by Piper Rayne
I quickly shake my head because just like Asher, I’d rather think she’ll live forever.
“I can’t believe I’ve never heard that story,” Mom says, swiping tears after she hears how when they came home, she was pregnant with my grandfather.
Great-Grandma shrugs. “He always had this way of knowing what I needed before I did.” Her jaw clenches as though she’s holding back tears. “Anyway, I should go.” She stands.
I get the feeling she would rather pop up off the couch, but I give her a hand to get up on her feet.
“I’ll drive you back.” My dad rises from the sofa and kisses my mom on the temple.
I bite my lip and stare at my dad until his attention shifts to me.
He laughs and shakes his head. “Ask your great-grandma. She might not feel safe.”
“Great-Grandma, can I drive you back to Northern Lights?” I fish out my shoes because one thing about Great-Grandma is she never denies us great-grandkids.
“Of course you can. I didn’t live to be almost ninety without taking any chances.” She winks as I slip into my shoes.
In Mom’s SUV, I drive with Great-Grandma in the front and my dad in the back. We walk her to the door of her apartment and say goodbye with hugs and kisses on the cheek.
On the way home, Dad tells me how much it feels as if she’s his own grandma and how great it is to feel close to Mom’s side of the family. And then he drops a bomb I’m not prepared for.
“So if Kenzie likes Easton or Lance and she’s upfront with telling you, speaking as someone who was in her position once upon a time, don’t tell her she can’t pursue something. Because you might be lucky enough to have your best friend be like your sister-in-law someday.”
His words shock me because hello, we’re fifteen, and Kenzie and I promised one another we’d go to college together.
“Okaaay.” But I know I won’t allow her to come between them. I park the SUV in the garage, and we exit the vehicle.
My dad puts his arm around my shoulders. “You’ve gotten too old, too fast.”
I roll my eyes though I like it when he says that. We walk in to find Asher and Mom tucked under a blanket with awe-stricken expressions.
“What did we miss?” Dad asks.
Mom points at the television. “She left a jump drive with the pictures from their Hong Kong trip.”
Dad and I sit and watch the slide show of pictures of a much younger Great-Grandma Dori and our great-grandfather. It’s weird to think of the life she lived before me. Great-Grandma was my age once.
I hope one day I’m in her position, having been blessed to watch my entire family grow around me. She’s been through some of the worst heartbreak anyone could imagine, but she never let it make her crumble. For that alone, I want to be like Great-Grandma Dori one day.
6
Maverick Thorne
(Twenty-five years old)
Griffin’s Son and Phoenix’s Stepson
“We’re going to begin our descent into Anchorage. Please find your seats and fasten your seat belts,” the pilot says over the intercom.
I move from the couch to one of the chairs in my dad’s private plane. Calista was supposed to be here with us. She was going to help me announce this to my family. Make sure Phoenix and dad are okay when they hear the news. All my family knows is that I’m bringing a plus-one to Great-Grandma Dori’s birthday party. They don’t know who that plus-one is. But Calista flew out early because she needed to get out of Los Angeles, which I get. It’s so different down there from Lake Starlight.
I’m not sure how Dad and Phoenix are able to go back and forth so easily. Of course, they spend the majority of their time in Lake Starlight since Jack reached school age and they decided they wanted to give him a “normal” childhood.
I enjoy it up here too, but the pressure to move to Silicon Valley is weighing on me. The game I’m developing is finally ready to pitch. But if I move, that means I leave Calista to stay in the LA house by herself, which I’m sure she’d manage, but I’d also have to leave Raelynn.
I smile at her sitting across from me. She’s nervous and probably wishes I would’ve dealt with this already instead of leaving her to walk into the lion’s den that will be my great-grandma’s birthday party.
Raelynn is Tyler Vaughn’s niece, and Tyler Vaughn is Phoenix’s arch-nemesis. He screwed over my dad years ago, but Dad doesn’t let that get under his skin. But Tyler and Phoenix have been at odds and pitted against each other since Phoenix came into the industry.
