I watch everyone laughing, singing, dancing, drinking, and I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience. It’s like I’m watching my life pass me by. All the while, I’m holding the pathetic candle that I keep alive for Rae.
My eyes drift to the door behind me, hoping she’ll walk through.
She doesn’t.
Sawyer comes to stand next to me, handing me a drink. “Well done, Benji. Sarah looks happy.”
“Yeah.”
“You, on the other hand…” He stares at me, arching an eyebrow.
I snort, shaking my head. “I’ll snap out of it.”
He pinches his lips, nodding. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think she’d leave. Sometimes, I don’t understand Rae at all.”
“You and me both.” I give him a tight smile and walk away.
I spend the day avoiding people. I worked so hard to plan this party. Spent so much money on it. Even invited my father and his family, too—but now, I just want it to end.
28
Rae
My hand trembles as I sign the papers that secure my spot on the board of directors of my father’s company. Then, the house is transferred over to my name.
It feels almost like a bribe, and when it’s over, I want to take a shower. The lawyer takes the papers and shuffles back out the door, and I’m alone with my parents again.
My father’s lips are pinched, and my mother looks satisfied. She pats her hair and lets out a soft grunt in satisfaction.
Handing my father’s heavy, expensive pen back to him, I look him in the eye. “So? Will you change your flights?”
“Change them to what, darling?” my mother interjects.
I frown. “Change them to a later day so you can come up to Woodvale with me.” I speak slowly, enunciating every word. My eyes travel from my mother to my father and back again.
My father lets out a sigh and waves a hand. “Rae, we can’t change the flights. We have to go close on a house in Milan the day after tomorrow.”
“But you said—”
“I said we’d think about it.”
Horror floods through me and my blood runs cold. “You never had any intention of coming up to see Sawyer and Lucy.”
My father grunts, puffing his chest out. “I don’t understand why you insist on talking to them at all. They made their choice, Rae. They left.”
“They’re family.”
“We’re your family,” my mother spits. “We’ve been there for you from the beginning. Is this how you repay us? By trying to manipulate us into going somewhere we don’t want to go?”
I scoff, choking on my own spittle. Me manipulating them? It’s almost laughable, if they weren’t looking at me with deathly serious looks on their faces.
“Excuse me?” I manage to say. “I’m only trying to get you to talk to your children. Remember? The other two kids that you birthed?”
“They chose to leave, Rae. They have to live with that choice.”
“You threw them out! Told Lucy she was a disgrace, when all she did was get pregnant. Her son is amazing, by the way. And Sawyer felt like he had to leave. Once he refused the job, you wouldn’t even speak to him.”
“It’s done,” my father grunts, turning away from me. “They’re not part of this family anymore.”
“They’re part of my family,” I say, my voice trembling.
My mother waves a hand and my father turns his back. I stand in my father’s study, feeling completely alone and totally foolish.
They were never going to come up to Woodvale with me. My parents have no interest in reconciliation. I came here on a fool’s errand, with silly ideas about a big, happy family.
Sawyer was right. I’ve been naive.
The realization hits me like a punch in the gut. My whole world shimmers and trembles before me, and I realize just how stupid I’ve been.
I left Woodvale the day before Benji’s party for this.
I hurt him for this.
I turned my back on the one man who has made me feel good about myself—for this.
My heart jumps, and panic clenches at my gut. My blood ices as I stand there, realizations hitting me in quick succession.
I shouldn’t have come here.
It was never going to work.
My parents aren’t the people I want them to be.
I’ll never have the Brady-Bunch family I hoped I’d have.
Suddenly, I need to get out. I need to leave. I spin on my heels and tear through the house, getting to my childhood bedroom as the maid finishes unpacking my suitcase.
“Shit,” I say.
“Miss Montgomery!” Her eyes are wide with fear, and I feel slightly sorry for her. “I saw you hadn’t unpacked. I thought…” She bites her lip. She probably needs this job, and I’m sure my parents are treating her like dirt. They probably don’t even see her as a real person.
I take a deep breath, forcing a smile. “It’s fine. Thank you.”
She ducks her head and leaves the room, and I tear the carefully hung clothes off the silk-covered hangers and toss them all into my small suitcase. My hands tremble as I try to fit everything back in, crushing my clothing down and kneeling on my bag as I try to close it up again.
The zipper’s about to burst, but it doesn’t matter. I pull out my phone and try to get the screen to work, but my hands are too sweaty. I wipe my fingers on my pants and try again, finding the airline’s website and looking for the next available flight.
In a few taps, I’ve booked a seat. My heart jumps, and I pick up the suitcase, throwing one last glance around the room.
This isn’t my home. It never was.
My home is a small, sweet town, nestled between the mountains and the ocean. It’s green, and lush, and has lots of birds singing in the trees. It rains a lot, but when the sun shines, it’s glorious.
My home
