My Not So Super Sweet Life

by Rachel Harris

  “Speaking of cars,” Angela says, hopping off the bed, “you have a customer.”

  Lifting an eyebrow, I ask, “Huh?”

  “A visitor,” she says, that mischievous smile back on her face again. This time it totally confuses me. “Austin Michaels wants you to tune up his engine.”

  Forget confusion. I’m dumbfounded. Sure, I love being under the hood, and Austin knows it. But since when does he need a handout? With the money his dad throws around, and his outstanding taste in cars, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they’ve got a live-in mechanic.

  And shouldn’t Austin be in Santa Barbara?

  I follow my sister out to the living room where Austin is sprawled on my couch. “What’s up, man?” I hit his fist as he sits up. “Shouldn’t you be with Less at the wedding?”

  “Heading there next,” he says, glancing at his clothes.

  I hadn’t paid attention before but now I can see his usual thrown-together look is tamer. His hair even has gel in it. I hold back the urge to screw with him and ask, “Then why the hell are you here?”

  Not that I’m not grateful for the distraction. Since I woke up, it’s been an ongoing mission to keep myself from bolting out the door and seeing Cat in that sexy dress that’s been hanging in her closet. She rarely wears dresses, and that glimpse on TV from the premiere was tainted.

  “Angela said something is up with your truck?”

  Austin smirks and slides his keys out of his pocket. “Not exactly.” He exchanges a weird look with my sister and then heads toward the foyer. Great, now they have Austin speaking Reyna-cryptic.

  Shaking my head, I walk out the front door. It takes a second for me to understand what I’m seeing. When I do, my jaw drops and I curse. “No way.” I backpedal to my door, palms up. “No way in hell. I’d give anything to see what’s under her hood, but your dad will literally kill me if I mess anything up.”

  Austin laughs and slaps me on the shoulder. “Dude, I’m not here for your professional services. I’m here to give you a kick in the ass.”

  I look away from the Ferrari Enzo and see Austin holding out the keys. He drops them in my opened hand, and my fingers close around the cool metal. “What the hell?”

  “Incentive,” he explains. “You’re so worried about doing the right thing. Being noble and shit, doing what you think Cat wants. Man, I love the girl like she’s a sister, but since when has knowing what she wants and saying it been her strong suit?”

  I can’t help but laugh at that. It’s the damn truth. But in this case, I wanted her to come to me. I already put everything on the line for her. She knows how I feel.

  I want her to want me as much as I want her.

  “Less is chirping in my ear, worried about her cousin and wanting to play Cupid. Cat dragged ass all week and moped the entire rehearsal.” Austin looks me up and down and pulls a face. “And I hate to tell you, man, but you look like crap. What are you waiting for?”

  A stupid thrill runs through me, knowing she’s miserable. How twisted is that? As for what I’m waiting for, I thought it was for her to fight for us. To woman up and come after me.

  But Austin’s right. That’s not Cat. In everything else, that girl is hard as nails. But when it comes to her heart, she’s totally vulnerable. This is new for her. Hell, just being with me is a freaking miracle, not to mention a monumental step. And here I am pushing for it all after only a couple months.

  I guess the better question is not “what am I waiting for.” It’s do I want to be happy, and be with Cat?

  Or do I just want to be right?

  I inhale deeply and nod, knowing what I have to. What I should’ve done a long time ago.

  Austin’s face lights up, and he smacks me on the back. “That’s what I’m talking about,” he calls out, shoving me toward the driver’s door. “Stop being noble and start being the damn hero.”

  He waits until I pop open the door before he slides into the passenger seat. I put the key in the ignition and listen to the baby purr. The thrum of the engine feeds into me, and my heart starts pounding. The drive to Santa Barbara is ninety minutes. The wedding starts in just over that. I give my casual jeans and shirt a glance. There’s no time to change, but what I’m wearing doesn’t matter. The only thing that does is getting Cat back.

  I buckle up, ready to break one promise to keep another—the first one I ever gave her. I smile, remembering the night we finally got together.

