Page 57 of Meet Me in the Valley
“This would be so much easier for me if you were the asshole you say you are. The thing is … you’re far from it.”
The weight of her words sinks deep into my chest. They feel undeserving, and I wonder if this would’ve hurt less if she’d go ahead and just slap me in the face. Scratch, claw, and yell at me. Tell me I’m a piece of shit and shove it so far down my throat I’d feel it for days. But she doesn’t, even though I wish she would.
“I’m sorry I’m not her,” she whispers, a slight shake in her voice.
I’m actually at a loss for words, not sure how to navigate her reaction to what we did tonight. I open my mouth to say something—anything—but all I can give her is a nod in understanding as I scrub a hand over my stubble.
“I’ll leave your shirt by the front door … since my clothes are all in your hallway,” she says sheepishly. Straightening her back, she lingers in my door frame, then turns to me one last time.
“Please don’t regret what we did tonight. Even if you thought about her the whole time, I only had eyes for you. Now do yourself a favor and go get her.”
She leaves my room, and I wait until I hear my front door shut. I trudge my way to the door to lock it, mulling over Krista’s final words.
Go. Get. Her.
With a click, the lock turns, leaving me naked and vulnerable within these four walls, where I have to accept the choices I’ve made. Where I have to take accountability for my actions. Where I have to take responsibility for my heart and what it wants. Maybe even what it deserves.
I’m done with this lifestyle. I’m done with the rotation of women and the disappointment that follows. I’m tired of disappointingmyself.
Go. Get. Her.
With quick steps back to my room, I grab my phone and reread my text conversation with Tia.
She misses me. She needs me. And she lands in Vegas tomorrow around four.
Looks like I will too.
Go. Get. Her.
Chapter Eighteen
TIA
Stunning. Captivating. Ethereal.
There aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to describe the beauty my sister holds. Never once in twelve years did I try searching the internet for a picture of her—I knew she didn’t have any accounts on social media. It was easier to keep the version of Nora I’ve always known for safekeeping inside my head and heart, never wanting to see or know another version of her.
It was easier to walk past the photos of her that line the walls of my parents’ house, frozen in a happy time, in a happy place with our happy family. Our family is still so happy—despite Mom being sick and all. But dinner last night with Mom and Dad proved we are still happy, even if we’re bleeding out. It’s slow and painful, but we still smile. We still laugh. Dad still dances with Mom even though I know she’s dying on the inside, and has been since the morning she discovered Nora left.
But nothing would prepare me for this—seeing my sister for the first time since I was fifteen years old. My feet anchor into the gaudy Vegas airport carpet. I can’t move, totally stunned still by Nora’s beauty. She’s right there, staring back at me.
In big, bold letters, it reads:“Vixen Unleashed at the Vermillion Sands Hotel.”
My hand trembles as I dig into the pocket of my sweatshirt, pulling out the crumpled paper with those same exact words. The ones Logan scribbled down for me.
It takes me back to that late afternoon, when he handed it over like it was nothing.
But to me, it waseverything.
That scrap of paper became the most valuable thing I owned, not because of where it would lead, but because of what it meant. He’d gone out of his way to line this up. To open a door I didn’t even know I could knock on.
He believed in me.
He told me to do whatever it takes. To bring peace to my family. To finally bring peace to myself.
I’ve got a loose plan in place, starting with a ticket to see Nora’s show tonight.
My sister, the Vegas showgirl.
