Page 90 of Only Fate

Ava is an ER surgeon at the closest hospital.

Mia is a product manager for her mother’s clothing and skincare line, and personal stylist.

We’re all settling down here.

The bake shop is a town favorite, serving brunch and hosting birthday and wedding parties. The schedule is always booked, and it’s not uncommon for people to drive here from other towns.

Fortunately, River hacked into the reservation site and blocked tonight’s availability. Kendra, Callie’s assistant baker, told her she’d cover the event so Callie could enjoy her birthday dinner with her parents. Considering Callie is thequeen of micromanaging, I’m shocked we were able to pull this off.

Aunt Chloe texted Mia five minutes ago and told her they were on their way after dinner.

Headlights shine through the parking lot window, and we shout, “Surprise,” as soon as Callie walks in with her parents.

Callie stops in her tracks and slaps a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God!” she shrieks under it.

If the wordsurprisehad a picture next to it in the dictionary, it most certainly wouldn’t be of Callie’s reaction. No, hers would definitely be next tofakest surprise look in history.

“All right,” Mia groans, looking around the crowd, “which one of you ratted us out?”

“The reservation was booked under Ace Ventura,” Callie says. “You didn’t think that’d stand out to me?”

Mia throws her arms out toward River. “Really? You couldn’t come up with a better name?”

“You asked me to hack into the software. Creating an alias was never included in your demand,” River replies.

“Super surprised or not, thank you for this,” Callie says in her sweet voice.

We spend the next five minutes all taking our turns hugging and wishing Callie a happy birthday. When she sees Adrian behind me, she gives me a pointed look before thanking him for coming.

She then mouths,I can’t wait for this story later, to me.

I grab a fresh glass of rosé—Callie’s drink of choice—and Adrian opts for a bottle of water when I hear Mia say, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I follow the path of her glare to find it pinned on my older cousin, Trey, who just walked in. Standing tall, he shoves his hands into his black pants pockets while taking in the room, his face unreadable. Everyone pauses for a moment, as if they might be imagining him.

Trey rarely comes home.

Not that I blame him. This town hasn’t been kind to everyone.

In fact, it was cruel to Trey more than it was nice.

He’s seventeen years older than me, so I’ve only met him a few times, when we traveled to either LA or New York. He has million-dollar homes in both cities.

But I guess if any party could bring him home, it’d be one for Callie. They’re extremely close, and she knows him better than any of us.

Callie squeals—this one definitely not fake—and dashes over to hug him.

He squeezes her tight. “Happy birthday.”

She pulls away. “God, I can’t believe you’re here.”

Trey’s backstory is complicated.

He’s my, River’s, and Callie’s cousin.

He’salsoCallie’s uncle.

Grab your pencils because I’m about to explain a wild ancestral tree.

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