Chapter 1
“This is bullshit. Complete fucking bullshit.”I look up at the house in front of me. Right smack dab in the fucking middle of nowheresville.
“Enough of your language, Rory. And cut the attitude.” My mother sighs as she pulls a suitcase from the trunk of our car. Her small five-foot-three frame struggles to reach deep into the trunk. She drops it in front of her, brushing her caramel hair away from her face. I should help her, but she’s the reason I’m in this small-as-fuck town.
I can already feel the hay getting stuck in my hair.
“Why couldn’t I have just stayed in Las Vegas? Gone to UNLV? They have an architecture program there. A good one. It’s where Dad wanted me to go. What the hell am I going to learn how to build out here? A barn?” I scoff.
“Goddamn it, Aurora! Can you be a bit more grateful that you have the chance to go to a great school that you don’t have to take out any loans for? He didn’t have to do that.”
She’s right. He didn’t have to. And I didn’t want him to.
My mother’s new husband has taken it upon himself to pay for my education.
My stepfather seems to think I want him to pay for my schooling. I have the money that we got from the accident and my father’s life insurance and 401k. Money I was going to use to get my degree. I don’t want or need him to buy me out.
And yet here I am, in the middle of whatever fucking city this is in Texas.
I snort. “Yeah, grateful to be here in small-town USA, Mom. There was nothing but cows for miles when we drove in! How am I supposed to get a degree from the set of a Hallmark movie?”
Am I being fair? No, I’m not, but I don’t want to be here. It’s vastly different than Las Vegas. There are trees everywhere. Grass actually grows. And beyond the house we are now living in, there’s a lake. Water. Something we are constantly told to conserve in the desert.
And then there’s the whole aspect of living in someone else’s house. My mother and Aaron met while she was working at one of the casinos.
My mother worked as an events coordinator for one of the hotels on the strip. Aaron was there for some sort of lawyer conference, and apparently it was love at first sight. Gag.
Yeah, my stepdad is a lawyer. And with that kind of money, I can see why he can afford such a property. I won’t lie, it’s a nice bit of land. Like I said, this place is covered in big, tall trees. The road leading up to here is nothing but gravel and dirt.
And now I should write a country song.
My mother sighs, “You will like this place, Rory. He converted a warehouse into a house and high-end garage. I mean, that’s all up your alley with things that are cool in the architecture world, right?”
My mom is trying, I get it. But I shouldn’t even be here. If she wants to go off and live in the middle of cowboy country, then she has every right to.
She could’ve just left me in Vegas.
Now, I’m not saying Aaron is a horrible person.
He’s actually a nice guy. I met him when he flew in and visited my mother. She seemed happy, and he treated her like she was a queen.
And then they went off to some island and got married.
Without me there.
That I have a little resentment about.
For fuck’s sake, I’m her daughter. She claims it was a last-minute wedding that they decided over dinner to do.
But still. I was completely left out of everything. My mother spent days and weeks apologizing to me.
Honestly, I think that’s why Aaron is paying for my degree. To buy me off to make up for not being there to watch him marry my mother. Talk about a low blow.
I peer down the long drive that extends past the house, out toward the lake. I won’t lie, it is beautiful here. But I feel very out of place.
Sweat rolls down my back as I stare at my new home for the foreseeable future, well until I head off to Groveton College in a couple weeks. Fuck, this place makes me feel like my lungs are under water.
We head inside the house, and it doesn’t surprise me how just “Texas” it feels in here. There is wood everywhere. Different fake fish hanging on the wall, and I think I even passed a “God Bless Texas” sign in the entryway. I’ll have to investigate that later.
“June, sweetie, I told you to call me when you got here so I could help you.” My stepfather walks up to my mom and kisses her. He towers over her, his chestnut hair combed back, his smile wide as his eyes never leave hers. Her arms wrap around Aaron, and I immediately turn around, not wanting to encroach on their moment.
“I know, but we only had these two suitcases. It’s not a big deal,” my mom responds wryly.
“When is the other stuff supposed to be here?”
“The moving company said, tomorrow, but you never know with them. Tomorrow may mean next week.” She shrugs.
“Aurora. Welcome.” I turn back and find Aaron’s arm wrapped around my mom’s shoulder.
“Thanks.” I cross my arms in front of me, feeling completely out of place.
“So my son, Xayden, should be home soon. I thought maybe we could have a nice family dinner tonight. Since it will be the first time we’re all together. What do you think?” Aaron beams.
“That sounds wonderful.” Mom leans into him.
Oh, and yeah, he has a son. I’ve never met him, but he’s apparently a senior at Groveton College.
So, guess I get to finally meet him.
From what I’ve heard from Aaron, he’s studying business and then going to go on and study law. Or something like that. I couldn’t care less.
