Saving Ever After (Ever After #4) (5 page)

Shit, now
even I was starting to feel emotional. She was like a little sister to me, and
now she’d brought another life into this world. Fuck, I was really proud of her
and happy for her.

“That’s our
girl,” I said. “Now get out of here before you make me cry. I can’t go back
there all teary eyed, you jackasses.”

Bas chuckled
and Dad smacked me once on the back, before Lissa came over, taking Bas’ hand.
Then they all walked out together. Vi and Lucy were the next to go back, and
when they came out, Sadie and Ace stood. Sadie looked at her sister, but Mia
just shook her head.

“I’ll wait
for you out here. I think it would be weird if I went back since I don’t know
Jax and Ky that well.”

“It wouldn’t
be weird, but if you want to wait, that’s fine,” Sadie told her.

“I’ll wait,”
she reiterated and then Sadie and Ace disappeared behind the doors that led to
Jax’s room.

“So you came
to the hospital, but you don’t actually want to see the baby?” I chuckled
looking at her.

“Well, I was
having a late breakfast with Sadie when Jax called to say her water broke.
Sadie didn’t want to take the time to drop me back off at my dorm before
getting up here, even though Jax had your brother and his wife with her.”

“I see, so
you were just along for the ride. Probably not how you expected to spend your Saturday
afternoon.”

“Pretty
much, but it’s okay. I like Jax. She’s always been nice to me, and it’s kind of
exciting to be here for the birth of a celebrity baby. I mean did you see those
reporters and people with cameras outside? It’s kind of crazy.”

When we’d
arrived at the hospital, we were accosted by the usual crowd of paparazzi. Jax
didn’t like to bend to them, changing her life just because of who Ky was, so
she insisted on doing most things as normally as she could, including giving
birth at a hospital. Even though this was the best hospital in Boston, and they
promised that they took privacy very seriously, no doubt someone low on the
staff had made a phone call as soon as Jax had been admitted.

Her and Ky’s
story was one that people never really got tired of, and the more notoriety
that the band got, the more we were all hounded in our personal lives. Most of
the time, it wasn’t that big of a deal. It came with the gig, and we all took
it in stride, but Ky and Jax got more of it than any of us. Before the tour
this summer, they’d actually had to move out of Jax’s childhood home next door
to my dad’s place, and into a more exclusive and private neighborhood. It’d been
hard on Jax, who just wanted to maintain as much of a normal life as she could,
but with the baby coming, she’d known it wasn’t realistic and they wanted to be
safe.

“You’re not
planning to sell them a story now, are you Mia?” I teased her, but her eyes
went wide like she thought I was serious.

“Oh, God no.
I would never do that. I swear. I know what it’s like to have people turning
your life into their entertainment.”

“Relax, I
was just giving you a bad time,” I reassured her, wanting to erase the mortified
expression from her face.

“Besides, if
you did,” Spade added, “we know where to find you.” He winked and she smiled
somewhat nervously. Then her sister and Ace were back and she stood as if to
leave with them, but Sadie stopped before her.

“Jax said she’d
love it if you wanted to go back and see her. She’s sorry she interrupted our
breakfast and that you spent all day waiting out here,” Sadie told her.

“Oh, umm,
that’s alright. I don’t want to make you guys wait. I’m sure you want to get
home with Ace, now that he’s back. You can just take me back to my dorm. I’m
sure I can see Jax and the baby another time.”

“Hey, why
don’t you guys get going,” I found myself speaking up, “Ace can take you out
for dinner or something, and I’ll give Mia a ride back to her dorm, that way she
can come see Jax with us and you guys don’t have to wait to have some alone
time,” I offered.

Mia smiled
at me and Sadie asked her if that was okay. She nodded, almost too
enthusiastically, and I worried that maybe I shouldn’t have offered, but it was
too late to take it back now.

Mia followed
me and Spade back to Jax’s room, and even though Jax was friendly and made it
clear that she was happy to see Mia, she mostly stood off to the side while
Spade and I visited with the new parents. Their little guy was a handsome one,
obviously his looks came from his mom, even though Ky insisted he had a part in
it.

“I’m really
glad you came, Mia,” Jax said as we were making our goodbyes not too much
later. “Sorry you had to spend all day in the hospital. I hope you’re settling
in alright here. I know Sadie is really excited that you decided on a school in
Boston.”

“Thanks. I
really like it here,” Mia said shyly. “And congratulations. Your son is really
beautiful. Um, if you guys ever need a babysitter, well, uh, I don’t have much
experience with babies, and I’m sure you guys could probably find someone
better . . .” Mia started to trail off.

“We’ll
definitely keep you in mind, Mia,” Jax said. “I’m sure you’d be a wonderful
babysitter.” Mia grinned at that.