  “Cat, the night I met you,” I told her, “everything clicked into place for me. The move to the States was suddenly a blessing instead of a curse, and life made sense again. I won’t pretend to understand why you’re so determined to fight the feelings I know you have for me, too, but I just wanted you to know that I’m here.” I took a step forward. “I’m not going anywhere.” I took another step and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “I felt something between us the night of your party, and I feel it between us now, and I’m not gonna give up. Not until you tell me to.”

  Now, with a glance in the rearview mirror, I say, “Let’s go get my girl.”

  Grand Gestures

  ∙Cat∙

  Getting made-over by Jenna’s team is strangely reminiscent of my stay in the sixteenth century. Only instead of Lucia—the young servant girl who pampered me then—I have a team of professionals styling my hair, doing my makeup, and primping my nails. With Jenna on one side and Less on the other, this would be relaxing and total girl-time bonding bliss…if my mind weren’t completely preoccupied with thoughts of Lucas.

  All is right in the world of Jenna and me. The same goes for my relationship with Ransom. Dad is happy, Alessandra is good, and my birth mother is back where she belongs—out of my life. The small hotel we rented for the wedding today is swarming with friends and family, and almost everyone I care about is within the building. Everyone but Lucas.

  “I’d offer this for your thoughts,” Jenna says, her glamorous reflection holding up a bright, shiny penny. “But something tells me I don’t need it.”

  Alessandra makes a noise of agreement as Jenna slides the lucky coin back into her shoe, her reflected sad eyes never leaving mine. This is so wrong. Her eyes should be glistening with tears of love and joy, not sympathy over my relationship crisis. After all the stunts Caterina pulled, I wanted this weekend to be drama-free. But despite my best efforts, she got the truth out of me. This woman is nothing if not determined.

  Last night, over a carton of ice cream and strawberries (ice cream for me, fruit for her, thanks to her returned diet), I confessed the whole sordid story. As expected, she was awesome. She listened when she should, gave advice when asked, and did her hugging thing, which I’m minding less and less. As it turns out, she’s of the same opinion as everyone else. That I should call Lucas. It’s starting to get to the point where I’m running out of reasons why I haven’t.

  Jenna’s gaze flicks to the mounted clock on the wall. “He still has time to make it here for the reception, you know.” She looks back at me, eyebrows furrowed and suddenly very serious-like. “Call. Him.”

  Stern Jenna is a new sight. For a bride, she’s been relatively low-key and blasé—probably a response to finally having Caterina out of her hair. But I’m not aiming to awaken the sleeping bridezilla.

  I shift in my seat and fidget with the folds of my dress. It’s beautiful. Red silk, figure flattering, it’s been hanging in my closet for more than a month. Lucas has drooled over it for just as long. He deserves to see me in this dress.

  I roll my eyes at my own ridiculousness. Who am I trying to kid? Dress-shmess, I just want to see him. Be with him. Tell him that I loathe space, and time sucks a big one. I know exactly what I want—him. I’m in love with Lucas, and I’m ready for…whatever this is. Long-distance, a few blocks away, whatever it is, I’m in.

  It may be too late. He may have to leave anyway. But he’s not going anywhere without knowing how I feel.

  “Jenna—”

  She hands me my ph
one, which she must’ve grabbed from the table. “Go outside when you call him,” she says with a wink. “Reception is better.”

  Alessandra squeals as I bolt to my feet, almost knocking out the sweet chica doing my cousin’s toenails. “My bad,” I holler as every woman in the room waves me out the door.

  “Go!” Less’s smile is bigger than I’ve ever seen. Which, for her, is saying something.

  “I’m so proud of you.” Jenna’s smile manages to rival Alessandra’s.

  For a moment, I stand blinded by how beautiful they are. Then I catch a glimpse of myself in the long mirror behind the chair.

  I’ve never found myself overly attractive. My mouth is bigger than Godzilla. My skin and hair are dull instead of luminescent. I get zits like the rest of the world, and to be honest, I haven’t had many reasons, outside of my dad, to smile.

  But the girl looking at me is.

  Her smile, if it’s possible, is even larger than her future mother’s or her cousin’s. And it doesn’t look grotesque. It looks radiant.

  Looking into this mirror, I know I’m ready for this next chapter. My heart is full, and it’s healed. The only thing missing is the beautiful boy who owns it.

