Chapter 5
OWEN
I never thought I’d see Thea Pappas again.
At least, not outside my dreams. She looks just like she did three years ago.
Her blond hair is the same, bouncing a few inches past her shoulders in tight ringlets that would probably reach down to the tantalizing curve at the bottom of her back if straightened.
Her dark eyes still dart around any room she’s in, and I could never tell if it was nervousness or if she was just too curious not to know everything at once.
Hell, she was even wearing the same dress she wore to the wedding.
I expected her to behave like she would in one of my dreams, to drag me out of the room to make out against a wall or walk up to me and say something inappropriate.
To be fair, she did say something inappropriate, but that’s not the type of inappropriate my mind creates for her.
My family has once again flocked to her. They’re having fun messing with me, but she also just fits with them, giving back whatever they throw out.
I spot my mom and Aunt Dawn slinking over, and I try to catch Thea’s eye so she can escape. She’s too engrossed in a story Camila’s telling about her and her wife’s honeymoon to notice.
“Thea, I wanted to introduce you to my twin sister, Dawn. She’s coordinating the wedding, and I’m sure you’ll spend lots of time together this week. Plus, it’s good to get to know family.”
Thea’s eyes flick to mine and then back. “I’m excited to get to know Addy’s new family this week.”
The emphasis on Addy leaves no question for anyone in the group where Thea stands on our relationship, but either Mom is the exception or she just doesn’t care.
“Addy’s family,” she says, puffing out air. “Like you weren’t part of the family long before she came into the picture.”
Addy tenses beside Thea, her eyes dropping to the floor. Thea’s face goes dark. I don’t know what’s going to come out of those beautiful lips when she opens them, but it won’t work out well for anyone involved, including Addy.
“Who the hell says that?” Thea asks, her fingers twisting into fists so tight her knuckles turn white.
My mom sputters, “I … I was just being welcoming.”
Thea’s lips twist into a menacing grin. “You call that welcoming? I’d hate to see what you’re like when you don’t want someone around.”
She’s incredible like this. Vicious and pissed and ready to jump into any fight necessary to protect her sister. The anger brings a flush to her cheeks and brightness to her eyes. I could watch her all night.
A squeak from next to Thea pulls my attention away. Addy’s there with red splotches on her cheeks. She turns on her heel, speedwalking out of the room. Thea’s entire demeanor shifts in an instant, her skin blanching and her shoulders caving in. She follows immediately, Harrison right on her heels.
“Mom, can I talk to you?” I drag her away by the arm before she can answer.
Mom huffs as I bring her to a stop just beyond the curtain separating off the party from the rest of the restaurant. “Can you believe that girl? How could she talk to me like that?”
For a second, I consider letting her stay mad at Thea.
It’d be easier for me if she didn’t want us to reconcile, if she spent the week trying to keep us apart instead of pushing us together.
But Thea was right to say what she said, and I can’t bring myself to let her reaction be treated like a bad thing.
“She was right, Mom,” I say, and Mom’s eyes go wide, her hand coming to her chest like I struck her.
“How can you say that?”
“You hurt Addy. She was protecting her sister. That’s a good thing. Do you not see it, or do you just not care?”
Mom blinks like she’s fighting back tears, but there’s no moisture in her eyes. “Of course I don’t want to hurt Addy.”
“I know you’d never hurt someone on purpose,” I say. A bit of flattery will go a long way in easing this situation. “You’re too kind for that, so you have to stop.”
She shrugs innocently, but her eyes darting around the room tell a different story. “Stop what?”
“Stop trying to force something with Thea. We broke up. It sucked. We’ve moved on.”
She lifts a brow. “Moved on? Did I imagine you saying you couldn’t meet my friend’s daughter for a coffee a few weeks ago because you aren’t ready for a new relationship?”
Okay, well, that plan has officially shot me in the foot.
I sigh and decide to try another route. “I may not be over her, but you taught me to respect my partner’s wishes. If Thea doesn’t think we’re the right fit, I won’t force her into a relationship against her will.”
She scoffs. “Reminding her of all the reasons you’re so lovable is not forcing her into a relationship.”
“You were just mad at the way she spoke to you. Why would you want me to get back together with her?”
“You were right. She was protecting her sister. Those protective instincts will be great when you have kids.” God, the kid conversation again. She won’t stop until I carry on the Hayes legacy. “This is your chance to reconnect with the love of your life.”
