Face-Off at the Altar
Page 11
“Okay, how do we do that?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know.”
“That is a problem,” Libby agreed, kissing the top of her head once more. “Do you think it starts with forgiving her?”
“Maybe, but I can’t.”
“Then don’t. You’ll know when you can,” she said, pulling away to look at her. “It took me three weeks to talk to Linda and over two years to talk to Stan. The only reason I did was because I wanted to hold Skylar, and he was holding her.”
Mekena smiled as she nodded, pulling out of her aunt’s embrace as she sucked in a breath. Her heart was heavy, her mind muddled with the hurt and betrayal by her sister.
After a moment of silence, she looked at Libby. “What if I can’t? Forgive her, I mean.”
“Then you don’t. Not everyone gets along, Kennie.”
“But I don’t want to live like that. I’ve never held a grudge, been this mad for this long.”
Libby shrugged. “First time for everything.”
Mekena laughed. “You are honestly the worst person to talk to about this.”
Libby grinned. “I know, but you’re welcome.”
Shaking her head, Mekena leaned against the wall of her bedroom, taking in her childhood room. Nothing had changed in it. Her old posters of Justin Bieber and other singers still graced the walls, along with an awesome Bill Nye poster and one from Supernatural. Her awards from school were still up, and there were pictures with all her high school friends. High school. It seemed so far away, but then, it was only three years ago. She didn’t even feel like that girl anymore. A part of her feared she didn’t even know the girl she was now, and she blamed that squarely on Skylar.
“I don’t hate her,” she whispered then, and Libby looked over at her. “I still love her. I’ll always love her, I know this. But I just can’t.”
“And that’s okay. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes, Kennie. It’s okay to be mad, not to like what someone has done to you. You’ve always lived in her shadow, always done what she said, always looked up to her and, honey child, that’s okay. It’s time for you to find who you are.”
Swallowing hard past the lump in her throat, she nodded. “That was good advice, Lib.”
“It comes and goes,” she laughed, and Mekena’s lip quirked at the side. “But really, don’t feel like you need to forgive and forget, no matter what the parent folks say. They don’t know what you’re feeling, only you know. So you do what is good for you, okay?”
Before she could answer, she heard yelling in the kitchen. “What are they arguing about?”
“Well, that’s what I came in here for,” she said wryly, and Mekena’s heart dropped.
“Ugh, what?”
“Skylar has nowhere to go and wants to stay here since it’s her home as much as it’s yours. Her words, not mine. Stan is fine with it, but Linda is worried about you.”
Mekena didn’t understand. “She doesn’t even live here.”
“Ah, apparently, she does.”
“I thought she was moving out to Vegas?”
“Yeah, I don’t know, honey cakes. I’m just telling you what I heard.”
Mekena’s heart was pounding, and her stomach clenched as she shook her head. “I’m not staying here if she is.”
“Don’t blame you. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, it’s fine,” she said, waving her off. “I know you want to see Mom.”
“I do,” she agreed. “But I don’t want to see your dad or Skylar. So I can leave, take Linda with me.”
Mekena smiled. “No, it’s fine. You stay. I have a place to go, and I could use some time alone. Gather my thoughts.”
“Good idea.”
“Yeah, it’s out in the wilderness. A cabin. So, yeah, that’s good for me.”
“A cabin?” she asked skeptically, and Mekena laughed.
“Yes, the groom rented like forty cabins for all the guests and got me one, but I chose to stay here. But it’s fine. I’m going,” she said, deciding then that it was the best idea for her. Standing up, she started to gather her things, but then she paused. “Mom’s gonna be pissed.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll go warn her and maybe trip Skylar on my way,” Libby said, getting up, and Mekena laughed.
“Don’t hurt anyone,” she warned, and Libby smiled back at her, a little bit of mischief in her eyes.
“You’re a good girl, Kennie, better than me,” she called to her before reaching for the door. As it shut, though, Mekena fell back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Tears gathered in her eyes, and her chest felt heavy as she sucked in breaths, letting them out slowly. She was pretty sure she was supposed to feel like a weight had been lifted off her after a long heart-to-heart with her aunt, but if anything, she felt more confused. More unsure of herself and even more confused over what to do about Skylar.
And him.
God, he had her in knots. She knew she would have to face him. Knew she would maybe even have to talk to him. Would she be as angry with him as she was with Skylar? She wasn’t sure, but one thing was for sure, she didn’t trust herself to see him. She yearned for him, wanted him, but at the same time, she was scared shitless of him and so upset that he’d broken her heart. It was all so complicated, so indecisive of her, and it was driving her mad.
She just wanted this week to be over. She wanted to go back to her life in Florida and ignore Tennessee all together. But even that was a lie and left her wondering what she even wanted.
Who she even was.
Maybe a week in a cabin, out in the wilderness of Tennessee, would do her some good. Clear her mind, find out who she was. Maybe even come back and forgive her sister. Or him. It could happen.
Or she could take Libby’s advice and cut them all.
“Honey, I’m home!”
Throwing the door of Jayden and Baylor Sinclair’s home closed behind him, Markus smirked. He was home. Well, his living situation was a little up in the air, but he was home in Tennessee, and that had him grinning like a fool. Even with it being a shit-ass morning, he was happy. He had to be. Though, the long meeting with the coaching staff of the Assassins really had him in knots. Markus realized very quickly they didn’t expect him to be there long. They offered him a hotel. Not housing, not an offer to stay with a teammate, but a hotel.
