13. Heavenleigh
Heavenleigh
Harsh sunlight glaring through the window felt like a laser drilling directly into my brain. Groaning, I grabbed for a pillow to shield my eyes, the headache pulsing inside my skull an unwelcome reminder that I was very much alive.
My first time experiencing the joys of a hangover, and I had to say, the results were not worth it.
I barely remembered anything from the night before, just a few random clips that weren’t clouded by the haze of alcohol.
Peer pressure wasn’t something I’d ever suffered from.
No meant no with me, and I’d never been tempted to fall under the influence of other people.
Yara had always respected my boundaries, and if I was fair, Warren hadn’t pushed any either.
But he’d put that shot in my hand like it was second nature, and I’d only thought about the consequences momentarily before tossing back the drink.
It was one night, I’d told myself as I’d swallowed the liquor.
We were celebrating, and for once, I threw caution to the wind.
One shot turned into… Fuck, I’d lost count.
Then Yara started talking about getting married by moonlight, and sometime later, we’d been on a megayacht.
Yara in her wedding dress, while Warren silently cried with the most adoring look in his eyes.
Jake beside me, watching me like he wanted to eat me whole.
There had been cake—that was a very clear detail that my pulsing head remembered well enough.
Along with Jake basically telling me he loved me. And then…
Nothing.
It was all a blank, like someone flipped the off switch in my mind and my brain quit working.
Yeah, I was never drinking again.
I had a sour taste in my mouth that needed to be dealt with.
Carefully, as if I were trying to avoid detonating a bomb, I pulled the pillow away, slowly exposing my eyes to the blazing sun filling the room.
Which was a mistake. Slapping my hands over my eyes, I rolled to the edge of the bed.
Peeking through my fingers, I took a few blinks before I could determine which direction I needed to go to get to the bathroom, and then I had to take a little extra time to psych myself up to stand.
It was absolutely as bad as I thought it was going to be—the pain in my head, the nausea roiling around in my stomach, that taste in my mouth…
gross. Somehow, I stumbled my way to the bathroom without causing myself bodily harm.
Leaving the door open and the light off, I fumbled on the sink in search of a toothbrush.
At this point, I didn’t care who it belonged to.
I needed that taste gone or I was going to make it worse and start blowing chunks.
Brushing my teeth was a chore all on its own. The sound of the water made me flinch. My arm seemed to weigh a thousand pounds as I struggled to scrub the filth from my mouth. Once the taste was gone, I sat down on the toilet with a small moan of relief, completely exhausted.
What the fuck had I done last night? I wasn’t even sure where I was. The yacht? My room at the hotel? Jake’s? And where the hell was my phone?
After I relieved myself, I washed my hands and ventured back into the bedroom in search of my phone. Eyes half closed, I searched the room, which thankfully I remembered well. It was Jake’s room, but there was no Jake.
Spotting my phone charging, I grabbed it and checked the time. 2:47 p.m.
Location and time were a good place to start, even if it was the bare minimum of information I needed.
But then I saw the text banner at the bottom of the screen. Eight-six messages, with a portion of the newest message showing.
Arella: WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?
Oh shit.
Vaguely, I remembered Mom saying my sister was coming home for a few days. We were having family dinner on Monday, but it was Saturday. I had to double-check the date on my phone. Yup, Saturday. But that didn’t explain why my sister was sending me shouty all-cap texts.
Unease filled me, causing my already queasy stomach to protest.
I had too many messages to sort through. Each of my siblings had sent multiple ones. So had both my brothers-in-law. Mom and Dad as well. Heart racing as every possible bad scenario played through my mind, I caught sight of Mieke’s name and her last text on the list.
Mieke: Had to tell them. Don’t hate me.
Sick with anxiety, I hit the first name I came to, with no thought for who it was. Within seconds, my sister’s voice was in my ear, driving the intensity of my headache to an entirely new level of pain. “What the hell, Heavenleigh?”
“Bliss,” I choked through the fear. “What’s going on?”
“Mom fell and broke her foot. It’s a bad break. They have to do emergency surgery. Dad is all over the place. We’ve all been trying to call you all day. Braxton sent someone to your place, and there was no sign of you. We thought you were kidnapped until Mieke told us where you were.”
“Oh gods,” I sobbed. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Yara eloped, and I didn’t want to stress Daddy out. I-is Mom okay?”
“She refuses to let them do the surgery until she hears your voice. Hold on. I’m walking back to her room now,” Bliss grumbled.
“Jordan sent his jet to pick you up, by the way. As soon as Mieke clued us in to your location, he called his pilot. That was this morning. He could be there by now, for all I know.”
“Fuck,” I hissed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I pressed my fist to my forehead. “What happened?”
“I’ll let Mom tell you.” There was a pause on her end. “Are you okay? You sound off, and I don’t mean because you’re obviously crying and worried. Your voice is weird.”
“There are things about last night I don’t remember,” I confessed. “I’m a little hungover.”