If I’d known who Raelynn was before I met her, maybe I wouldn’t have approached her at that party. No, I definitely still would have. Something about her just drew me to her.
It took until date five before she told me her connection to Tyler. She admitted that she knew who I was from pictures. Having a dad who’s a well-known music producer, a mom who’s a famous Hollywood actress, and a stepmom who’s a pop star, puts you in magazine pictures more often than I’d like. But I grew up in the spotlight, so I’m immune to it by now.
I squeeze Raelynn’s knee. She tears her eyes from looking out the window and offers me a soft smile. But we both know it’s bullshit. Right now, I just want to rip off the Band-Aid and let the words fall from my mouth, like, as soon as we meet Phoenix and Dad at the car.
The plane lands on the runway and the dusting of snow reminds me of how cold it probably is.
“So they’re going to meet us right now?” Raelynn unbuckles her seat belt and watches the flight attendant prepare for the stairway to lower.
I deny the urge to look out the window for fear that Phoenix will be there. A woman I love like a mother. A woman I might crush with this announcement.
“Should be.” I unbuckle my seat belt and grab her bag, handing it to her.
“It’s weird. I feel like I know them already when it’s all just from magazines and interviews they’ve done.” Raelynn puts on her coat, and I see her hands shake as she attempts to zip it up.
I cover her hands and do it for her. “Relax, Rae. I’m here. I won’t let them…” I shake my head from my mind going to places I know my parents wouldn’t go. “This is going to shock them, but that’s all. They’ll deal with it.”
“I wish you would’ve told them over the phone or FaceTime. I didn’t have to come.” Her head falls forward and her deep auburn hair falls like a curtain on both sides of her face.
I tuck the strands behind her ears and cup her cheeks. “It’s okay. It’s going to be fine. I love you.”
She nods and nibbles the inside of her cheek.
“Let’s just get this over with.” I take her clammy hand, wishing my palm was dry and confident so I could reassure her.
“Have a great visit, Mr. Thorne,” Aubrey, the flight attendant, says.
“Maverick,” I say. She called me Maverick until I turned twenty-one, then suddenly I was Mr. Thorne.
She smiles but doesn’t respond. “Have a great time in Lake Starlight.”
Aubrey smiles at Raelynn. She’d call her Miss Vaughn if she knew her last name, but she doesn’t.
We walk down the stairs, and there they are. Phoenix is holding up a huge sign that reads, Welcome Home, Maverick and Jack limply holds another one that says Plus-One. Phoenix elbows Jack to be more enthusiastic, but the kid’s twelve. I’m sure he’s mortified she’s making him do this.
Raelynn’s hand goes limp in mine, but I grip it tighter before she runs back up the stairs and begs the pilot to fly her home to Los Angeles.
My dad comes out of the SUV and tucks his phone into his pocket. The hair at his temples is grayer than when I saw him last, which was only a month ago. I’m thankful he’s opted not to do plastic surgery. The last thing I would want is for him to look younger than me.
When our feet hit the pavement, Phoenix jumps up and down, dropping the sign and hugging me.
“She’s so pretty,” she whispers in my ear. Hopefully, she hasn’t examined Raelynn closely enough to see her resemblance
to Tyler.
I hug her tightly because although I saw my dad last month, it’s been a little longer since I saw Phoenix. “Yes, she is.”
“I’m Maverick’s dad, Griffin,” my dad introduces himself as if Raelynn’s a moron and doesn’t know who he is already.
“Hello, Mr. Thorne,” she says.
He chuckles. “Please call me Griffin.”
Hearing the introductions, Phoenix pulls away from me and puts out her hand to Raelynn. “And I’m Phoenix.”
Raelynn stares at Phoenix like a starstruck thirteen-year-old in front of her favorite boy band member. I half expect her to break out in tears. She never told me she was a fan of Phoenix’s, but then again, after the news about her uncle being Tyler Vaughn, we steered clear of any conversation about my stepmom.
Phoenix doesn’t give Raelynn a chance to respond before she wraps her in a hug as if I just announced we’re engaged or something. But I’ve never brought a woman home before.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Raelynn says.
