“But I’m scared,” I whisper, pressing the heel of my palm to my heart like I can hold it together. “I’m scared he won’t get here in time. I’m scared I’ll give up before he finds me. I’m scared that deep down…” My voice breaks, choking on the words. “I’m still the same broken girl you left behind.”
The silence stretches, wrapping around me like a blanket soaked in ice. I wipe my face with my hands, but the tears don’t stop.
“I miss you,” I whisper. “I miss you so much, Mamí. It hurts to live in a world that doesn’t have you in it.”
carter
. . .
Sunlight filters through the tall windows of the bookstore, dust dancing in the beams. The place still smells of old pages and wood shavings, but it’s beginning to feel like hers now.
Mismatched chairs in shades of lavender and sage. Bookshelves painted in pastels. Plants hang from the rafters, spilling down like vines in a fairytale. Reed’s currently assembling a circular reading nook in the corner, while Maverick is fighting with a box of fairy lights.
I’ve ordered half of Amazon’s inventory. If it looked like something Catalina would smile at, I added it to the cart. Twice.
“This is fucking bullshit,” Maverick mutters, struggling with tangled string lights, holding them up and tugging at them. “I swear, these things tie themselves in knots on purpose.”
“That’s because you don’t know what you’re doing,” Reed says dryly from the other end of the store. “Try not using your teeth this time.”
“I wasn’t using my teeth—” Maverick starts,then stops. “Okay, maybe once. But in my defense, these are slippery little bastards.”
I shake my head, the corner of my mouth twitching. Just barely.
My fucking idiot brothers.
Maverick catches it. “Oh my God. Did you almost smile?” He holds a hand over his chest. “Carter Hayes, are you developing a personality?”
I roll my eyes as I drill the final bracket into the front desk—Catalina’s desk. She wanted a little bell. I bought three. I also built her a custom sign that reads ‘Welcome to Catalina’s Book Nook.’ She’s going to kill me for spoiling her.
I can’t wait.
The store is coming together. But my chest still feels hollow.
Every time I think about her in that house, every time I picture her trapped in some overpriced mansion with that prick of a fiancé, my hands shake. I keep them busy because if I don’t, I’ll break something. The drill vibrates to a stop in my grip, and right then, my phone buzzes across the counter.
Amelia.
I answer and press speaker.
“Amelia,” I say, wiping my hands on my jeans.
“Hi, baby!” Maverick shouts, winking like a damn idiot.
I sigh, pressing a hand to his face, and shove him to the side. He stumbles backward with a dramatic gasp, sticking out his tongue.
“Tell your brother to stop hitting on me,” Amelia says flatly. “Anyways, Carter, we have news.”
My body stills. Reed slows what he’s doing, but is still focused on his task as he intently listens.
“She’s okay,” Amelia says quickly, sensing it. “She’s barely hanging on, I’m… I’m worried she’ll start using again. Her dad’s not letting us into the wedding. He’s completely isolating her.”
My chest tightens, my fists clench at my sides. The smile I almost had earlier vanishes. “And her phone?” I ask.
“Already taken,” she replies. “He said it was a distraction. Said she needed to focus on ‘duty.’”
My stomach turns. “Amelia,” I growl, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. “Tell me where.”
She exhales. “The wedding is in three days. At the Ashby Estate, up in the hills above Calabasas. Big place, impossible to miss. Security will be tight—Vartan hired private armed guards. You won’t be able to walk in through the front.”
