chicago-good? Not Hollywood-good? What if they only ever see Ivy when they look at me?
What if I’ll only ever be Ivy’s ex-boyfriend?
“Listen, when I take on a client,” Roxy said, “there are only two things you’re allowed to put before me: your health and your immediate family. In both situations, someone better be in the hospital.” She paused for effect, making sure the next part sunk in. “Love affairs are not one of those things. You can’t decide not to show up to work because your girlfriend caught you sticking your dick in someone else and wants to fight you for it. You understand?”
Miri snorted.
“Miri knows this because that’s how we were raised. Nothing is more important than your brand.”
“I get it,” I said. Almost as much as Miri did. After all, my choices were impacted by other people’s images. Ivy had to marry Lex to save the Fairfax name. Because of that, I couldn’t have her. Because of that, I couldn’t have him. “I won’t let you down.”
Roxy made a sarcastic uh-huh noise and looked back at Miri. “We’ll see.”
Miri nodded in agreement, giving me a wink. “We’ll see.”
That night, when we still hadn’t heard from Lex or Ivy, I started to worry. I tried sending a direct message on all of her socials. Hell, I even resorted to Google Messenger, making me feel like a jilted mistress desperate for any sign of my philandering boyfriend.
Nothing.
No word.
None to Miri either.
“This isn’t right,” I said. My gut tightened, and a weight settled on my chest. “It isn’t like them. They said they’d call. They said they wouldn’t let a day go by.” I thought about reaching out to Ivy’s younger sister, Kit, but I’d only met her twice, and I didn’t know how to get in touch with her aside from the same routes I’d been trying to contact Ivy.
We sat on the balcony with whiskey in shot glasses and music playing softly in the background.
“Maybe they’re busy,” Miri said. “Maybe they got caught up.”
Normally, I was the optimistic one, looking on the bright side of every shitty situation. But now? I didn’t know. Hardly a day had gone by in four years where I didn’t talk to both of them. Now I had an ache in my soul that could only be explained by something unusual.
Midsummer had opened up a connection between the four of us, tying us together by more than just shared experience. Our vows were literally etched into our hands. That meant something, and I had a sneaking suspicion this absence was the calm before the storm.
I opened my mouth to reply, but a text came through on my phone that caught my attention.
Weeds.
I slid the screen open, my eyes narrowing on her message.
Weeds: Carter, I love you. But my mother doesn’t want me in contact with you anymore. If my phone gets hacked, if we get found out—I’m finished. We said we wouldn’t hold each other back. I need that now. Please don’t reach out to me again.
Shock hollowed me. My chest caved in on itself, my brain unable to comprehend the words on the screen.
“What the fuck?”
I showed the text to Miri, whose eyebrows narrowed when she got a similar one from Lex.
Lex: Princess, I apologize for what I’m about to do. My father needs me to keep my head on straight. Don’t call me anymore. Please be happy.
No.
No.
I wouldn’t accept this. I called Ivy, but it went straight to voicemail. I called again, and the line cut off, saying the number had been disconnected. This time, I’d been blocked on all of their social media feeds. So had Miri.
Panic raced in my veins, venomous and agonizing, souring every part of my soul. It didn’t make any sense. For four years, I’d loved them, both of them. I’d loved Ivy more than anything in the world. And for her to end it… over text?
No, I wasn’t buying it. Whatever her mother had said to her, to them, it must have been heinous. Absolutely atrocious.
That’s the only reason they’d do this. That’s the only reason.
Ivy wouldn’t back down. She’d fight until she couldn’t fight anymore; she swore she would. Lex had no love for his father or his wishes. There were so many ways to keep our affair private, to keep it between us. They were giving up too soon.
“This is bullshit.” I tried Ivy again, and when it still didn’t work, I almost crushed my phone in my palm to keep from throwing it into the fucking cliffs.
“Let it be.” Blinking back tears, Miri lit a cigarette and grabbed my hand to calm me, taking a long, deep inhale before reclining in her seat. “We knew this would happen. Let it be.”
“Miri, she wouldn’t do this.” I vibrated with my helplessness, my molecules begging me to do something, anything, to stop this from being real. “She wouldn’t be this cruel, not to us.”
I swallowed down my grief because I couldn’t break in front of Miri. We needed to be strong for each other. That was why she’d come. That was why I was here.
“If it’s any consolation, Romeo,” Miri said, her voice cracking the slightest bit, “they’re not. This has Evelyn and Kellan written all over it.”
“How do we stop it?” I could barely get the words out.
“We can’t,” Miri said. “Lex and Ivy had a choice.” She took a deep breath in, let it out slowly. “They made it.”
“So, what? All of it? All we had was fucking bullshit?”
“No,” she said. “It was real. It’ll always be real.” Another slow inhale of her cigarette had me reaching for my own. I usually didn’t like to smoke, but this brand? This smell? It reminded me of Lex, and I couldn’t deny myself the temptation in that awful moment.
“It was over the minute they announced their relationship; you know that.” She wiped at her eyes and brought the whiskey bottle to her lips for a long, deep swallow. “Good things never last. That’s what makes them so good.”
I hated it. I hated everything. I wanted to jump on the first plane back to DC and show up at their apartment to make them explain themselves. Screw Roxy. Screw LA. Screw all of it.
They couldn’t at least call me?
Two days ago, I’d had Lex’s dick in my ass and my cock in Ivy’s, and I didn’t even deserve a formal breakup?
Fire raged through me.
I read her message again over and over, forcing the tears back, forcing myself to come up with an explanation for how she could take four years of us and smash it to hell in less than fifty words.
Ivy had asked me not to contact her. Lex had made it clear he felt the same.
I didn’t know what their parents had said to them to make them run scared, but I swore, right at that moment, that I’d spend the rest of my life proving them wrong. When I swooped in and stole my lovers back from the cold clutches of these wolves in sheep’s clothing, I’d make sure Evelyn and Kellan knew who had brought about their downfall.