I leaned
down and hugged Jax since Ky was now holding Abel, but as we were making our
goodbyes, the nurse came back in to take him to the nursery for the night.

“How long do
you guys have to stay?” I asked Jax once the nurse was gone.

“Well, Abel
is healthy and strong, and I seem to be recovering fine, so if no problems
arise, we should all get to go home sometime tomorrow. We’ll let you know, and
then you guys can come over and see Abel again. Maybe then Ky will let you hold
him,” she chuckled, looking fondly at her husband who hadn’t been willing to
give Abel up from the moment we walked into the room, until the nurse had just
taken him away.

“I’ve
already had to share him with too damn many people today. You all can wait your
fucking turns,” he grumbled, but there was a smile on his face that he couldn’t
hide.

After saying
goodnight, the three of us made our way out of the hospital, and by this time,
the photographers were gone, so we were able to get to our cars without being hassled.
Spade headed home, presumably, and I made my way through the city toward Boston
University with Mia riding quietly in the passenger seat.

“So what
dorm are you in?” I asked her.

“Myles
Standish.”

“Nice,” I
said, “but not usually a lot of freshmen in there.” If I remembered correctly,
most freshmen were placed in West Campus or the Towers.

“There’s a
few of us. I think my dad felt guilty about how much of a mess everything has
been with him and Mom, and that he couldn’t come help me get moved in, so he
paid for me to have a big room to myself. No communal bathroom for me,” she
joked halfheartedly, but I got the impression that she couldn’t give a rip
about what room she was in. I had experience with a parent who tried to buy off
her kids to ease her guilt. I knew it rarely meant shit.

“How are
things between you and your parents?”

She just
shrugged. “Okay, I guess.” She was quiet for a minute and then added solemnly,
“They’re getting a divorce.”

“I’m sorry.
I know how rough that can be.”

“Yeah, I
guess,” she said as we pulled up out front of her residence building, “but it’s
whatever.” I could tell she was putting up a front, acting like she wasn’t
bothered by it, but she wouldn’t have brought it up if it wasn’t upsetting her.
“Thanks for the ride, Chris,” she grabbed the door handle, climbing out of the
car and, without looking back, hurried inside.

I watched
her go, wishing I’d had better words for her besides,
I’m sorry,
but
then my phone started ringing with a familiar ringtone and Mia was inside and
out of sight. I picked it up, sliding my finger on the screen to answer. “Hey
babe, I’m on my way to your place right now.”

As much as I
felt for Mia and what she was going through, there wasn’t anything I could do
about it. She was tough and would hopefully figure out how to navigate this
messy shit life was throwing at her.

It was
almost another month before I saw her again, and in that time, I tried to put
her out of my mind completely, but there were a few times I was unsuccessful
and wondered how she was doing, but I never brought it up with Sadie or Ace to
ask.

Mia

“Holy shit,
you’re getting married!” I exclaimed over the phone after Sadie announced that
Ace had proposed.

“Yes, I am!”
Sadie’s voice came back equally excited.

“When did
this happen?” I asked, not that I was surprised. I had been expecting it for a
while now. Ace was head over heels in love with my sister, and she felt the
same way about him.

“Last
night,” she said. “I was completely surprised.” I guess she was the only one
who hadn’t seen it coming.

“Well, tell
me how he did it,” I urged her to spill the details of his proposal, and she
did. I listened raptly as she told me all about his quiet, but still very
romantic proposal in the music room of their house. It was so sweet and sounded
like it had been the perfect moment for them, even if others might have thought
it understated or too casual and informal. As romantic as grand gestures and
extravagant and elaborate proposals could be, Sadie didn’t need that.

She’d been
through a lot with the loss of her first love and the child she’d been carrying
at the time. She’d been engaged then, and that loss still weighed on her. Ace
was her rock. He showed her how to really live again and to love and trust
again. I was so happy for her, even though my chest ached with longing.

I wanted to
know what it felt like to love and be loved like that.

“Anyways,
Jax is throwing us an engagement party next weekend. I want to make sure you’ll
be there.”

“Of course,”
I promised her. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

“Okay good,
now tell me how you’re doing. Classes still going good?”

“Yeah. I’m
still really enjoying my Lit class. Mathematical Reasoning is really boring,
but I’m doing alright in there, and I don’t think the rest of my classes will
be too big of a struggle if I stay on top of my reading.”

The first
three weeks of classes had gone by, and I was proud of myself for how well I
was managing. I’d already written my first college paper, not that it was a
real challenging one, but still it was an accomplishment. I had my first big
test coming up though. It made me a little nervous since math wasn’t my best
subject, but I was confident I would do alright.

“That’s
good, and you’re getting out and having fun too, right?”

“Yeah, I
am.”

“Just not
too much fun.” I knew Sadie still worried, but I wanted to put her at ease.