  “I’ll be right back!”

  Rushing down the hall, I wave off Dad and Ransom, lifting my phone in reply to their questions. They probably think I’m insane, but I don’t care. I burst through the glass lobby doors and sure enough, instantly get full bars of service. My fingers shake as I click through recent calls and find his name. I take a breath, trying to calm my racing heart so I can actually get words out, and then tap his name.

  Ring.

  I blow out a puff of air as I begin to pace the manicured sidewalk.

  Ring.

  “Pick up, Luc. Come on.” There’s no way he’s getting out of this conversation. I’ll call his sister, his house, heck, I’ll sic Jack on him if I have to.

  Ring.

  “Greetings and salutations.”

  My moment of euphoria is dashed by the voice on the other end. I glance at my phone in confusion. “Austin? Why are you answering Lucas’s phone?”

  They’re friends, I guess. It’s just that normally if they hang out, we all are. I’ve never seen the two of them go off and do…whatever it is guy friends do together. And wait, shouldn’t Austin be here?

  “Does Less know where you are?”

  “She, in fact, does,” he confirms, which immediately makes me suspicious. “Turn around.”

  I spin in a circle, now utterly confused as I stare at a parking lot half-filled with cars. A fancy red one pulls in, tires squealing, that looks similar to the one Lucas got hot for in Austin’s garage. My eyes narrow and then fly open as I spot two familiar heads through the windshield as the car screeches to a stop in front of me.

  “Lucas?” My phone slips from my fingers as he hops out the driver’s side door, engine still running. Later, I’ll be grateful for my protective phone case, but right now, I couldn’t care less. Lucas is here.

  “Why were you calling me?” he asks, rushing up and pulling me into his arms. “Is something wrong?”

  I blink, still completely in shock that this is happening. That he totally hijacked my big moment. Grinning ruefully, I nod. “Yeah, something’s wrong. You ruined my grand gesture.”

  His eyebrows snap together, looking adorably confused, and I laugh. I can’t help it. I have no clue why he’s here—I’m hoping it’s because he misses me as much as I miss him, but either way, I’m taking control of the moment. I don’t want to go another second before saying, “Lucas, I love you.”

  He freezes in place, like he’s in shock. In case he is, I decide to say it again.

  “I’m in love with you, Lucas. That’s why I was calling. To tell you that I’m an idiot for not calling and telling you sooner—”

  That’s as far as I get before his mouth crashes over mine, shushing me. Grinning against his lips, I throw my arms around his neck and hang on tight.

  …

  “You are so beautiful it hurts.”

  If a heart could burst from being too full, the walls of the elegant Serendipity Ranch ballroom would be splattered with gook. Instead, they are painted a soft cream, a color that seems to glow under the candlelight as Dad twirls Jenna across the floor. As expected, she looks every bit the fairy-tale princess. What is surprising is that I’m in the middle of my own happily ever after in the corner.

  Dad interrupted our reunion outside (a situation that wasn’t at all embarrassing), and ushered us in before Lucas could tell me why he was here. I’m glad; don’t get me wrong. But now that the wedding is over, and especially with those sweet, romantic words in my ear, I feel brave enough to ask, “So I didn’t ruin this?”

  Lucas stares into my eyes and grins. “Do you remember what I told you that night outside of Lyric? When we were out with Alessandra and Austin.” He chuckles. “The night she got sloshed and told off a group of bikers?”

  I grin at the memory. “They were nothing after those three chicks who were flirting with Austin.”

  I glance at my cousin snuggling with her man as I think back to the moments before we went into the club. When Lucas surprised me by showing up and then giving me a gift that proved he really did see me, and not the Hollywood trappings. The night he pretty much said he was coming after me hard.

  The night we first kissed.

  “Yeah, I remember.” I slide my arms around his waist. “You said you weren’t going to give up until I told you to.” I push to my toes and press a kiss against his lips. Tingles rush over my skin as I pull back and say, “Well, newsflash: that’s never gonna happen.”

  He grins and steals another kiss, one I’m more than eager to give. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m staying.”

