Page 22 of Pieces of Us

‘I’m from the Gold Coast. It’s just me and my dad, who is the best father in the world, and I can’t wait to see him in a few days! Shout out to my amazing mum also, who’s in Paris at the moment, being a mega-famous make-up artist! If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am today! She got me backstage at a Victoria’s Secret show, and the rest is history,’ she giggles, taking a swig of her beer.

She shakes her head at the bitter taste. ‘Guess I should also thank every asshole back at home. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be standing with the cast of Peaky freaking Blinders, living my best life! Slainte!’ she hollers, before winking at the camera in a big ‘fuck you’ way to me, Billie and our associated friends.

The crowd goes wild for her. As if they wouldn’t.

My heart hammers in my chest at her confession, hitting me with a new avalanche of guilt over how she was treated.

As the video ends, I press replay, continuing to torture myself.

Chapter 11

Give It All

Amity

My face splits into a toothy smile as the Uber pulls up to my modern-style home. It looks the same as it always did, but I especially love it in the lead-up to summer. It’s spring, so the grass is lush and green, and vibrant flowers and plants dot the driveway.

Of course, being in the industry Dad is in, our home is always undergoing various renovations, so I’m not surprised to see the lighter stone that once led up to the entrance had been replaced with a slate grey one. Our home is in a relatively wealthy area of the Gold Coast, overlooking the ocean. It was, of course, architecturally designed by Uncle Jacob, but it’s the position that elevates our home, in my opinion. Is the house too big for one person? Absolutely. But it is Dad’s pride and joy.

Quickly unbuckling my seatbelt, I climb out of the car and a sense of nostalgia hits me. I haven’t stepped foot in this town since I left, and even though I’ve travelled to the most beautiful places on earth, there truly is no place like home.

‘Dad, I’m home!’ I practically sprint the stairs, skipping one or two at a time. My bags are long forgotten at the bottom. I’ll come back for them a little later.

‘It’s open, princess,’ his voice echoes through the vastness of the house.

‘Oh, it’s open, is it? What happened to always locking the door?’ I sass, going in search of him, down the hallway that leads to our open-plan kitchen.

‘Surprise!’ I jump several feet in the air as a chorus of voices ring out around me.

‘What the hell?’ I yelp, my hand on my heart as I survey the kitchen. Dad has a shit-eating grin on his face as he sits in a wheelchair with his leg up in a cast. He’s the first person I want to hug. ‘Dad!’ I cry, bending down to envelope him in my arms. ‘I missed you.’ Tears prickle in the corners of my eyes. It has been five or so months since I last saw him.

‘Missed you too, kiddo.’

When I pull back, I scream in delight at the person right beside him.

‘Lily!’ I gather my best friend in my arms, rocking sidewards and back and forth, gripping her tightly.

‘It’s been so long!’ She squeezes me tighter.

Glancing over her shoulder, I spot Rome. I wiggle my fingers at him before reaching out and grabbing his hand.

Out of all our friends, I saw him the most recently when he met me in New York. He was there for some finance conference on Wall Street, and I was there on business. I absolutely loved showing him around and introducing him to all my new friends. He loved it, too, and who wouldn’t? Being surrounded by hot models, celebrities and influencers. He even met Jagger. By the end of his stay, they were practically best buds.

Next, I greet two of my forever favourite people, Uncle Jacob and Jas. They’re both beaming at me, like I am them.

‘I missed you so much.’ I leap into my uncle’s arms. Despite what his son did to me, Uncle Jacob will always be my second dad. I practically grew up seeing him almost every day of my life until…well, until Lincoln went and fucked it all up. He was there for me when I needed a unicorn band aid. He showed up to all of my extracurricular activities—even though I was shit at all of them, like art classes, karate and my failed piano lessons. He never missed a birthday, and he was the one who took me to get my first pads when Dad was stuck in a meeting. Even though I severed all ties to his son, I’ve spoken to Uncle Jacob every week, along with Jas. What I admire most about both of them is they’ve never made me feel uncomfortable about the elephant in the room (AKA their son and brother.) They simply don’t mention him, as if he doesn’t exist. And for that, I am grateful.

‘Hi, gorgeous,’ Uncle Jacob greets me softly,as he envelopes me in a great big hug and bends to kiss the top of my head. He is a distinguished version of Lincoln. Handsome as hell, but with a better moral compass. Tears spring to my eyes at his familiar spicy scent that always tickles my nose. He towers over me, and despite the dustings of silver in his chocolate-brown hair, he hasn’t aged a day since the last time I saw him.

‘Don’t forget about me!’ Jas pipes up from beside us. Letting go, I race into her open arms. She is the little sister I never had. Breaking up with Linc meant our connection was fractured. I no longer was a fixture in their home, and when I left, screens separated us. It wasn’t the same as being there in person, day in and day out.

‘I can’t believe you’re a full-blown teenager now.’ I’m in disbelief. When I left, she was no older than ten or eleven, and now she’s seventeen. She’s had her first period, her first kiss and her first heartbreak (although it was nothing like the one I went through, since she moved onto the next guy in a week).

‘Pft. I’m practically an adult.’ She rolls her eyes. She is gorgeous and has loads more confidence than I ever did at her age.

‘You keep thinking that, missy,’ Uncle Jacob quips from the side, earning him a snort from Jas.

‘Whatever, old man,’ she jests before turning back to me. ‘After lunch, girl time plus Rome, so we can catch up on all the celebrity goss.’

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