by K E Osborn
Smiling at Gran, I tighten my hand in hers feeling a sense of warmth and home emanating from her. “Thanks, Gran, you know exactly what to say.”
“Of course I do… now stop fretting and drink your tea, sweetheart.” She offers me my cup with a warm smile, and I smile back at her as Mercs walks up the stairs with our luggage.
I glance over at him and sink into myself slightly. I haven’t spoken to him about my hidden feelings because I know he would tell me this was all Jett’s fault. I know he would tell me I had no part to play in this no matter what. But talking to Gran, I knew she’d be honest with me, and now having this chat with her has lifted a significant weight I was carrying around. Knowing I didn’t do anything to lead Jett on to drug me is easing my mind and making me feel better about myself. If anything, Gran is a superhero in disguise. She helps everyone.
I know now why Mercs brought me here, because maybe just maybe, he sensed I needed to feel at ease, and to be in a calm environment. He knows me so well, and man am I one lucky woman to have a man by my side who understands my needs sometimes better than I do.
After settling in at the house for a few hours, it’s finally dinner time and Gran, Kiera, Mercs and I are meeting the rest of the gang and my parents at the local pub for a meet and greet and some much-needed food.
We walk into the charming looking pub, the décor is all woodgrain with gingham curtains. One wall is blue with shelves of books and some sofas beneath it, a fireplace inset, and the walls opposite have giant windows looking out onto the street letting natural light in. It’s so cozy, I can imagine in winter it would be the place to be. I love it here instantly. It has a good vibe to it. As I step in further, I see a long table set out, and most of the gang are here already, including my Dad and Livvy. They smile as I walk up to them with Mercs, Kiera and Gran behind me.
“Here she is. Did you have a good rest, baby girl?” Dad asks as he reaches out pulling me into an embrace.
“Yes I did, thanks. Dad, there’s some people I want you to meet,” I say leering at him through my lashes, so he understands to be on his best behavior.
He smirks and nods. “Oh, okay.”
“Dad, Livvy… this is Daphne or Gran… and Kiera, Mercs’ sister.”
Livvy lets out a small excited shriek and rushes forward grabbing Gran tight, embracing her as Dad laughs waving to Kiera who looks to Livvy and Gran opening her eyes wide.
“Oh my goodness, it’s so amazing to finally meet you both. I’ve just loved hearing about you two.” Livvy pulls back from Gran and reaches out for Kiera grabbing her shoulders and looking her all over. “And aren’t you just the most adorable little thing,” Livvy states leaning forward planting a kiss on Kiera’s cheek making her laugh and Alana groan.
“God, Mum, you’re so freaking weird,” Alana mumbles causing a slight chuckle from Luke as he continues to play with his cell at the table.
“Well, it’s so lovely to meet you as well,” Gran replies.
Livvy lets Kiera go and prances back to her seat.
I lean into Kiera’s side and up to her ear. “Don’t worry, you get used to it,” I tell her, and she lets out a small giggle as we take our seats.
“So I guess, I need to introduce everyone?” I ask as I slide into the cold leather lined seat.
Kiera nods.
It’s easy for me to forget that these are my people, but to Kiera, they’re celebrities. “Okay, so clockwise from Mercs, that’s Jay then Tank… they’re part of the crew. They work with your brother. Then there’s Andi, Casey, Kristy, and Alana… they’re the rest of the band, but I think you already know that.”
Kiera giggles and brings her hand up in a small wave to the girls.
“Then we have Luke, our Manager slash agent slash organizer of our daily existence.”
“At your service,” Luke mumbles not even looking up from his cell.
Everyone chuckles as I continue, “Then there’s Cooper and Raoul, security… and well you know Dad and Livvy.”
“Hi, Raoul…” Kiera’s sickly sweet voice filters through the pub, and I smirk.
Raoul looks at her and slowly smiles. “Umm… hello,” he replies like he’s completely confused as to why she’s singled him out.
