Page 122 of Always Been Yours

I can feel Calypso’s eyes boring into me. “I didn’t know your mom was visiting,” she tells the girls without looking away.

“It’s for my birthday.” Stella is slower to unbuckle than usual, but Daisy is squirming in her seat, trying to get out as soon as possible.

There’s a ringing in my ears, but I push past it, knowing Calypso is expecting a different answer. “Her show is on a break until they pick up in New York closer to Christmas. So, she’s spending a week here. She wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow…”

Grady opens the back door to help Daisy at the same moment Calypso asks, “Here?” She gives Grady a sharp look, her voice dripping with indignation. He gives me a confused look through the rearview mirror, but I just give him a quick head shake in response. The sound of him closing the door makes me flinch as I watch Daisy run into her mom’s arms. Well aware that Stella’s in the backseat, I try to keep my breathing calm.

“Are you coming to meet her?”

I turn toward her. “Would you like me to?”

Please say no, please say no, please say no.

She looks between her mom and I, nods once and jumps out of the car.

“Fuck.Fuck me,“ I whisper.

“She’s staying here?” She points toward the house but making sure no one out of the car can see.

“Nothere, but in an AirBNB somewhere nearby.”

Grady lightly knocks on my window, making me flinch again. He gives me a questioning look, one that asksare you coming out or leaving?

Fuck, would I love to leave right now—and I know he’d grant me this out if I wanted it. But I can’t do that to Stella. She seemed hesitant to see her mom and I don’t want to add any weirdness to the situation. I know she feels guilty about liking me and loving her.

“We’re going to meet her,” I say it more to myself but Calypso nods, not bothering to put on her friendly face.

I reach to open my door, but Grady beats me to it. “Hey,” he says lowering his voice for only me to hear. “Are you okay? It was a surprise she came in a day early. I would have told you.”

I glance back toward Arielle, who is kneeling on the driveway talking to her daughters. She’s fucking gorgeous. It shouldn’t be a surprise considering Grady is an Adonis and they made the two most beautiful little girls I’ve ever seen. Her cool elegance and natural confidence are so different from me. I don’t need to talk to her to pick up on it. She’s just one of those women who emits that energy.

“What does she think I am to you?” The question comes out with more of an edge than I intend, but it occurs to me we haven’t had this conversation.

“What?”

“Does she know about us?” His eyes shudder but he tries to recover quickly. I know him too well though. I bite the inside of my cheek, nodding. “Got it. Childhood friend.”

“Viv—“ I push past him, putting on a brave face for Stella and Daisy.

I am a little shocked when it’s Stella who grabs mine and Lyp’s hands, pulling us forward. Calypso’s smile drops from her face the moment the girls aren’t looking. Grady is shuffling behind us; the tension radiating off of him.

Stella stops, keeping her fingers interlaced with ours. Arielle glances down at the connection but doesn’t say anything. “Mom, this is Vivi and Calypso. They’re our new friends out here.”

“Oh,yournew friends?“ Her eyes cut to Grady, accusingly. I want to crawl under a rock and die but I force myself to keepmy head high.

Yes, Grady should have told her about me. That’s on him, without a single doubt. But the look she’s giving Grady doesn’t sit right with me either. From the wrath I canfeelcoming off of Calypso, I know she thinks the same.

Arielle’s looking at him as if he had an affair, as if he betrayed her. And that simply isn’t true.

She finally looks toward us. “Hi, I’m Arielle.” Her voice is friendly but tense.

I give her an awkward wave with my free hand. “Vivi.”

She slowly nods. “I got that.”

Next to me, my sister cocks her head, preparing for confrontation. “I’m her sister, Calypso.” It’s the only clue Arielle needs to figure out which one of us iswithher ex-husband.

Arielle tries to pick up Daisy, but she wiggles out of her hold. “They took us to a tea party today! It was in Wonderland.” She does her typical twirls around all our legs. I smile down at her, making Arielle stiffen.

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