I send the emoji of the girl raising her hand, and he sends me back a crying smiley face.
Wes_McMillan: Fine. Be all cryptic.
StellaAnn: Says the king of cryptic.
Wes_McMillan: I am not!
StellaAnn: You are. You ask me that but don’t even tell me if you think of me, past Instagram?
His next sentence comes so damn quickly, I get hot everywhere.
Wes_McMillan: I think of you past Instagram way more than I should admit.
A grin pulls at the corner of my mouth as my heart flutters. Emery snickers beside me.
“He’s cute.”
Yeah, he is.
StellaAnn: Hmm, interesting.
Wes_McMillan: That’s all I get? Interesting?
StellaAnn: I mean, I can’t show you all my cards, Wesley.
Wes_McMillan: Can you show me one?
I bite my lip as I stare at the screen, thinking over if I want to. If I do, it’s entertaining something that has no potential. I know this. He doesn’t want me the way I want him. I’m fun to flirt with, to slide into a DM for, but I’m not a relationship for him. I don’t even know if he can be in a relationship. Pretty sure that’s the damaged part of him that turns me on, but it also pisses me off.
But what the hell. I’ll play his game.
StellaAnn: Yeah.
Wes_McMillan: Yeah?
StellaAnn: Yeah.
Wes_McMillan: Elaborate, please?
StellaAnn: If I have to elaborate on “yeah” when you are the one asking the question, I may have to wonder how hard that dude hit you and then consider that maybe you didn’t win that fight.
More snickering from my sister as his chat bubble comes and goes. His response tickles my core.
Wes_McMillan: I totally lost the fight, but that four-letter word just made me feel like I won anyway.
I fight back my grin as I write him back.
StellaAnn: Goodnight, Wesley.
Wes_McMillan: Goodnight, gorgeous.
I put my phone on top of my iPad and cuddle down into my pillow beside my sister. I call out to Alexa to shut off the lights, and when my room is illuminated with my galaxy lights, I shut my eyes. But I can’t ignore that my lips don’t relax.
I’m smiling way too hard.
“You should give him a chance.”
I turn to find Emery looking at me, her eyes shining in the soft lighting. “If there is one thing I can ever teach you, Em, it’s to know your worth. I don’t want to be some mindless fuck for him. I want to be important.”
Her lips curve. “Anyone who looks at you knows you’re important. That’s not a question. It’s if they’re brave enough to potentially get their heart broken by you.”
I can’t hold back. “You’re my favorite.”
She leans into me, and I close my eyes. “You’re mine.”
And as my mind dances with thoughts of Wes and cupcakes, I slowly drift off to sleep.
With a grin on my face and my baby sister who got scared by her murder show in my arms.
Maybe there is hope for us both.
Chapter Six
Wes
I’m lying on my stomach next to Zac as he coos and babbles while I play Call of Duty with his dad and uncle.
He’s a cute kid, Zac is. He’s got these wide eyes that I swear he looks through your soul with. But yet, he’s a potato. He just lies there, making noises, demanding food and sleep. He’s basically living the good life. I’m jealous. I am excited for when he can skate, though. I’m gonna show him the coolest moves. I’m hoping Aiden has a boy so we can teach him the same, and also, so Aiden isn’t broke. If that baby takes after her mom, God help him. Shelli is so over-the-top extra. She bought bedazzled pens so that when we sign our contracts, we feel special.
I don’t care if I’m signing with my bloody limb. Just give me a stick and pay me.
She’s insane but a good girl. Kind. Wholesome and supportive, and I appreciate her. I miss that support—not that my dad wasn’t supportive before, but through my teenage years, I solely depended on everyone else’s moms to support me. That’s hard when everyone wants their son to be the next Shea Adler or Lucas Brooks. I was a damn good scorer and always shone, and no one wanted me to.
So, I did it just to piss people off.
Not healthy, and I learned that once I was put in court-ordered therapy. But hey, I made it.
Sorta. Kinda? Maybe.
Not sure why I’m thinking of that right now. Probably because I still feel beaten up after my therapy session. My head hurts, not because of my broken nose but totally because Noelle mindfucked me. As always. I really don’t know how I am going to progress without her. I know I need to stay positive, but shit, I’m going to miss her.
I don’t know how we got put on baby duty, but Posey was quick to pass the baby off and leave. Don’t blame her, though. Babies are hard, and a day of shopping with her mom and sister is way easier. When I get shot in the game, I throw down my controller and lean toward Zac, putting his paci back in his mouth. “I’m not feeling it.”
Aiden and Boon are both deep in their games, trying not to die like their fallen comrade. “Want a beer?” Boon asks, and I shake my head.
“No, I don’t like drinking after my therapy. I don’t want to develop a habit, so I usually wait a solid few days before doing that.”
“Yeah, that’s smart, man.”
It is and something a lot of players resort to. Can’t handle feelings? Drink or fuck. It’s the common vice. Not for me, though. I learned all that real early.
“Shelli went to my aunt’s and brought some badass cupcakes here. Want one of those?”
I do love cupcakes. “Nah, I’m not in the cupcake mood.”
“I can order a hooker for tonight,” Aiden supplies next, and I grin as Boon laughs.
“I don’t pay for sex. I’m not ugly like you,” I call to him, and he chuckles loudly. I also don’t like fucking when I feel like this. I feel like I get crazed for the release and the control. Just with how I started the fight, I do that with sex when I feel a sense of control being taken from me or I’m overwhelmed. While therapy is a mindfuck, it has helped me. I know my triggers. I know who I am, and it is very hard to like myself. “I just need to process. I hate that Noelle is leaving.”
“I know, dude. That fucking blows,” Boon says, throwing his controller to the carpet when he loses. “Fuckers.”
I nod at our shared dismay of losing. Aiden is still in the game, as always. “I’m just over everything. You guys see SportsCenter this morning? Peca is out for the season.”
They both are sullen at that. “Yeah, I saw. Stella is taking him cupcakes.”
Oh, hearing her name brings tingles to my skin.
Yeah.
Just those four letters have my heart beating out of my chest. I act very unaffected by his sister’s name, and I set him with a look. “Hey, your season is over, but here are some cupcakes,” I tease, and he nods.
“Hey, cupcakes can fix anything. Especially my aunt’s cupcakes,” Aiden says, almost like a promise. “When I was a kid, I lived with her and my mom until my dad came into our lives. But anytime I was sad or really happy, Audrey would make cupcakes.”
“I mean, if there is a magic cupcake to help when you’re losing your therapist, shit, sign me up. Good thing my doctor figured out I’m not actually allergic to gluten.”