Chapter 38
“LABOUR” PARIS PALOMA
N ova and I camp out on the sectional couch with a classic horror movie as background noise. We haven’t been paying much attention to it, as we’ve been chatting and talking about everything under the sun. None of which is about what she saw outside before Ryder dropped me off here.
“I can’t wait for the party.” Nova twirls her cherry-flavored Twizzlers between her fingers. “I’m curious who all will be there.”
I sip the red wine she found stashed in a cabinet. “I’m not sure. I honestly didn’t think they’d do something like that since the guys always kept to themselves.”
“Aiden has made a lot of friends since graduation. Maybe they’ll be there.” She shrugs, then scrunches her nose at whatever popped into her head.
“Oh god,” I say with a groan. “Don’t tell me he’ll invite all his ex-flings to the party.”
Aiden is a player. Nova told Olivia and me all about how he keeps a girl around for a short time before a new one takes her place. I don’t want to think about what it’ll be like, having a bunch of women he slept with, all in one space.
Nova groans and drops her head against the sofa’s cushion. “I really hope not.”
“We’ll just pretend your brother wouldn’t be dumb enough to invite them to the party,” I say.
Nova straightens and pins me with a smirk. “Speaking of brothers... So you and Ryder, huh?” She bites into her Twizzlers. “How long have you been keeping that secret?”
My cheeks warm with a blush. “A few days.”
I feel like crap for keeping it from Nova and Olivia, but to be fair, I didn’t expect them to understand. It’s silly of me to assume something like that, especially after seeing how open-minded they were with Dahlia and Jaxon’s marriage.
Nova chews her candy while staring at me with an unreadable look.
I grimace and avert my gaze. “I’m sorry for not telling you and Olivia.”
“I don’t hold it against you.” She shrugs and rips off another bite. “It’s scary to have a relationship with a sibling, blood or not, because there’s a ton of people out in the world who will judge.”
Tension melts from my muscles that have been stiff since Nova watched Ryder kiss me. I sag in my seat and suck in a breath that brings another wave of comfort. I didn’t realize how tensed up I’d been until Nova finally addressed the pink elephant in the room.
She notices the change in me and grins. “We’re best friends. I don’t care who you date so long as he treats you like a queen and doesn’t cheat.”
I cringe. “If anyone is a cheater, it’s me.”
“What?” Nova’s back straightens, and she drops her candy. “You’re cheating on Ryder?”
“No.”
“Then who are—” Realization crosses her features, and she blows a raspberry with a wave of her hand. “I forgot Justin even existed. Fuck him. He doesn’t count, so that doesn’t make you a cheater.”
I don’t try to arguewith her logic, even though it’s skewed.
Thunder rumbles in the distance. Its vibrations tremble the glass in the kitchen and the floor beneath my feet.
Nova glances at the TV, but her eyes lose focus.
“You okay?” I ask.
She plucks the candy from the seat beside her and bites into it. “I’m fine.” She blinks, but the same detached expression remains on her face as she turns to me. “Is it okay if I blast some music or something?”
My eyebrows pinch together, and I nod.
Nova lunges for the remote on the coffee table.
She turns off the movie and changes the app to Spotify, then chooses the first song on her liked playlist. She relaxes into the seat but refuses to look at me as she munches on candy and glances at the covered windows every time lightning flashes outside.
“Nova?” I scoot to the edge of my seat. “Seriously, are you okay?”
She must not hear me over the music because she continues staring at the TV, her gaze slipping every now and again toward the window.
My phone vibrates in my hand. I hesitate to read the messages, torn if I should move closer to Nova and figure out what’s going on. Over the years, I’ve noticed her shutting down during thunderstorms. Aiden has always been able to helpkeep her calm.
Thunder quakes the room, but the music drowns out most of the rumble. I eye Nova, watching to see how she reacts. She continues munching on the candy and staring at the TV with a glazed look.
I peek at the new messages.
Dad
Where are you?
You can’t run from this, Madison.
He can’t save you, girl.
Come back home and let’s talk about this like adults.
I scrunch my nose and exit the thread.
Dad is out of his mind if he thinks I’ll crawl back home to talk. His version of having any discussion is to order me around and expect me to listen to him. I’m not doing it anymore. I refuse to allow him to control me.
The song switches, leaving the room quiet for a split second. Thunder booms, followed by lightning flashing through the drawn curtains.