“No Mom,
just the right amount of safe fun,” I told her, and it was true. I was still
spending most of my time with Jillian, Dawn, Heidi, Derek and Leland, or some
combination of that group, but I’d avoided anymore parties like that first one.
Mostly we just hung around campus and ate meals together. I’d made a few other
friends in the dorm and in my classes as well. I was even starting to think
that Leland had a slight crush on me. I just hadn’t figured out how I felt
about that.

 Every time
I tried to imagine kissing him, the image always shifted in my mind and I found
myself looking into a different and more alluring set of blue eyes. It didn’t
help any that those same blue eyes stared back at me from the poster on my wall,
and had been wreaking even more havoc on my thoughts since he gave me a ride
from the hospital.

“Good,” Sadie
laughed softly, and then her tone changed. “Speaking of Mom, have you talked to
her or Dad lately?”

“I’ve talked
to Dad a few times, briefly. You know how he is, always busy. I guess Mom’s
been really busy too. I’ve tried calling her a couple times, but haven’t been
able to reach her. I left her a message, but I haven’t heard from her yet.
She’s probably stressed with trying to keep a positive spin on the divorce and
all that. You know how much image means to her.”

“Yeah, what
about Cait and Leila?” She asked about our other sisters.

“We text
every once in a while. They seem to be handling the divorce fine, going on with
their lives.” The twins always had each other. Because of that, they’d always
been more independent from the rest of us.

“Are they
all still coming out for family weekend next month?”

“Dad said he
was. I’m not sure about the twins. I guess it will depend if they have better
things to do, like shopping.” I said it jokingly, but we both knew I was
serious.

“Yeah, I
know how they are, and don’t worry about Mom and Dad. Things will settle down
soon, I’m sure. I know Dad really wants to be there for you more, he’s just got
a lot to deal with right now. He’s not used to being very involved in our
lives, but I don’t think we should give up on him yet.” She didn’t say anything
else about Mom. Not that there was much to say. I’d tried so many times since
my accident to make peace with her. I knew I could be difficult, and that I
hadn’t made things easy on her. I lost my temper and got frustrated with her a
lot, but I’d apologized so many times. I was trying to make things right, but
my efforts went unacknowledged by her.

I sighed,
“Yeah. It’s okay. I know he’s trying, and I’ve got you.”

“Yes you do.
I’m always here, even though right now I actually have to go. We’re watching
Abel and from the look on Ace’s face right now, he needs to be changed. Jax
will be picking him up soon and then I’m sure she’ll want to talk about the
party.”

“Okay. Well
then go take care of dirty diapers. Oh, and congratulations. I’m really happy
for you guys. I love you.”

“Love you
too, Mia, and I’ll see you this weekend if I don’t see you before then. Call me
if you need anything.”

I ended the
call, still smiling. I’m a sucker for happy endings, and my big sister was
finally getting hers after so much struggle and heartbreak. I hoped that
someday I would find a guy like Ace. My mind immediately went back to Chris,
like it had so many times the last few weeks. Before the day at the hospital, I
hadn’t seen him since the night of Sadie’s disastrous birthday dinner when
Leila had spent all night flirting with him.

After that
night, I’d tried to make myself forget about him, told myself so many times
that he would never be interested in me. I was too young and immature and not
his type. I’d contented myself with following him online like every other girl
in the country and relinquishing the hope of ever having any more of connection
than that. I’d allowed myself the silly celebrity crush, because everyone had
one and I thought they were harmless.

Then, after
one afternoon in a hospital waiting room, and a fifteen minute car ride, suddenly
he was all I could think about. He was on my mind to the point of serious
distraction, and the way he was consuming me felt anything but harmless.

Unfortunately
for me, Chris was so much more real to me than the usual celebrity fantasy most
girls have. I didn’t have to imagine how wonderful he was, or how good he
smelled when you were in close proximity to him, like cooped up in his Porsche
Cheyenne. Or if those bright blue eyes that always appeared in his photos,
drawing you in, were real or photoshopped. I already knew all those things. I
knew his eyes were real and that it was all too easy to get lost in their
depths. He was also sweet and funny and thoughtful and down to earth and the
kind of gorgeous that made girls stupid. He talked to me like he was actually
interested in what I had to say, and he seemed to genuinely care when I brought
up my parents’ divorce. I don’t know why I did that, other than it was the
other thing, besides him, that was always on my mind lately.

Before my
happy mood could sink any further, there was a knock on the door of my room.

“Hey, I
texted you like fifteen times,” Jillian said when I pulled it open. She’d only
texted me three times, but it was all the same to her.

“Sorry, I
was on the phone with my sister. She got engaged last night,” I shared.