Mercs slumps into his chair throwing his head back against his seat. I reach my hand under the table giving his leg a squeeze, and he peers at me sideways and subtly shakes his head as I silently chuckle under my breath.
“So what’s good to eat? I’m freaking starving,” Andi calls out.
I flop my head to the side feeling a slight headache coming on. Blinking quickly to try to shake off the tension behind my eyes as everyone starts to talk among themselves, Mercs looks to me and furrows his brows. “You okay?”
I weakly grin and nod. “Sure, just a small headache. Nothing a glass of iced water won’t fix.”
He nods, moving his hand to my back and he rubs it up and down tenderly as I take a deep breath. There aren’t many people in here at the moment which is nice, but I know by the time the night moves along the pub will fill up with more customers.
Mercs shoves his hand in the air grabbing the attention of a waitress, and she rushes over. “Hey Kaden, how are you? Long time no see,” she coos batting her eyelashes at him and I close my eyes in protest not wanting to watch this unfold.
“Hey Kassidy, how’s Mark? And the kids?” he asks, and I open my eyes.
She shrugs. “Urgh… Mark’s Mark. You know what he’s like. Been the same since junior high. And the kids are little shits. God love ‘em. I see you’re doing well for yourself, hanging with famous people now, you little rebel you.”
Mercs chuckles, his hand still rubbing up and down my back in a soothing way. I smile knowing even though he’s talking to an obvious friend from school, he’s affections toward me don’t change. “You know me, always one for living it large. Sorry to cut it short, Kass, but my girl here has a headache. Can I trouble you for some chilled water?”
“Oh, yeah, of course. I’ll get some for the whole table, and when I come back I’ll take your orders if you’re ready?” Kassidy asks and Mercs nods.
“Thanks, Kass, I’m going to be in town for a while. Eff and I should catch up with you and Mark, it’d be great to see him again.”
I smile and nod. “Yes, I’d love that, too,” I blurt out, so Kassidy doesn’t think I’m just going to sit here and add nothing to this conversation. I want the people in Mercs’ hometown to like me. So I’m going to make an effort with them.
All of them.
They’re his friends, so hopefully, they will be mine too.
Kassidy smiles wide as she tilts her head like she’s in a state of shock. “A rocker, a real-life rocker, coming to hang out with me? Well, I’ll for sure be down with that. And you too, of course, Kaden.” She giggles as Mercs rolls his eyes as she walks off to get my water.
Mercs looks at me and smiles. “She was in my group of friends when I was going through high school. Her and Mark… they were inseparable. They were always going to end up together.”
I sigh. “That’s so sweet. I love childhood sweetheart stories.”
Mercs winces, and I suddenly remember that he had a childhood sweetheart, and she lives in this very town. I’d almost forgotten that even though I love this place and everything and everyone in it, there’s one person that’s still a thorn in our side.
And as I glance up, my stomach flips, my headache worsens, and I gasp. Somehow it’s like my thoughts materialize into the one person I was dreading seeing.
Mercs’ childhood sweetheart.
Lilah.
Chapter Eight
MERCS
Watching Effa’s face fall, I know something’s wrong. I wonder briefly if her headache has worsened, but her eyes are focused in on something in the doorway of the pub. So I turn and see her.
Lilah.
My teeth grind together, and I swallow hard turning back to face Effa and rub her back a little firmer. She looks to her la
p, her lips turned down, her face sullen and sad. I hate that one person has the power to darken her mood.
I lean into her side and take a breath. “Don’t let her get to you. I’m here… with you. I’m not going anywhere. I promise you that.”
She glances up at me and nods.
“Fuck! You two look serious,” Tank calls out.
“That’s because Lilah walked in,” Kiera announces to the whole table, making me groan while Gran glares at Keira.
“Who’s Lilah?” Kristy asks.
“Kaden’s ex. She’s a bitch—”
“Kiera!” Gran interrupts.
“What? She is!”