“I never said she was the lo—”
“Some of us don’t get second chances.”
Her voice breaks on the last few words, and she presses her middle finger to the space between her eyebrows.
Step one.
Part of me wants to cave, to tell her I’ll try, but Thea’s not here as my fake girlfriend this time. She’s here for the wedding and doesn’t need me trying to “win her back” while she’s supporting her sister.
“I’m not going to do that to Thea. She knows how I felt about her, and if she still has feelings for me, she’ll make sure I know.”
Mom brings her other middle finger to join the first. Step two completed.
“I just don’t understand why you’re not willing to try.”
“And I don’t understand why you’re so fixated on getting me back together with someone who doesn’t want me.”
The words come out harsher than expected, and I don’t know if it’s my frustration at Mom or the tightness in my chest when I think about how Thea really doesn’t want me. She made it clear when she deleted her number. I don’t even know why it bothers me when I may not have called her to begin with.
But even as I tell myself that, I know it for the lie it is. I would have called her. That weekend had been amazing, and I felt so sure it wasn’t forced on her part until I tried to pull up her contact in my phone and realized she wanted nothing to do with me now that money wasn’t changing hands.
Mom gasps, tears flooding her eyes, and I immediately regret speaking so forcefully. She’s too fragile for that. Her hands drop from her head to her sternum, where she rubs like she’s buffing out the emotions like a scratch on a car.
“I’m not feeling well,” she says weakly. “I think I’ll head back to the inn.”
“Mom,” I say gently. “Come on. Don’t leave. I’m sorry.”
She waves, already walking toward the exit.
If I don’t stop her, she’ll end up missing everything tomorrow.
And I will, too. I’ll spend the day trying to coax her out of bed so she doesn’t miss something big, like the time we both missed Harrison’s elementary school graduation because I told her I wanted to do an internship with a company besides Hayes and she decided it meant I was abandoning the family.
“I’ll try,” I call out to her back, and she pauses, waiting for me to go on. “I’ll talk to Thea.”
She spins to face me, a few of the clouds gone from her face. “I’m happy to hear that. I’ll see you tomorrow for the game.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. She’s still leaving, but if she’s saying she’ll be there tomorrow, she’s in a much better place than she would have been otherwise.
Now I just have to break it to Thea that things got a bit more complicated.
I pace in front of the hotel room door, wondering if going to my cousin for Thea’s room number is the creepiest thing I’ve ever done.
I’m not here for a creepy reason. Not because she still knocks the wind out of my lungs in that red dress or because her ridiculous antics made me feel lighter than I have in years or because she called out my family while they were ragging on me. All that’s true, but it’s not why I’m here now.
There are things we need to discuss, like what went down when we “broke up” and how I’m “trying to win her back” this week. An anxiety-driven vision of her saying I broke up with her and my mom declaring us still in love and, therefore, back together is enough to get me to knock.
The door swings open a few seconds later and I’m greeted by what might be the most glorious sight in the world.
Thea’s fresh from the shower, droplets from the messy bun she has piled on top of her head running down the sides of her neck.
A few curls have escaped, framing the soft curve of her cheeks.
Her oversized sweatshirt hides the tiny sleep shorts that peek out as she shifts her weight onto one foot, and my fingers twitch with the desire to play with the hemline.
God, she’s beautiful.
She clears her throat, and I realize I’ve been staring, openly and unabashedly. I have to get this under control.
“I thought we should check in,” I say.
She glances down the hallway for prying eyes, and then steps back to let me in.
The room is set up like mine. A comfortable king bed.
An antique desk from one of my uncle Doug and aunt Ximena’s thrifting trips.
No charging station or any of the other modern amenities I know Camila’s been on them to add.
I grab the back of the old wood chair at the desk and gesture for her to sit on the bed across from me to put some distance between us.
Thea sighs as she drops onto the bed. “Scale of one to ten, how much does your mom hate me now?”
“The good news: she doesn’t hate you. The bad: she desperately wants us to get back together. How’s Addy doing?”
Thea throws herself back, bouncing slightly on the bed as she groans. “I think she’s okay. I just need to keep that sort of reaction under control. No more awkwardness, no more fuckups.”
“Speaking of that,” I say, and she pushes herself back to sitting. “We should make sure we’re on the same page.”