As much as I enjoyed meeting Amber, I couldn’t let my guilt distract me. I also couldn’t let the past night’s antics set me back. “Do you think she hates me now?”

  Becca shook her head. “Amber’s not like that. Honestly, she’s too smart to let a man get her down. Besides, you’ve seen how she has them lined up. Seth’s just one of many that she’s messed around with. Don’t get me wrong, she’s not a whore. She’s got this seven date rule where the only play she’ll give is a kiss or some shit. She says if they are good guys they’ll wait it out.”

  “You’re making it worse. So she’s gone out with Seth more than seven times?”

  “That I don’t have a clue about. He spent the night a lot, but who knows what happened between the two of them. Amber’s too proud to let someone like Seth win her over. If you learn anything from living with me it will be how to handle a man. I can’t have my friends getting involved with losers.”

  I giggled, finding it impossible to contain how I felt about being schooled. On the other hand, hearing her call me a friend was invigorating. “I appreciate the support. Don’t worry about Seth. I can handle him. Last night is in the past. I’m sure it was a one-time thing for the both of us. I’ll give him his phone back and let him know that it’s never goin’ to happen again.”

  She seemed content as she pranced out of my room, leaving me to stew with everything she’d shared. While intoxicated I hadn’t considered that Seth could be a man-whore. I’d also not gotten an inclination that he and Amber had hooked up more than once. They seemed like friends, but nothing more.

  For someone that promised to not give a damn about Seth, I spent the next few hours going through everything in my closet in order to look my best. It occurred to me early on that I was most definitely interested in him. The problem was that I didn’t want to get involved with drama just so my peers could accept me. Because I longed for real relationships, I had to be careful.

  My cell phone began to ring, sending me scavenging around to locate it. Though the caller wasn’t whom I’d anticipated, my heart skipped a different kind of beat seeing the name.

  “Hi, mom.”

  “Hey, honey. Dad wants to know if you’ll be home tomorrow night for Sunday dinner? Your brother and Shalan have some wedding stuff to discuss with you.”

  I played with my fingernails while resting the phone against my shoulder to hold it in place. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Noah messaged me yesterday about it.”

  “Okay, well you know your brother doesn’t relay that stuff to me. Also, I’d like it if you had a talk with your sister. Your dad found out she’s been seeing that guy again. We’re at our wit’s end.”

  “I don’t know why you think I’ll be of any help. She and I have nothin’ in common.”

  “Please, Christian. Just try.”

  I rolled my eyes. It was harder said than done. “Whatever. I’ll attempt to talk some sense into her, but I’m not makin’ any promises.”

  “Between the two of us, I’m worried she’s going to get herself into trouble. She’s promiscuous, and I’m terrified it could lead to her getting pregnant or even assaulted.” I heard my mother beginning to sniffle. When it came to my sister my mom had struggled. She was defiant, and the more they tried to help her, the worse she became. “I hate watching her making bad choices. I pray every night and nothing changes.”

  Church had always been important to my family. The power of prayer had been proven many times through the years, but my sister’s drama was self-inflicted. She didn’t want to get better, because she liked her life. She should have been named trouble instead of Addison. It didn’t help that she was the youngest who, for better argument, had a more lenient upbringing. My father was a strict man, who’d been brought up with old-fashioned morals. My brother had the hardest time, especially since I was so quiet. Addy just couldn’t stay out of trouble. “Mom, calm down. I’ll be there tomorrow and talk to her. Don’t get yourself in a tizzy, because then daddy will freak out and make it worse.”

  She sniffled a few times before answering. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I know you’re tired of hearing it. It’s probably why you moved out in the first place.”

  “I moved out because it was time to act like a grown woman. I can’t keep dependin’ on you and dad to take care of me forever.”

  “Just promise me that you’ll always make good choices, Christian. I can’t handle it if I fail with both of my beautiful daughters.”

  It pained me to hear her talking like that. My mom hadn’t failed, and neither had my father for that matter. My sister needed to wake up and realize what she was doing to our family. I thought about what my mom was asking me. Last night I’d made terrible choices for a very selfish reason. I shouldn’t have done it, and now I knew I’d have to live with my decision for the rest of my life. My guilty conscience would haunt me, and I was going to have to figure out how to accept it and move on.

  At the end of the day one-night-stands weren’t going to make me popular. My asinine idea was now like a punch to the gut.

  How could I have been so foolish?

  Once I’d hung up with my mother I stood in front of my mirror staring at my own reflection. Was I even going to like the person that I was trying so desperately to become?

  As ridiculous as it was, I spent the rest of the afternoon washing my sheets, as if it somehow erased what had been done. When Seth called to meet up with me I told him I couldn’t make it. Determined to obliterate my obvious regretful idea, I pretended to be sick to prevent from hanging out with my roommates. By the time the sun set I was back to being alone, crying myself to sleep with less dignity than I had twenty-four hours before.

  Chapter 6

  Christian

  Spending the day with my family was something that I always looked forward to. As much as I liked being away from them, nothing compared to how happy I felt when we were all together.

