Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“And then there are the four of you. All cousins, all the same age as me. When did I stand a chance at standing out in high school or in college when I was in constant competition with the awesome foursome?”
“This has never been a competition,” I say.
“You were homecoming queen our senior year in high school,” she says.
“Yeah, I was, and you, as I recall, were on the court along with Angie, Sage, and Gina. Quite frankly, I’m not sure why I was crowned. Gina’s way more beautiful than I am.”
“But don’t you get it? It was always going to be a Steel. It had to be.”
I hold up a finger. “No, it didn’t have to be. Rory was homecoming queen. Callie was on the court.”
“There were no Steels in either of their classes. The next year, after Callie, Diana was homecoming queen.”
“Diana is gorgeous.”
“She is. But even she isn’t as gorgeous as you are, Brianna. You look just like your father in female form, and your father’s gorgeous.”
“Well, Uncle Ryan is more handsome than my father, and Gina’s more beautiful than I am, so how did I get to be queen?”
She huffs then. “Because you’re Brianna fucking Steel. You’re not quiet like Diana. You’re boisterous and flamboyant in your own way. You draw people to you, Bree.”
Do I? I never thought too much about myself and my own personality. Of all my aunts and uncles, Uncle Ryan is the most boisterous and jovial. My father’s always been a bit brooding. Now that I know his history, I certainly understand why.
“All of you are. You, Sage, and Gina the most. But even Angie, when she comes out of her shell, can be just as much fun as the rest of you. I’m nothing compared to the four of you.”
My heart breaks a little for Maddie. I want this trip for her. Almost even more than I want it for me.
In this moment, making Maddie feel beautiful—to see herself as she truly is—becomes even more important to me than being with her brother.
I’ve been worshiping him from afar for so long… What if it just isn’t meant to be?
But you know what is meant to be? Getting Madeline Pike out of this depressing slump.
“All right, Maddie. I’m no longer taking no for an answer. I’m going to get you the first-class ticket. In fact, I’m going to get the entire rest of the band first-class tickets. We’re all going to be in first class together, and you are going to start thinking of yourself the way everyone else sees you. Beautiful, talented, worthy. Every bit as much as I am or the rest of the awesome foursome is. Even more so. You got it?”
She gives me a shy smile. “All this time, I never really thought the rest of you liked me.”
“We’ve always loved you, Maddie. You’ve always been welcome in our group. You have to know that.”
“Yeah. I mean, when all five of us are together, I don’t feel left out.”
“It’s just when we make plans that don’t include you.”
“Right.” She crosses her arms and looks to her feet. “And when you say it that way, I feel like I’m being an immature little brat.”
“You’re not. From now on, we’re the…jivesome fivesome.”
She laughs then. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
I take a sip of my bourbon, let the smoke and caramel taste float over my tongue and down my throat, warming me. “Then we won’t be a fivesome at all. We’ll all be individuals in our own right. Because honestly, Maddie, that’s what we all deserve.”
I take a look toward the back, where Jesse and Cage are playing pool. Though I’m tempted to go back there and flirt with Jesse just a little bit, I don’t.
I’m still wildly attracted to him, and I really want things to work between us. But frankly, he doesn’t know I’m alive, and right now his sister needs me.
I gesture to Ava. “Two more here, on my tab.”
“You got it, Bree.”
Ava gets busy on her drinks, and I pat Maddie’s arm and pick up my nearly empty drink. “To a renewed friendship. And to our amazing trip that’s going to make some awesome memories.”
She clinks her sidecar glass to mine. “Yes, to all of that.”
Chapter Twelve
Jesse
I usually beat Cage at pool, but I’m off tonight.
For some reason, I can’t keep my eyes off Brianna Steel, who’s sitting at the bar with my sister Maddie.
Apparently they’re both going on tour with us, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I never thought of Brianna Steel as anything more than an honorary little sister—at least not consciously—but right now?
I’m kind of missing her watching me play pool.
Normally when the guys and I are here, the awesome foursome, as Maddie calls them, can’t stay away from us. They usually get their own table and then bother us to help them with their shots, which in itself is ridiculous, because all the Steels are great pool players.