Page 21 of Broken Promises

ELEVEN

willa

“Family meeting!”

“Jesus Christ, Callahan,” I complain, rubbing my right ear. “Look around you before you start screaming. We’re all sitting right here.”

“I’m standing. Not sitting,” Maverick says, grinning at me from where he is, in fact, standing next to the hotel window. Ever since Harlow found the pictures of Ezra in New Hampshire alive and well after he was assumed dead for years, Mav has been in a great mood.

“Dada,” Cora says in a tone that sounds disappointed. I laugh, hard. I love that little girl.

“What are we meeting about?” Harlow asks, passing me a paper plate that’s already soaked in grease from the pepperoni pizza on it.

“Harlow and I are hosting Thanksgiving. You’re all invited,” he says and looks around the room, waiting for some sort of reaction.

“This could’ve been a text,” Jo says, not having lifted her eyes from her phone since we checked in over an hour ago.

“Don’t make me take away your invite, Demon Barbie,” Cal says, shaking his finger at Jo, who acts like she hadn’t even heard him.

“Was that it?” Belle asks.

“Well, we need to figure out who is bringing what,” Cal says, a little defensively.

“We’ve been sleeping on the bus for a week. Everyone needs time to relax and sleep in a real bed. We can figure out what needs to be done later,” Kai says, patting Cal on the shoulder as he stands. “You coming?” he asks Belle.

“I want to hang out with Willa. I feel like I’ve barely seen her, and we live on the same street.”

I tense for a moment before forcing myself to smile. I had planned to go back to my room and call Declan. Something feels off between us, but I don’t know what it is. It’s like the week we spent together made the distance so much harder. I thought we were used to the distance, but maybe it was the closeness that we weren’t ready for.

“Willa?”

“Sorry,” I say to Belle. “I’d love to hang out. We can go back to my room and watch a movie. You can help me touch up my roots. The blonde is coming in.”

Belle smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I don’t like the way she’s examining me right now.

“Anyone else want to join us?” I ask, hopping up from the couch and throwing the rest of my pizza in the trash.

“I’m in,” Mav says, pushing off the wall and following me to the door. Belle walks closely behind him, still giving me a weird look.

I pull out my phone and quickly text Declan while we walk to my room.

I can’t call you tonight. Belle wants to hang out.

Hockey Boy

You could both call. I’ll be nice to her. I won’t even flirt.

I bite the inside of my lip and peek at my friends over my shoulder. They’re quietly chatting about our manager, Jon. He’s been acting weird lately too. Fucking men.

I’m sorry, hockey boy. Not tonight.

Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry if I haven’t been as awake on our calls as I used to be. Coach Jones is running me ragged, and Boston plays differently than San Diego, so I’ve had a lot more to learn than you’d think. I’ve been really tired.

I’m really sorry, Princess.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt more like an asshole than I do in this moment. I’m not trying to blow him off, but I don’t want to answer the questions Belle is going to have.

I swipe my card against the reader and swing the door open. “You guys go pick a movie. I’m going to run downstairs and get some snacks.”

---