“Do I need to kick her ass?” Andi calls out.
“I can remove her if you like?” Raoul questions.
“Yes,” Kiera yells almost jumping in her seat causing Effa to giggle.
“No. Kiera behave yourself,” Gran berates.
Donny shakes his head and shrugs. “Damn! Would have loved to have seen a good ol’ fashion ‘escort from the building.’” He uses finger quotes. “Maybe she would have thrown a tantrum, hands flying everywhere—”
“Oh yes, my vote is yes. Let’s kick her out,” Kristy interrupts.
“All right, that’s enough. Calm down, everyone. We can’t kick the people that live in Ligonier out of their own town premises. We’re the guests here. You would all do well to remember that,” Luke grumbles, still on his cell.
“Party pooper,” Andi sneers at Luke then sticks her tongue out at him.
Kassidy comes back with a tray stocked full of bottles of water and a shit load of glassware.
“Here you go. Are you ready to order?” Kassidy asks, and everyone nods and begins ordering.
I subtly look over to Lilah who’s currently with Jaydin, she’s also from my school days. They’re best friends, so I’m not surprised to see them here together.
Jaydin looks the same, her black hair still in ringlets cascading around her chocolate skin. I take a deep breath as they both look at me and weakly smile. Jaydin gives me a slight wave, and I reply with a simple, curt nod. My eyes subtly slip to Lilah, her eyes meet mine, and for a second we look at each other. Her blue eyes looking forlorn, distant, almost sad. I turn back to face the table trying to put the image of the girl I once loved behind me.
Leaning in against Effa, I place a chaste kiss on her cheek and continue to rub up and down her back. “How’s your head?” I murmur in her ear.
She glances at me sideways and sighs. “Pounding, but I’ll be fine.”
Leaning in, I attempt to give her comfort. Seeing Effa in pain hurts me every fucking time, and knowing her headache’s become worse, possibly because of Lilah, does my head in. I can’t help but wonder if somehow Lilah knew we were in town and came here on purpose.
She wouldn’t be that stupid, would she?
“So, I ordered for you, bro. You seemed occupied, and I didn’t want to hold Kass up,” Kiera announces across the table.
I glance at her and nod. “Thanks. I guess I’ll be having something ridiculous like quinoa salad or some shit like that then?”
She laughs shaking her head. “No, not this time. I’m nice. I got your usual sirloin, fries and onion rings.”
“God, yes. I knew I loved you for a reason.”
“You’re welcome.” Kiera shrugs tilting her head, clearing her throat slightly trying to hide a cough. I furrow my brow at her. She waves her hand at me and turns the other way to talk to Livvy ignoring my stern gaze.
“What was that?” Effa asks.
“That was Kiera putting on a brave face. I think, considering you’ve got a headache and Keira’s obvious attempt at faking she’s okay, once we’ve eaten we should head home and everyone should rest up.”
“You’re really bossy, you know that?”
“Only when it comes to the protection of the women I love—”
“I’m kidding. I know you’re just protective of what’s yours.”
I smile as she leans in pressing her lips to mine tenderly. A round of cheering erupts through the pub, and I chuckle against her lips as it then breaks into a fit of applause. I pull back from her and laugh.
Dinner is going well. Everyone’s getting along. Gran’s having a great time with Donny and Livvy, and Kiera’s having a blast with everyone else, while Effa and I sit back and watch them all interact. It’s interesting to see our two worlds colliding in such a wonderful way.
Leaning into Effa’s side, I nudge her slightly. “You doing okay?”
She smiles. “Yeah, my headache’s a little better after eating. Plus, seeing everyone happy like this is nice.”
Grinning, I nod. “Yeah, this is pretty cool isn’t it?”
I look down the table at our friends and family and smile. Leaning in, I kiss her head and then let her go as I shift in my seat. “I’ll be right back, duty calls,” I murmur.
Effa nods with a smile as I stand up, the wooden chair legs scraping on the floor.
