Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Maybe for the first time, I finally understand what showing up really means.
Not for the cameras.
Or the headlines.
But for the people I care about.
33
Rina
Oliver is up and out the door before I’m awake the next morning. After only a few nights in his bed, it’s unsettling how much I miss his warmth beside me. The sheets still hold his scent. It’s a woodsy spice mixed with something darker that clings to the cotton.
It’s ridiculously comforting.
Even now, feeling relatively at peace, my mind refuses to stop spinning. There are too many what-ifs pressing in from every angle.
What if this blows up in my face like every other relationship has?
What if there are whispers at work?
Or worse, what if the picture from yesterday surfaces?
If that photo gets out, it won’t just be whispers. There will be full-fledged questions about ethics, favoritism, and why the PR department can’t manage its own scandal.
What if Hugh or Evelyn start questioning my judgment?
And the thought that scares me most—what if the stress I’m carrying affects the baby?
What if I’m already failing as a mom before they’re even here?
The weight of it all presses down on me until my chest tightens.
After a few restless minutes of tossing and turning, I throw off the covers and pad down the hall. The penthouse is quiet. The only sound is the creak of the floor beneath my bare feet. I stop when I find Kia’s door cracked open.
Her duffel sits on the floor, half-unpacked, clothes spilling out in a way that screams temporary stay rather than a permanent living situation.
For a few moments, I hover, unsure if I should bother her, before lifting my knuckles to the doorframe and giving a light tap.
What struck me last night while watching the siblings together was the genuine connection they have. Oliver has this larger-than-life reputation—Big O, the Railers’ hotshot wing who soaks up attention without even trying.
But with Kia, there was none of that.
With her, he isn’t the guy splashed across gossip sites or swooned over by Railers fans. He’s just Ollie. The protective older brother who would burn the world down if it meant keeping his little sister safe.
Watching them interact stirred something in me I wasn’t prepared for.
An ache I couldn’t name.
Maybe it was envy.
Or longing.
Whatever it was made me realize how rare it is to be loved without condition or caution.
And there’s something about Kia that tugs at me. I don’t know what she’s dealing with, and I’m not about to pry, but whatever it is must be heavy if she chose to walk away from her life at school.
The way she’s trying to mask it feels familiar.
Maybe a little too familiar.
I’ve been in that place, pretending you’re fine when you’re one second away from falling apart.
Unsure what to do, I clear my throat. “Morning, Kia. I’m leaving for work in about thirty minutes. I’m not sure what your plans are, but you’re welcome to come with me if you’d like.”
Her blonde head pops up from the pillow, hair sticking out in every direction, mascara smudged beneath her eyes, as if she crashed hard the night before.
She squints at me. “So it would be kind of like a bring-your-baby-daddy’s-sister-to-work day?”
“Nailed it,” I say with a laugh, already warming to her.
Her lips twitch before curving upward. “Sure. It beats sitting around and thinking about what a disaster I’ve made of things.”
Her eyes widen as if realizing what just popped out of her mouth.
The comment lingers for a beat before I push past the hesitation lodged in my throat. “I know we just met, and we’re not friends or anything, but…” I lift a shoulder in a half-shrug. “If you ever want to talk, I’m here.”
Even I’m surprised by the offer. Maybe I threw it out there because I’m better at managing other people’s crises than my own.
With a tilt of her head, she studies me with eyes so much like Oliver’s it makes me blink.
Seeing that same blue gaze softened by vulnerability is… disorienting.
After a beat, her expression eases. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Okay then.” I point down the hall toward Oliver’s room. “I’m going to take a shower and get dressed. Then we can stop at this fab little bakery near the arena and pick up something to eat.”
A hint of a smile touches her lips. “That sounds good.”
“Perfect.”
For the first time since moving in, the morning doesn’t feel like I’m tiptoeing through someone else’s life.
I’ve barely taken a step in retreat when she says, “Rina?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
The tension in my shoulders eases. “No problem.”
Forty minutes later, we’re pushing through the door at Lakeshore Sweets. Morning light filters through the front windows, glinting off glass jars filled with biscotti and pastel macarons.
Normally it’s enough to make my mouth water, but today my stomach flips. I swallow hard against the sudden queasiness and force a smile.