Page 49 of Counting the Stars

“Uhh…you know it doesn’t work like that.”

“I know that now.” She playfully slaps me on the shoulder. “But as a little kid, it always felt like her birthday came first. So what did big brother Angel do to you?”

“When we were little, he told me there were monsters under my bed, my toys always ended up mysteriously broken, or myartwork would have squiggly lines drawn over it. We’d play hide-and-seek and he’d accidently forget I was playing and leave me wherever I was for hours.”

“Hours?!”

“I take hide-and-seek very seriously.” Lilli stands by her theory that Angel was intimidated of me since I was the baby of the family. His fear of being outshined led to his sinister behavior. “It got worse when we got older. When I was a freshman in high school, he was a senior. He stole every girlfriend I had.” I nearly spit out the last sentence.

“That’s awful! Did your parents ever intervene?”

“Nope. I could never prove anything. Angel was too smart to leave behind evidence. If my toy broke, it was because I left it out somewhere it didn’t belong. My ruined artwork? He slipped holding a marker. The times he forgot to find me during hide-and-seek? Purely accidental. And then later with the girlfriends? Well, why date a freshman when you can date a senior and captain of the football team.” Yep. My mom actually said that. Reliving this is making my head hurt.

“That’s terrible!” Gabby gasps.

“The only one who ever cared or believed me was Lilli. But her word wasn’t enough. Angel had and still has everyone wrapped around his finger.”

“I’ll be sure to keep my distance.”

“Yeah. Please do. He’ll try to seek you out. I have no doubt about it. His trophy wife, Camilla, is also an evil villain. It’s like they gain extra power by putting other people down.”

“Uh-oh. Is she one of your exes that he stole?”

“God no. I would never date a venomous snake like her. She and Angel met in college, but Camilla dropped out once they were married. She stays at home with their three perfect kids in their Pinterest-worthy 8,000-square-foot house. They’reso freakingfake.” Yep, that sums up most of my family…fake. I shake my head in disgust.

“You forgot to mention what he does for a living.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes as I respond. “He’s a criminal defense attorney.”

“Sounds like that’s the perfect profession for him.”

“It is. Just make sure to take whatever he or Camilla says to you with a grain of salt.” I reach across the center console to give Gabby’s hand a squeeze. Her touch alone does me a world of good as my pulse rate begins to relax. For the first time ever, I’m going into a family event with confidence and I know it’s because Gabby has my back.

“I promise,” Gabby reassures me and gives my hand a loving squeeze back.

25

Gabby

“Wow! It’s bigger than I imagined.”

“That’s what she said.” Alex is right on cue with his retort.

“I should’ve known better.” I sigh. I’m usually wiser at choosing my words and skirting around his sarcasm and innuendos.

“Gotta get it out of my system now, baby girl. We’re about to enter the crypt.”

“That does not look like a crypt.” I point to his childhood house. The three-story brick mansion sits upon a meticulously landscaped hill. Water cascades down from a stone garden fountain that’s surrounded by rose bushes of various pinks and reds.

“I hate that fountain. When I was a kid, it always gave me the urge to pee whenever I walked past it,” Alex grumbles as we exit the car and walk up to the ornate double doors.

“Do we knock?” I whisper to Alex while taking in the security camera above the entrance.

“No.” He snorts. “I have a key.” He produces it from his pocket and unlocks the door.

We step inside what feels like a home straight off a movie set. An enormous chandelier hangs in the foyer. The lit crystals make the pristine white tile floor look like it’s sparkling. Directly in front of us is a grandiose staircase that could make the one on the Titanic look tiny. I become mesmerized by two large marble statues of elephants that flank each side of the staircase.

“My mom has a thing for elephants,” Alex answers before I can ask any questions. “She says they bring good luck.”

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