  I’m skimming my nose along his jaw, breathing in the scent of his cologne mixed with plaster—he must’ve been working earlier—and marveling at the fact that I almost lost him, so it takes a while for Lucas’s words to wiggle through the love-fog. When they do, my eyes pop open.

  “What does that mean, exactly?” I’m scared to hope. To jump to conclusions too fast. If he means what I think he means, this is now officially the best night of my life. “Is your family staying in the States?”

  He exhales and shakes his head regretfully.

  “Oh.”

  My hopes plummet to my shoes.

  I guess he meant he’s staying with me, as in a long-distance relationship. An outcome I was prepared for. I mean, Milan’s not that far away. Not with Skype and FaceTime and Instagram. We can do this. And then in two years, I head off to college. Italy must have good schools, right?

  Placing a knuckle beneath my chin, Lucas tilts my head up. His fingertips ghost across my cheeks as his palms slide up to cradle my face. “Cat, I’m in love with you.” He’s said the words already, but I’ll never get used to them. “You make me excited to get up in the morning. You challenge me, inspire me, and motivate me. Because of you, a future has opened up that I can’t wait to live, and I want you right there beside me as I experience it.” His gaze darts to my lips, and he chuckles at what I’m assuming is my dopey grin. “I just hope you don’t mind the five-hour commute.”

  My dopey smile slides away, replaced by a confused scrunch. Five hours? “Come again?”

  “The commute from Beverly Hills to San Francisco is five hours,” he explains, as if this new, crazy train of thought should make total sense. “Well, according to Google maps it’s closer to six, but five sounds better.”

  He shrugs as he says it, and I mimic the gesture. “Sure, five does sound better.” Then I shake my head because it’s boggling. “But why am I driving five hours to San Francisco?”

  “Oh, did I not mention that?” Lucas’s dimples flash as he rests his forehead against mine. “That’s where I’ll be living.”

  My breath freezes in my lungs. “What happened to Milan?”

  “Cat, you give me something to fight for. I meant it when I
said I wasn’t going anywhere, that I wasn’t giving up until you told me to stay away. On Monday morning, I went to Mr. Scott. He helped me find a boarding school in San Francisco, a school for the arts that is amazing.” He glances away, sounding almost dazed as he says, “And they accepted me.”

  “Of course they accepted you!” I jump up and throw my arms around his neck.

  I’ve actually heard of SFBSA—it’s freaking amazing. Lucas wraps me up, laughing as I squeeze him so tight I have to be close to choking off his air supply. “I can’t believe this. You’re staying.” I loosen my hold just enough to lean back and look in his eyes. “You’re really staying?”

  His chocolate-brown eyes light up as he nods in confirmation. “Dad was a hard sell, but he agreed. Angela and I are staying with Mom until the end of the semester, and then I transfer to SFBSA this summer.” He tilts his head and asks, “Do you mind the commute?”

  “For you, I’d drive twice that.” I shake my head as awe mingles with disbelief. “You fought for me.”

  My dad loves me unconditionally…but he’s my dad. He kind of has to. Or at least he should, I think, quickly dismissing thoughts of my vapid mother. Jenna accepts me as her own, and loves me something fierce, but she’s an adult. Alessandra, Ransom, Austin—they each care for me, and I know they have my back. But this is different. This is romantic. This is spiritual. This is on another plane.

  I chased my birth mother because I needed to feel whole. I needed to know why I wasn’t good enough. I was chasing that need in the wrong place. In Lucas’s arms, in the way he looks at me and the way he holds me, I have what I was searching for. Here, I feel truly accepted. Here, I feel completely wanted.

  “Care to dance, maid of honor?”

  I smile as I recall the words from the night we met. “Care to dance, birthday girl?” Who knew one dance could change everything? It signaled a new beginning for me then, and with what he’s told me today, it feels like that again. I slip my hand into his and let Lucas lead me onto the dance floor.

  When we reach the center of the room, he slides his hands around my waist and locks them at the small of my back. I run my hands up the soft arms of his Henley, glad that he was in such a rush to get here that he didn’t change first. Lucas in sixteenth century garb at my birthday party was hot, and I have no doubt he can rock a suit. But this is him.