  My family was huge, and I had a ton of cousins. I wish I could say that I was close to all of them, but it wasn’t the case. They’d always treated me like I had the plague, especially my twin cousins Jake and Jax. I knew deep down they cared about me, but they’d never admit it. Since they lived in North Carolina, and only visited Kentucky for special occasions, I found reprieve from their constant badgering.

  As I pulled my little gray Fiat down the dirt driveway I felt a sense of relief. I got this way every Sunday when I knew I was at the one place in the world where I was loved. It was funny how when I first left for college my parents would be waiting on the porch for me to arrive. As my freshmen and sophomore years passed their excitement seemed to fade.

  When I walked inside of my childhood home, I immediately smelled my mother’s cooking. My dad’s voice could be heard from his office, located down the hall of the first floor. I dropped my keys on the side table. “Hey, I’m home.”

  Before anyone replied I saw my brother, Noah, rounding the corner. He leaned against the trim and crossed his arms, giving me a once over. “What’s up, sis?”

  I jabbed him lightly in the gut as I walked by. “Nothin’ much. What’re you doin’ here? Don’t you have some hay to bale?”

  My brother had once struggled with taking over the family ranch business. It took a huge falling out with our dad, and a new love interest to change it all for him. In so many ways I envied his life. Sure, he had a hard daily routine, but he was so loved by everyone he’d ever been around. Noah never had trouble communicating with people. He spoke his mind, and was very popular with the ladies, at least he was before he met Shalan.

  His girlfriend and I had a lot of similar qualities. During her teens she’d withdrawn from a lot when she lost her mother to cancer. After meeting my brother her dreams had come true. Now she was on every radio station around for her hit single, Broken Love Darlin’. It was written about losing my brother, and how she’d never be able to move on. It was that same song that got them back together. The rest is history.

  Their wedding had been postponed because our cousin Isabella got pregnant. She wanted to be able to participate more with the wedding, so they decided to hold off on the nuptials. Now it was obviously back on, and the engaged couple wanted all the bells and whistles to make their day perfect. It was another reason I envied them.

  After my one-night stand I was more ensured that a happily ever after was never going to happen for me. As much as I wanted to sit back and daydream about having a house built on the family land in order to start a family with my dream guy, I knew it was pretty far-fetched. Not only was I single, but not in any position to remotely look for Mr. Right.

  “Where’s Shalan?”

  “She’s at the house. Mom asked her to bring some vanilla and we forgot it. I thought you were her comin’ back in.”

  “Nope. It’s just your lame ass sister.” I looked down at the hardwood flooring instead of straight into his eyes. My brother had a way with trying to convince me that I was some kind of precious beauty queen. I knew better.

  “You need to quit that, Chris. Some guy’s goin’ to try and take advantage of you if you don’t watch yourself. I get that you’re stubborn, but there ain’t nothin’ ugly about you.”

  I finally looked up to meet his gaze. His eyes were widened and baring into me. He’d made his point, and I became overwhelmed with anger. “Noah, please don’t start this again. You’re my brother, but it’s no secret that I’m awkward.”

  “Do you own a mirror?”

  Before I could answer our sister came walking down the stairs. She was wearing an all black outfit and her hair had been dyed to match. Her eyes, which were shadowed in a dark color so much that she appeared sick, peered at the both of us. I noticed immediately how heavy they looked. It had only been a week since I’d seen her last, but it was blatantly obvious she wasn’t well. “Addy?”

  Noah leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “You think you’ve got problems.”

  I shoved him. “Shut up,” I said quietly before looking in her direction again. “What have you done to your hair?” I wasn’t about to come out and say that she looked like death.

  She grabbed a chunk and ran her fingers through it. “I colored it. It’s more me.” Even her speech seemed to have slowed down.

  “Are you drunk?”

  “No, of course not.” She laughed at me before taking a few more steps toward the front door.

  When we realized she was walking away from us, Noah and I followed. “Where are you goin’? Mom’s got dinner about done.”

  She motioned with her hand like she didn’t care. “I’m goin’ out. Tell her to put a plate in the fridge for when I get home.”

  I took hold of her by the arm and forced her to a halt. “Wait. You can’t leave. I won’t let you get into a car in your condition.”

  “Fuck you, Miss Priss. I’m leavin’ and there ain’t nothin’ either of you are goin’ to do about it. Don’t give me those looks either. I hear enough from mom and dad every day. I can’t wait until I get out of here for good, so y’all can mind your own damn business.”

  Suddenly a car rolled down the lane. A guy with his head shaved hung out the window of the driver’s side. “Come on, before your daddy gets his gun.”

  While Addy jumped in the passenger side, I watched Noah marching over to take matters into his own hands. He reached inside of the vehicle and the guy started driving away. Noah jerked his hand away right before he was injured.

  “Son of a bitch!” He yelled.

  “Who is that guy? What the hell is goin’ on with our sister?” I was literally afraid for her. “What is she on?”

  “Hell if I know.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and began talking to someone. “It’s me. Close the gates out front. I don’t care what time it is. Close the damn gates until I get there.” He hung up abruptly before walking in the direction of the house. Before he hit the first step our father was coming out.