I put my hand on the small of her back. “This is my girlfriend, Raelynn.”
Dad and Phoenix smile at us like creepy robots until I become uncomfortable. Now definitely isn’t the time to tell them. Maybe I’ll let them get to know her better first.
“Jack!” I shout and beeline over to him. I move to hug him, but I see he’d like me to do anything but that, so I fist bump him. “This is Raelynn.”
“Hey,” he says with a nod.
“Oh, he’s just pouty because he wants to go over to Ryder and Rohan’s.” Phoenix puts her arm around Jack, and he circles out of it.
“Go,” I say. “I was going to take Raelynn on a tour of Lake Starlight.”
“That’ll take all of five minutes,” Jack murmurs.
“Come on. We’ll drop you off on our way downtown,” my dad says.
Jack finally perks up.
“I wanted to give all three of you my game anyway. Get all of your perspectives.”
“What did you change?” Jack’s face lights up as we pile into the SUV.
Phoenix gives me a soft smile for being able to find a connection with my brother even though there’s a thirteen-year age difference.
“Let’s just pick up Ryder and Rohan and bring them over to our house so Cleo only has to worry about the twins,” Phoenix says to Dad once we’re pulling out of the airport.
“Are you sure? Let’s remember the broken television last time they came over.”
Phoenix waves off Dad’s concern.
I mouth, “Broken television?” to Jack.
He snickers. “Rohan. He’s got a temper.”
“The Bailey temper,” we all say in unison except for Raelynn, laughing right after.
“I should be thankful you’re a Thorne?” Raelynn asks, humor in her tone.
“He’s still a Bailey at heart.” Phoenix turns in her seat and pats my knee.
She’s right. It took time, but the Baileys are my family.
“So tell me about the party,” I say, putting my hand on Raelynn’s knee. I squeeze to say, “See, things are good.”
“You know Grandma Dori, acting like she has no idea what’s going on but still showing up and giving ideas to people.” Dad looks at me through the rearview mirror. I catch his vision shift to where my hand is on Raelynn.
We talk about the plans that have been made for the party and the fact that it’s going to be a surprise, but not really. We pull up at Uncle Denver and Aunt Cleo’s house to find the Northern Lights Retirement Center van parked along the curb.
“He didn’t tell me she was here,” Phoenix whispers.
Great-Grandma Dori and Uncle Denver are in the garage, white bags between them. Uncle Denver’s hands are up, and Great-Grandma Dori’s finger is pointed at him.
“Uh-oh,” Phoenix says and gets out of the SUV.
“I’m staying put for this one.” Dad sits idle in the driveway.
I climb out of the car, but Raelynn shakes her head. She’s shy, so I allow her the reprieve of meeting two of the Bailey’s most outgoing family members.
“I’m in charge of balloon bouquets. You want to talk decorations, you’re talking to the wrong person.” Uncle Denver pushes a hand through his hair while also pushing a stroller with his one-year-old twins, Abigail and Allison, back and forth. “And can we just admit you know?”
Grandma Dori says, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Hello,” Phoenix says with a great big wave of both her hands.
Uncle Denver blows out a breath. “Thank you. G’Ma D just dropped off some decorations she says she found on clearance at the party store. You know, just in case one of us throws a big party one of these days.” He rolls his eyes but then notices me. “Mav!”
He’s one of the few people I stopped correcting when he called me Mav instead of Maverick. Over the years, it started to make me feel good rather than annoyed.
He stops moving the stroller to come to me and the girls whine. “Oh, hold up.” Uncle Denver brings the stroller to me, giving me a one-arm man hug while still pushing it back and forth. “They like movement, so I’ll do about anything not to stop this stroller from moving.”
Rohan runs out the door with his game controller.
Ryder follows with a backpack. He waves to his dad. “We’ll be at Aunt Phoenix’s.”
Aunt Cleo follows a minute later, and she looks not nearly as put-together as she usually does. I think she’s wearing Uncle Denver’s T-shirt and sweatpants. “Maverick!”
Aunt Cleo beelines over and hugs me. She smells like green beans, but I don’t tell her that.