“Oh, and you and Xayden get to share the guest house out by the pool until you leave for school. There’s a room set up for each of you, and the kitchen is fully stocked.” Aaron smiles at me like he just told me the best thing in the world.
“Great. I guess I’ll just take my things over there, then.”
Which I apparently say to no one because my mom and her new husband are lip locked and acting like they haven’t seen each other in a year.
Newsflash: They saw each other three days ago when Aaron helped us pack up and get ready for the movers. He had to leave to come back after he helped us, but seriously, they just saw each other.
I grab my suitcase and head back out the front door with a roll of my eyes. The humidity hits me the moment I step out onto the porch. Fuck, I hate it here already.
How can anyone live in this? It has to be at least a hundred degrees out.
And yes, I get that Vegas can hit into the triple digits as well, but it’s a dry heat.
I prefer not to look like a dripping, sweaty mess.
I make the long trek down the driveway toward the lake. And holy mother fucker, it’s a trek.
Seriously, I feel like I’m walking across the entire state of Texas right now. I swear this driveway is a good five hundred feet long just from the house to the guest house. This is ridiculous.
When I finally reach the guest house, which seems like I’ve been hiking for a better part of a year, the back of my shirt is drenched from sweat. I’m pretty sure my underarms are rank. I just need a cold shower and air conditioning. And ice packs under my clothes.
When I walk through the door, the cold air hits me, and I let out a sigh. I drop my suitcase and walk to the fridge, hoping there is some cold water in there.
When I open the door, I am happy to see there is. I twist open the cap and let the cool water coat my mouth and throat as I drink it down. I take a deep breath after chugging the whole bottle.
Looking around, I see that this space isn’t much different than the main house. Except this one definitely looks like a bachelor pad with a giant pool table where a dining table should be. A giant flatscreen TV that has to be at least eighty inches long is surrounded by a huge entertainment center with game consoles of every kind in the cubby holes.
This is such a man cave.
Awesome. I’m going to be the chick who disrupts the whole dude system going on here. I’m sure I can just hide out for the next couple of weeks until school starts and I live on campus.
Which reminds me, I need to contact my roommate. I pray that she’s nice and not a complete asshole.
Grabbing my suitcase, I trudge up the stairs and find a hallway with a door to the left, a door to the right, and one directly in the center at the end of the hall. Okay, maybe I should have asked which one my room was.
Taking into account the orientation of the house, I figure Xayden’s room is probably the one on the left that looks out toward the lake.
So, with that in mind, I take the door on the right and twist the knob, pushing the door open.
And holy shit.
The room is like triple the size of my room back home. A beautiful built-in bookshelf hugs the wall across from me. A huge bed sits along the opposite wall with a lilac comforter over it. The floor is a white-colored tile with hints of black and flecks of gold, and the walls are a deep gray, with the wood of the bookcase stained black.
I saunter over to the windows and take a look outside at the property around the house.
Yeah, maybe this won’t be so bad. I mean, I’ll only be here for a couple more weeks and then I’ll be at school. Honestly, holing up inside this room isn’t that horrible.
This is some guest house.
My clothes are still sticking to me from being outside, and I’m in desperate need of a shower. Dumping my suitcase on the bed, I open it up and pull out one of my black skater dresses and gladiator sandals.
Thankfully I packed a towel, so I grab that and my bathroom essentials before searching for the bathroom. I’m guessing it’s at the end of the hall. Or at least, I’m hoping it is.
As I step out into the hallway, the house is still extremely silent. I still can’t believe that my mom is married again and this is where I now live. As I walk down the hall, I soon reach the door and silently pray I’m not about to walk in on my stepbrother naked in his room or something.
Pushing open the door, I am both relieved to see that it is indeed the bathroom and shocked at how amazing this space is. It’s like a goddamn spa.
The white walls contrast nicely against the black doors and trim around the room. There is a floating counter with two sinks.
Stepping further in, I see a tub next to a window covered in black marble. Across from that is the largest fucking shower I have ever seen. Behind a glass door is a grey herringbone pattern of shower tiles with three fucking shower heads that makes my mouth drop.
Is this even real life at this point?
Honestly, I’m sure the dorm showers are going to completely suck after this. My standards have been thoroughly raised.
Two weeks, I get two weeks of spa living before I have to be subjected to dorm life. Maybe my mom marrying Aaron isn’t so bad. I mean, I get to come back to this on breaks. A girl can get used to this bathroom.
Except I shouldn’t be happy at all.
As much as I want to enjoy this, I still have to remember I am only here because my father is dead, and my mother married someone new.
Even after all this time, he still leaves a huge hole in my heart. My mother seemed to be able to fill that hole easily with her new husband.
But no one will ever be able to replace my father.