“Ooh, I love
weddings. That sounds like a reason to celebrate to me. Let me call Heidi and
she’ll find out where the party is at tonight.” She didn’t even give me a
chance to object before pulling her phone out and dialing Heidi. Even though it
was a Saturday night, and I hadn’t been out since that first night I went with
them, I still wasn’t sure another party was a good idea. I tried to mentally
prepare excuses, but once she talked to Heidi, plans were already set in motion
and I didn’t have much say in it. She eyed my worn cut-off shorts and black tee
with the royal wingcrest from Zelda across the chest.

“Is that a
band logo?” she asked. I hesitated a second before answering her, afraid of
coming across as lame or dorky if I told her the truth.

“Uh yeah,
they’re called, uh Triforce,” I mumbled and her face scrunched up.

“I’ve never
heard of them.”

No she
wouldn’t, considering the Triforce is an ancient and very fictional relic of
power from the game that only few are able to wield. I doubted that she was a
Zelda fan and would know Hyrule from the kingdom of Gondor. “They were a small
local band back in Seattle that I saw play a few times. Maybe one day they’ll
make it big and you’ll see them on TV.”

“Cool, but
we need to get you ready.” She practically shoved me back inside my room,
insisting on helping me pick out something to wear. It was the first time she’d
been in my room, and before raiding my closet, she took a minute to look around
and examine my space. Something about it made me uncomfortable. I could see, as
her head turned and her eyes made a slow perusal of my things, that she was
forming opinions and judgments about me. I just didn’t know what they were.

My room was
my space, the place where I didn’t have to care what anyone expected of me. The
place where my seven hundred dollar Manolo Blahnik wedges could sit next to my
forty dollar Chuck Taylors, and my Fendi and Valentino bags could hang on the
rack that sat under my Final Fantasy XIII poster. Gamer girl nerd met high
class, and I didn’t have to worry about what anybody thought about it. Or well,
I didn’t until now.

“So, you’re
really into video games?” Jillian asked, now eyeing my entertainment center, but
it was difficult to read anything from her tone.

“Oh, not
really, but my dad’s company develops some of the software used in game design,
and being a guy in the tech industry, he didn’t always get that, in a house
full of girls, we’d all rather have Gucci than X-box,” I joked and she
muttered, “
Dads
,” on a an eye roll like they were all clueless and would
never understand daughters.

When she
moved on to my closet, she was much more impressed by what she found hanging in
there.

“I love your
wardrobe,” she proclaimed as she rifled through hangers of dresses and designer
tops.

“Thanks.”

That was the
wardrobe that belonged to the Mia everyone got to see. The put together,
polished, lover of pretty things Mia. I couldn’t deny that I really did love
pretty things, and sometimes had a bit of a shopping problem. There were times
though, that I didn’t want to have to be so put together. The drawer full of
t-shirts, like the one I had on, was for when it was just me, a pizza box, a
bunch of those five hour energy shots and a new game I had to beat before
morning. Last night had been one of those nights, and had lasted into this
morning. I’d squeezed in just enough of a nap before Sadie had called with her
news, that I should be able to make it through whatever party Jillian dragged
me to.

She pulled a
top and skirt from their hangers and thrust them into my arms and pushed me
toward the en suite. When I emerged, she was dangling a pair of my favorite
strappy black Louboutins from her fingers.

A few
strokes of eyeliner, a couple swipes with the mascara brush and a spritz of my
favorite perfume later, and the party girl Mia persona was in place and ready.
Even though, I would have preferred another quiet night in, catching up on the
Walking Dead or beating the most recent Assasin’s Creed. Again. But I couldn’t
pass on a third weekend of partying without disappointing Jillian, so I put on
my smile and followed her out the door.

Later that
night, when I returned to my dorm, I was mostly sober and feeling better about
having gone out with Jillian and the group. I felt good after a night of
laughing and dancing with friends, this time not on the coffee table. I’d kept
just enough of a light buzz all night to be able to let loose and enjoy myself,
but not enough that I would have any lingering regrets in the morning.

 Leland had
spent most of the night flirting with me, and even that was fun. I wasn’t sure
if I liked him like that yet, but he was funny and great to hang out with. It
didn’t hurt that his light hair and pretty blue eyes reminded me of someone
else. Maybe that was wrong, but Leland wasn’t completely out of my league like
a certain rockstar was. He might help me forget him though. At least I pretended
that was actually a possibility all week.

Monday
afternoon, after my lit class let out, I got back to my dorm to find Leland
hanging around outside, waiting for me in hopes that I would go get coffee with
him. I smiled and told myself that I was happy to see him, excited even that
he’d been waiting for me, and that the lack of flutters I felt didn’t mean
anything. There was no rule that said a guy had to give you flutters or you
couldn’t accept a coffee date invite. It wasn’t his fault that all my flutters
had been hijacked by someone else.