“That’s the problem. I don’t know.”
“That is a problem,” Libby agreed, kissing the top of her head once more. “Do you think it starts with forgiving her?”
“Maybe, but I can’t.”
“Then don’t. You’ll know when you can,” she said, pulling away to look at her. “It took me three weeks to talk to Linda and over two years to talk to Stan. The only reason I did was because I wanted to hold Skylar, and he was holding her.”
Mekena smiled as she nodded, pulling out of her aunt’s embrace as she sucked in a breath. Her heart was heavy, her mind muddled with the hurt and betrayal by her sister.
After a moment of silence, she looked at Libby. “What if I can’t? Forgive her, I mean.”
“Then you don’t. Not everyone gets along, Kennie.”
“But I don’t want to live like that. I’ve never held a grudge, been this mad for this long.”
Libby shrugged. “First time for everything.”
Mekena laughed. “You are honestly the worst person to talk to about this.”
Libby grinned. “I know, but you’re welcome.”
Shaking her head, Mekena leaned against the wall of her bedroom, taking in her childhood room. Nothing had changed in it. Her old posters of Justin Bieber and other singers still graced the walls, along with an awesome Bill Nye poster and one from Supernatural. Her awards from school were still up, and there were pictures with all her high school friends. High school. It seemed so far away, but then, it was only three years ago. She didn’t even feel like that girl anymore. A part of her feared she didn’t even know the girl she was now, and she blamed that squarely on Skylar.
“I don’t hate her,” she whispered then, and Libby looked over at her. “I still love her. I’ll always love her, I know this. But I just can’t.”
“And that’s okay. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes, Kennie. It’s okay to be mad, not to like what someone has done to you. You’ve always lived in her shadow, always done what she said, always looked up to her and, honey child, that’s okay. It’s time for you to find who you are.”
Swallowing hard past the lump in her throat, she nodded. “That was good advice, Lib.”
“It comes and goes,” she laughed, and Mekena’s lip quirked at the side. “But really, don’t feel like you need to forgive and forget, no matter what the parent folks say. They don’t know what you’re feeling, only you know. So you do what is good for you, okay?”
Before she could answer, she heard yelling in the kitchen. “What are they arguing about?”
“Well, that’s what I came in here for,” she said wryly, and Mekena’s heart dropped.
“Ugh, what?”
“Skylar has nowhere to go and wants to stay here since it’s her home as much as it’s yours. Her words, not mine. Stan is fine with it, but Linda is worried about you.”
Mekena didn’t understand. “She doesn’t even live here.”
“Ah, apparently, she does.”
“I thought she was moving out to Vegas?”
“Yeah, I don’t know, honey cakes. I’m just telling you what I heard.”
Mekena’s heart was pounding, and her stomach clenched as she shook her head. “I’m not staying here if she is.”
“Don’t blame you. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, it’s fine,” she said, waving her off. “I know you want to see Mom.”
“I do,” she agreed. “But I don’t want to see your dad or Skylar. So I can leave, take Linda with me.”
Mekena smiled. “No, it’s fine. You stay. I have a place to go, and I could use some time alone. Gather my thoughts.”
“Good idea.”
“Yeah, it’s out in the wilderness. A cabin. So, yeah, that’s good for me.”
“A cabin?” she asked skeptically, and Mekena laughed.
“Yes, the groom rented like forty cabins for all the guests and got me one, but I chose to stay here. But it’s fine. I’m going,” she said, deciding then that it was the best idea for her. Standing up, she started to gather her things, but then she paused. “Mom’s gonna be pissed.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll go warn her and maybe trip Skylar on my way,” Libby said, getting up, and Mekena laughed.
“Don’t hurt anyone,” she warned, and Libby smiled back at her, a little bit of mischief in her eyes.
“You’re a good girl, Kennie, better than me,” she called to her before reaching for the door. As it shut, though, Mekena fell back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Tears gathered in her eyes, and her chest felt heavy as she sucked in breaths, letting them out slowly. She was pretty sure she was supposed to feel like a weight had been lifted off her after a long heart-to-heart with her aunt, but if anything, she felt more confused. More unsure of herself and even more confused over what to do about Skylar.
And him.
God, he had her in knots. She knew she would have to face him. Knew she would maybe even have to talk to him. Would she be as angry with him as she was with Skylar? She wasn’t sure, but one thing was for sure, she didn’t trust herself to see him. She yearned for him, wanted him, but at the same time, she was scared shitless of him and so upset that he’d broken her heart. It was all so complicated, so indecisive of her, and it was driving her mad.
She just wanted this week to be over. She wanted to go back to her life in Florida and ignore Tennessee all together. But even that was a lie and left her wondering what she even wanted.
Who she even was.
Maybe a week in a cabin, out in the wilderness of Tennessee, would do her some good. Clear her mind, find out who she was. Maybe even come back and forgive her sister. Or him. It could happen.
Or she could take Libby’s advice and cut them all.
“Honey, I’m home!”
Throwing the door of Jayden and Baylor Sinclair’s home closed behind him, Markus smirked. He was home. Well, his living situation was a little up in the air, but he was home in Tennessee, and that had him grinning like a fool. Even with it being a shit-ass morning, he was happy. He had to be. Though, the long meeting with the coaching staff of the Assassins really had him in knots. Markus realized very quickly they didn’t expect him to be there long. They offered him a hotel. Not housing, not an offer to stay with a teammate, but a hotel.
