Page 17 of Heavenleigh

“Fuck’s sake, Heavenleigh.I’m not going to break because you’re off having fun with your friends.Your life is meant to be lived, sweetheart.”He expelled a heavy breath.“It’s stuff like this that stresses me out.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy.I…” Scrubbing at my dripping nose, I tried again.“It won’t happen again.I promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that promise, kid.”

A half sob, half laugh escaped me.“Is Mom really okay?”

“Yeah, honey.She’s going to be fine.The stubborn woman wouldn’t let the surgeon touch her until she was sure you were safe first, though.Now, she’s going to get prepped.Your transportation should be arriving any minute.She will be out of surgery before you get home.”

“Okay, I just need to grab my bag and tell Yara I’m leaving.Give Mom a kiss for me.I love you both.”

“See you tonight, baby,” Daddy said, his voice notably more relieved than it had been moments before.“We love you too, Heavenleigh.”

Ending the call, I made quick work of finding my things.I had on Jake’s T-shirt and my panties.That was plenty of clothes to get from the suite to my room.There was no sign of Jake or anyone else when I left the bedroom.If my head had been clearer, I would have paused to question that, but I only had one goal in mind—getting home.

In my room, I put on a bra and stepped into a pair of leggings before throwing everything I could into my backpack, including the new heels I’d bought.Mom would love them as much as I did, even if she wouldn’t be wearing anything but a cast for a few months.

There was no answer when I knocked on Yara’s suite.I still didn’t have any memories past eating cake the previous night, so I was guessing that my friend had stayed on the yacht for her wedding night.As much as I wanted to hug her before I left, I couldn’t wait around to find her.Jordan had already sent a text to let me know his pilot was on the island and a car was waiting for me downstairs.

Knowing my bestie would understand, I took the elevator down.It had a mirrored panel on the back wall, showing me how much of a train wreck I looked like.Hair tangled, swollen eyes from crying, a shirt that fell off one shoulder and hit me mid-thigh.I was a hot mess, heavy on the mess.Thankfully, the jet had a shower, and Arella always kept an entire wardrobe full of clothes I could change into.

As soon as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, I stepped off, my fuzzy brain focused on getting to the exit.Two steps forward and I collided with a couple on their way into the elevator.

“Watch it,” a shrill voice snapped.

“Sorry,” I muttered, trying to move around the woman.Only, she matched my step, blocking me again.

Annoyed, I met her gaze and nearly rolled my eyes.Of course.Yara had sent me several pictures over the years that included Warren’s sister.She was pretty in a high-maintenance way.Heavy, contoured makeup, loudly expensive clothes, hair perfectly in place.Marsha Kline was the type of woman who had to announce how rich she was without actually saying those words aloud.It was a power play that begged for other people to think they were the one in charge of any room they entered, when, really, they wouldn’t know how to control it if they were ever given the authority.

Shifting my focus from Marsha, I noticed the man at her side.Jude, Yara’s other brother.I remembered him from the two short meetings we’d had in the past.He was handsome, but not close to the same level as Jake.Interest filled his light-brown eyes, which he quickly masked when Marsha side-eyed him.

“Excuse me,” I said stiffly and exaggeratedly, stepping back before giving them a wide berth and leaving them to board the elevator.

It wasn’t until I was in the back of the car on the way to the airport that Marsha’s appearance fully hit me.That bitch almost crashed Yara’s wedding.Thankfully, the universe had stepped in, giving my friend her fairy-tale moment before her new sister-in-law could ruin it.

Jake

I’d barely openedthe door to the suite when her perfume hit my nose.Instantly, I patted the pocket of my slacks, double-checking the ring box was still safely there.As soon as I’d woken up that morning with Ven asleep on top of me, I’d known I couldn’t let another day pass without having my ring on her finger.

Yara and Warren were already off on their honeymoon, a short little trip on the yacht that would last until they docked in Marina del Rey, Claude’s wedding present to the happy couple.With them off doing their own thing, I wouldn’t be stealing my sister’s moment if I asked Ven to marry me before we left the island.

But that was put on hold the moment I stepped into the suite and realized we had company.The door had barely closed behind me when I heard Marsha’s high-pitched voice, followed by the deeper baritone of my brother.

“I thought Warren said Jake had his own suite.There’s obviously been someone else staying here,” Marsha complained.“Is that…?It is.Some dirty slut’s panties are on the sitting room floor.Nasty.”

Fucking hell.I’d left Ven alone, and these two had walked in without so much as a warning.Storming into the living room, I confronted the newcomers.“How the fuck did you two get in here?”

Jude picked up the tiny piece of delicate pink lingerie, and my vision went dark around the edges.He twirled it around his finger, smirking at me.“Looks like someone got lucky last night.Ah, nice.Prettyandexpensive.Good taste, brother.”

Stomping over to him, I snatched the panties away from him.Stuffing them into my pocket, I glared at him.“Where is Ven?”His curiosity made my stomach churn.“What did you fucking do?”

“Jake, we’ve only just arrived,” Marsha said with a breathy laugh that grated down my spine.“Warren sent the link to the rooms on Thursday.We didn’t even have to pause at reception since we could activate the doors from our phones.”

“As for whoever Ven is, we’re the only ones here,” Jude said, his eyes dancing with amusement and calculation.“Is that the name of the whore you hired for the weekend?I kinda like it.Ven.It rolls off the tongue so sweetly.”

Knowing he was baiting me, I ignored him and went to check on Ven.She’d been sleeping so deeply when I left.Hopefully my asshole brother hadn’t woken her.But when I opened the door, I immediately felt her absence.Gut knotting, I checked the bathroom, despite the light being off.I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not that she wasn’t there.

Heart jumping into my throat, I tried to call her.It didn’t even ring before it went straight to voice mail.Was she mad at me, or did she have poor service?I wouldn’t have blamed her if she was angry.Having to meet those two without anyone there to intercede was plenty of reason to walk away.It was why I wanted to slowly ease her into my family dynamic.Her friendship with Yara would make the process easier, without a doubt.Even with that as cushioning, however, I knew Mother would make it a nightmare.