“Heavenleigh Evangeline Stevenson!” she scolded, sounding so much like our mom that more tears spilled down my face. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I know, I know. It won’t happen again, trust me. Don’t…” I sucked in a breath. “Don’t tell Mom and Daddy.”
“Believe me, I won’t.” She didn’t speak again until I heard a door open. “Hey, Mom. I have a little surprise for you.”
“Is it her?” I heard Mom’s voice, and I choked on another sob just as her voice filled the receiver clearly. “Heavenleigh baby, are you there?”
“Mom, I’m so sorry. Are you okay? What happened?”
“Sweetheart, I’m fine,” she soothed gently, as if I were the one in pain, not her. “I tripped and landed at the bottom of the stairs pretty hard. I broke my ankle in a few different places. The doctor wants to do surgery.”
“A few places!” I repeated, the loudness of my own voice causing me to flinch. “What does that even mean?”
“Okay, so maybe I shattered the entire ankle. It’s fine. They’re going to fix it, and I’ll be good as new in no time. No biggie.”
“Mom,” I groaned. “That sounds excruciating. You must be in so much pain.”
“What the hell are you doing in Hawaii?” Daddy’s rough voice hit my ear.
I closed my eyes, picturing him. Face pale, eyes wild, worry weighing him down.
He must have been so scared about Mom, and I only added to that.
Not just because I wasn’t where he thought I would be, but because he couldn’t reach me.
For hours. The one thing I wanted to avoid most, and I’d done it and more.
“Yara got married,” I answered weakly. “I didn’t want to worry you. It was supposed to be a quick trip.”
“Fuck’s sake, Heavenleigh. I’m not going to break because you’re off having fun with your friends. Your life is meant to be lived, sweetheart.” He expelled a heavy breath. “It’s stuff like this that stresses me out.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I…” Scrubbing at my dripping nose, I tried again. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”
“I’m going to hold you to that promise, kid.”
A half sob, half laugh escaped me. “Is Mom really okay?”
“Yeah, honey. She’s going to be fine. The stubborn woman wouldn’t let the surgeon touch her until she was sure you were safe first, though. Now, she’s going to get prepped. Your transportation should be arriving any minute. She will be out of surgery before you get home.”
“Okay, I just need to grab my bag and tell Yara I’m leaving. Give Mom a kiss for me. I love you both.”
“See you tonight, baby,” Daddy said, his voice notably more relieved than it had been moments before. “We love you too, Heavenleigh.”
Ending the call, I made quick work of finding my things.
I had on Jake’s T-shirt and my panties. That was plenty of clothes to get from the suite to my room.
There was no sign of Jake or anyone else when I left the bedroom.
If my head had been clearer, I would have paused to question that, but I only had one goal in mind—getting home.
In my room, I put on a bra and stepped into a pair of leggings before throwing everything I could into my backpack, including the new heels I’d bought. Mom would love them as much as I did, even if she wouldn’t be wearing anything but a cast for a few months.
There was no answer when I knocked on Yara’s suite.
I still didn’t have any memories past eating cake the previous night, so I was guessing that my friend had stayed on the yacht for her wedding night.
As much as I wanted to hug her before I left, I couldn’t wait around to find her.
Jordan had already sent a text to let me know his pilot was on the island and a car was waiting for me downstairs.
Knowing my bestie would understand, I took the elevator down.
It had a mirrored panel on the back wall, showing me how much of a train wreck I looked like.
Hair tangled, swollen eyes from crying, a shirt that fell off one shoulder and hit me mid-thigh.
I was a hot mess, heavy on the mess. Thankfully, the jet had a shower, and Arella always kept an entire wardrobe full of clothes I could change into.
As soon as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, I stepped off, my fuzzy brain focused on getting to the exit. Two steps forward and I collided with a couple on their way into the elevator.
“Watch it,” a shrill voice snapped.
“Sorry,” I muttered, trying to move around the woman. Only, she matched my step, blocking me again.
Annoyed, I met her gaze and nearly rolled my eyes.
Of course. Yara had sent me several pictures over the years that included Warren’s sister.
She was pretty in a high-maintenance way.
Heavy, contoured makeup, loudly expensive clothes, hair perfectly in place.
Marsha Kline was the type of woman who had to announce how rich she was without actually saying those words aloud.
It was a power play that begged for other people to think they were the one in charge of any room they entered, when, really, they wouldn’t know how to control it if they were ever given the authority.
Shifting my focus from Marsha, I noticed the man at her side.
Jude, Yara’s other brother. I remembered him from the two short meetings we’d had in the past. He was handsome, but not close to the same level as Jake.
Interest filled his light-brown eyes, which he quickly masked when Marsha side-eyed him.
“Excuse me,” I said stiffly and exaggeratedly, stepping back before giving them a wide berth and leaving them to board the elevator.
It wasn’t until I was in the back of the car on the way to the airport that Marsha’s appearance fully hit me. That bitch almost crashed Yara’s wedding. Thankfully, the universe had stepped in, giving my friend her fairy-tale moment before her new sister-in-law could ruin it.