  “What’s goin’ on?”

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” Noah murmured before climbing into our dad’s truck and taking off down the dirt driveway.

  I looked at my father, still in shock from what had taken place. “Dad, what’s wrong with Addy?”

  His face told me everything I wanted to know. It was obvious that he was aware of her condition. “I’ve been on the phone all afternoon tryin’ to get her into a facility.”

  “A facility? Like rehab?”

  “She’s in bad shape, darlin’. Your mom’s been a nervous wreck over this. We’ve tried everything. Your sister needs professional help. She’s been stealin’ from us. First it was blank checks for twenty dollars here and there. Last week I found out she pulled all of the money out of her savings account. She tried to access her college funds, but I’m the account holder.”

  We’d had savings accounts since we were born, and I knew for a fact that we kids had been given the same amounts to deposit. Addy had blown through thousands of dollars, and she clearly had nothing to show for it. I sank down on the porch steps, in attempting to come to grips with how bad off my sister was just as Noah returned. Addy was in the passenger side, waving her hands all around as she screamed at him. Our father heard the profanities coming out of her mouth and hauled ass over to the vehicle, practically pulling her out by her black gothic looking t-shirt. She froze in place as he stared her down and waited for her reaction.

  “Get your ass in that house, and don’t even think about pullin’ a fast one, young lady. That there was the last straw. You’re out of here come mornin’.”

  “Fine, kick me out. I don’t even care,” she slammed.

  He shoved her forward, and I half expected him to pull her pants down and spank her like when we were little and drew all over the bathroom walls with Sharpies. Noah met our dad on the porch and they both watched as Addy marched inside, slamming the door behind her.

  Just then Shalan came pulling up on a golf cart. Since their new home was built only through the woods from our parent’s house, it was the easiest way of getting to and from each place without having to start up a truck or car. I think she knew from how we were all standing there that something was wrong. Noah put his head down as she climbed the first step. He spoke clearly so he wouldn’t have to repeat himself a second time with the bad news. “Looks like we’re goin’ to have to postpone the weddin’ again, darlin’.”

  I sighed and watched the excitement leave from her face. The two of them were never going to catch a break when it came to them tying the knot. I felt terrible for them, even though I had nothing to do with it.

  “She’s goin’ to be gone for about a month. The program will detox her and then she’ll have aggressive therapy to tame the addiction. It’s a long road until she’s back to her old self again.”

  I looked over at my brother who did his best to shoot me a half smile. I gave one back to him even though my head was in a million places. This wasn’t exactly how I pictured my Sunday going, but somehow I knew I was right where I needed to be.

  Chapter 7

  Christian

  As much as I wanted to stick around after dinner it was obvious that I was just in the way. After saying my goodbyes, I headed back to my house near college in hopes of being able to sleep without worrying about my sister.

  I couldn’t have anticipated that Seth would be sitting on the front railing waiting for me to arrive. He stood up slowly and approached my vehicle before I could climb out. I let him open my door while I clutched my purse that his cell phone remained in. “Hi.”

  Without speaking he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me close. It was so unexpected that I didn’t even realize it was happening until our lips brushed. He tasted of alcohol again, which in turn made me pull back in shock. Was this guy an alcoholic?

  “Sorry, I’ve been thinking about doing that all damn day.”

  I wiped my face with the back of my hand, not wanting the scent to linger for longer than it should have. “I suppose you’re here for your phone.”

  “Well, yeah, but-.”

  “Please don’t make this awkward, Seth. We both know last night was a mistake. I know you just got out of a relationship, and honestly I’m havin’ a hard time knowing that you and Amber were involved. Friendships are hard to come by, so I’m not really at a point where I want to risk ruinin’ any for some guy.”

  He seemed shocked before shaking his head with a gruffly smirk. “Go out with me.”

  “What? Did you not hear anything I said to you?”

  “Yeah, I heard you. I’m choosing to ignore it. I had a great time last night, and frankly I needed it. I’m not going to lie. I think you’re sexy, and being with you was a great reprieve. I get that you don’t want to damage new friendships, but I can assure you that Amber and I are nothing.”

  “And your ex?” I had to ask, because I certainly didn’t want her to come looking for me.

  “We’re through. That bitch has issues, and I’m done with it. Now, how about that date?”

  With my hands now on my hips I peered into his eyes, desperately searching for another reason to decline his offer. “You’re relentless.”

  “I know what I want and am confident I can have it again.”

  It was no exaggeration that this guy was attractive. I half expected his head to explode after his comment, but he just stood there relaxed, as if he had no care in the world. I didn’t know whether to feel annoyed or impressed. “Can I think about it?”

  I handed him the cell phone as I spoke.

  He looked down at it noticing that I’d turned it off. “Is it dead?”

  “No. I shut it off.”

  “Did it ring a lot?”

  “I turned it off after we spoke. I had dinner with my parents, and didn’t want it goin’ off in my purse. If you’re worried about me goin’ through it, don’t. I have no interest in your business.” The truth was that I had morals. Snooping wasn’t something I needed to do. It wouldn’t bring me happiness, so it was irrelevant.