“Hey, Aunt Cleo,” I say.
“Maverick?” Great-Grandma Dori finally stops talking to Phoenix and hugs me tightly. “Too tall.” Her bluish hair doesn’t even reach my chin now. “Where’s your date?”
“What?”
She shakes her head. “Someone said something about you bringing someone home with you?”
Phoenix, Uncle Denver, and Aunt Cleo all roll their eyes at the same time. I kind of like the fact Great-Grandma Dori wants to control her party but tries not to ruin their surprise.
“She’s in the SUV,” I say.
“Oh.” She leaves me in a whoosh, and soon the back door of the SUV is open.
Shit.
Raelynn’s eyes widen and she looks over Great-Grandma Dori’s head at me.
“She’s sweet. Shy,” Phoenix chimes in from the garage.
Great-Grandma Dori is asking a lot of questions, and before I realize what has happened, Jack’s eyes widen, and his mouth falls ajar.
Dad rolls down his window. “Maverick!”
His tone is the same one he used when I was ten and I didn’t tell anyone the toilet overflowed. They only knew once the water dripped into his new studio.
Rohan’s head peeks out from the back of the SUV. “Maverick’s girlfriend’s uncle is Tyler Vaughn.”
I should’ve been prepared for Great-Grandma Dori to pull out the information before I got a chance to tell everyone myself. Slowly, I turn at the gasp behind me, not knowing if it was Phoenix or Aunt Cleo. Hell, it might’ve been Uncle Denver.
That happy look on Phoenix’s face has been stripped off. “Is that true, Maverick?”
I nod, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
7
Maven Bailey
(Ten years old)
Stella and Kingston’s Eldest Daughter
“What are these called again?” I ask mom before biting into the hard oval candy.
“Jordan Almonds,” Mom answers, helping Mabel tie the ribbon around the box.
Dad picks up four and puts them in a box, then he passes it to me to put on the lid and tie the ribbon. We have two assembly lines going.
I chew and swallow the sweet hard candy mixed with a nut. “I don’t like them.”
My dad laughs. “Yeah, I’m not a fan either.”
“It’s tradition,” Mom says.
“Did you know that your great-grandma’s birthday is the same day as her wedding anniversary with your great-grandfather?” She’s switching from Maisey to Mabel, helping each tie the ribbons.
Dad sees her struggling and turns his attention to Maisey for a minute.
To everyone in Lake Starlight, we’re the three M’s. The Bailey M’s—Maven, Maisey and Mabel. Either that or we get called Kingston’s kids or Stella’s babies. None of the nicknames are good ones. My sisters and I are each two years apart as if our parents are the best planners in the world. Last year Dad did something and now they say there will be no more kids. I don’t really know what it was, but my dad was walking around with a frozen bag of peas for a few days. Maybe they ran out of names starting with M’s that they liked.
“The Jordan Almonds are a way of remembering their anniversary too…” Mom continues talking to my little sister.
Mom’s eyes meet Dad’s across the table. They smile at one another before continuing to fill the boxes for Great-Grandma Dori’s birthday party.
“Did you hear that Maverick is back?” my dad asks, clearing his throat only speaking to my mom.
“Does this mean you’ll be MIA tonight, playing his new game?” Mom chuckles. She’s always laughing at Dad, even though he’s not that funny.
“He’s dropping me off a copy. Ryder said it’s awesome. The changes he made…” Dad keeps talking about a video game that my oldest cousin, Maverick, made.
I see my mom getting bored. She doesn’t play video games. I watched my dad play once, but Maisey asks a lot of questions and it gets annoying. Plus, I’d rather read than play a video game.
Dad adds, “But it’s who he brought with him that’s the big news.”
“Who?” Mom perks up and looks at my dad.
“Tyler Vaughn’s niece.”
My mom’s mouth falls open like my little sisters’ used to when my mom would play airplane to feed them.
“Who’s that?” I ask.
Dad looks at me. “The guy who sings that song in the new animated movie. What’s it called?” His eyes narrow and he looks to Mom for the answer.