No one notices me leave, they’re all too busy in their own conversations as I head past the table to the bathrooms. Tonight is going well, and I think coming to Ligonier was the right idea. I knew everyone would fit in. It might be a small town, but Luminous are all from a country town in Australia, and they know what small-town life is like.
I knew Effa was deep in thought before I decided to bring her here. I also knew there was something she wasn’t opening up to me about, but I’m pretty fucking certain it was to do with Jett. And if she felt like she couldn’t open up to me, then I thought maybe she’d feel more comfortable talking it out with Gran or Kiera. I know it was a dick move, but I couldn’t help eavesdropping on her and Gran when I was supposed to be getting the luggage, and my thoughts were right.
Knowing she was holding on to ideas about her leading Jett on, and possibly being at fault for making him drug her, well it did my head in. To be honest, I had a feeling maybe it was something along those lines, but I couldn’t be sure. I’m glad, though, that she’s talked it out with Gran and now I’m hopeful she can let that go. Because if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that Effa did nothing to lead Jett fucking Jones on. Everything he did was all from his own twisted mind.
Just thinking about that motherfucker gets my blood boiling as I make my way through the main room of the pub, down the hall and head for the men’s room. The hallway’s always so dimly lit and out of the way. The area has an ominous feel to it, but I shake my head and enter the men’s room.
Opening the door on my way out, thoughts of Jett are still racing through my brain.
I should let it go.
I need to remove that asshole from my mind, but the guy gets me so worked up.
He could have killed her!
Suddenly, a figure by the doorway catches my attention. It startles me. Taking a deep breath, I step out into the dimly lit hall to see the figure of a woman. The hairs on my arms raise as I look at her figure and recognize it instantly.
Great! Just what I need.
“Lilah,” I curtly murmur.
I move to push past her. Her hand reaches out, grabbing my arm and halting my escape. I turn back looking at her as her eyes bore down on me looking lost and sad. “Kaden, stop… please.”
My body tenses and I look back to see if anyone’s coming. I hesitate to see what she wants. “You have ten seconds.”
Lilah’s breathing is short and sharp, almost as though she’s panicking. Her eyes dart around the hall and then back to me. “Why did you bring her and everyone else here?”
I let out a small confused laugh. “Excuse me?”
“She’s a junkie, and y’all brought her and her drug infested crew to our town.”
Anger bubbles up inside of me. I yank my arm free from her grip and glare at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No, you’re the one playin’ a cruel joke here, Kaden. Y’all come here shovin’ this sick joke in my face, bringin’ drugs into our peaceful town. What the hell are y’all
thinkin’? Are you usin’ drugs now, too?”
Lilah’s southern twang has never left her, even after all these years. She moved to Ligonier from South Carolina when she was young. Shaking my head, I curl my lip up at her. “What the fuck are you on about, Lilah. You need to stop and think about the fact that these are people you’re talking about… real people, not drug addicts… these are the people that I care deeply about. No one in that bunch of people out there is bringing drugs into this town, Lilah.” I run my fingers through my hair in frustration. “Effa’s overdose was caused by someone else. She didn’t take drugs, Lilah, she was roofied. And if you cared enough to even ask questions, you would know she isn’t a drug user.”
Lilah’s face drops, but she doesn’t say anything, so I continue, “I don’t need to explain myself to you. You need to pull your head out of your ass and stop damning everybody before you actually know them. They aren’t the bad people in this town… you are. Think about what you did, and then you can talk to me about so-called bad people.” I shake my head as I go to walk off, but she grabs my arm halting me again. I spin back, and glare at her as her eyes glisten with tears.
“I don’t want us to be like this, Kaden. Can’t we sort somethin’ out? Can’t we get along?”
I snort. “You rile me up in the hallway, tell me that my friends and my family are all druggies, and are going to destroy this town, and then expect us to get along? After that… after everything we’ve been through?”
“Kaden—”