Nova leaps from her spot, the bag of Twizzlers and the untouched bowl of popcorn dropping to the floor and scattering into a mess. I leap to my feet, my wine sloshing over the lip of the cup and drenching the front of my shirt.
“Be right back.” Nova races out of the room, her frantic footsteps pounding the stairs and fading once she reaches the top.
“Nova!” I set the wineglass on the table and chase after her.
I follow the flash of pink into her bedroom. Nova rushes to her gaming desk and grabs her headphones with pointed pink kitty ears at the top. She places them over her head and holds the muffs against her ears.
“Hey,” I say softly. “What’s going on?”
Nova plops onto her gaming chair and squeezes her eyes shut. “I’ll be okay. I just”—she swallows hard and looks at me with sad, pleading eyes—“need to listen to music for a while. Drown out all the noise.”
I nod and ease closer to her. “Do you want me to stay here with you?”
Her shoulders jerk up to her jaw at another loud clap of thunder. She squeezes her eyes shut. “You don’t have to.”
I stop and frown. “I will. You just need to let me know.”
Lightning flashes and lights up the right of the room. Nova whimpers and swivels the chair to face her computer, then shakes her mouse to bring the screen to life. She taps a few times and plays music that blasts through her headphones, but it’s loud enough for me to hear.
I awkwardly stand behind her, unsure of what to do. Nova keeps her back to me, her trembling lessening the more she listens to her music.
I’ve never seen her like this during a storm. Usually she goes quiet and has a faraway look in her eyes, but never full-on shivering and needing to hide.
The heater kicks on, cooling my wine-damp shirt to my skin. Goosebumps rise on my arms, and I suppress a shiver. I glance down at my top and wince at the large red stain.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, even though Nova can’t hear me. “I won’t be gone for long.”
Nova is a few sizes smaller than me, so I can’t exactly raid her closet.
I leave her bedroom and tuck my phone in my pocket before I head out the front door. Rain lashes against my face, stinging my eyes. I hunch my shoulders and jog down the street to Ryder’s house. Well, our house.
“Please don’t let me get struck by—” I scream as lightning cracks close by and lights up the night with torrents of blue and white. “This wasn’t worth it. Fuck!”
I race down the sidewalk until I reach the house, then zig-zag up the driveway and barrel through the front door. My heart pounds erratically against my chest, and I check my phone to make sure there isn’t any water damage. The screen lights up, showing no sign of an issue.
I glance behind me and nibble my bottom lip.
I hope Ryder’s okay.
Maybe he hasn’t come home yet because of the weather.
That eases my mind just a smidge, but only for a split second before unwanted thoughts rush forward.
Did he get in a crash and that’s why he’s not here?
I pull up his name on my cell and hit the dial button before I hold my phone against my ear.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” I whisper.
I turn the corner into the living room and stop dead in my tracks.
Two large figures sit on the couch. The one on the right has his leg crossed over the other, with his ankle resting on his knee.
The other figure sits on the end of the couch like a king, legs spread and arm on the rest, with his thick fingers tucked against his temple.
It’s too dark to make out their faces, but I recognize the slicked-back hairstyles and business suits.
“Hello, wife,” Justin drawls. “Your father and I would like to speak to you.”
My fingers slacken on my phone, and I catch it before it falls. I swallow hard and ease back a step. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
How do they even know where Ryder lives?
Justin doesn’t move or say anything for a long moment. Despite not being able to see his face, I can still feel his gaze burning a hole in me. “You’ve been quite the busy girl, haven’t you?”
My pulse pounds in my ears like a drum, drowning out the storm outside. I tremble and inch backward. “You need to leave, Justin.” I slide my gaze to Dad, who’s been silent this whole time. “Both of you.”
Justin turns his head, taking in the dark room.
Lightning flashes across the windows behind him, briefly chasing away the shadows as his head turns back to me.
His cold glare settles on my face. “When I accepted your father’s arrangement, I didn’t realize I would be tied to a female who has a thing for her brother.
Had I known you were a fucking slut for him, I would have taken care of him a long time ago. ”
My eyes widen. “What did you do to him?”
Dad lets out an undignified snort, and I don’t need to see him to know he rolled his eyes, too. “Pathetic, Madison. He’s your brother, for god’s sake.”