Page 171 of Never Fall for an Angel

“I’ve never met two people who were so hell-bent on convincing themselves they aren’t in love.”

I glare at her, and she smiles, reaching out to pat my hand.

As she does, my little secret vibrates in my pocket, and I clear my throat to cover up the sound. Luckily, Paulina doesn’t seem to notice, standing and throwing her arms up with a yawn.

“Well, I, for one, am tired,” she says, pointing a finger at me. “You should get to bed, too. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

I smile, breathing out a sigh of relief when my pocket goes silent. At least there’s some good to go around, even if the prospect of going to an event without Christian is terrifying.

“Can’t wait.”

I watch her climb to her feet. Leaning down, she presses a kiss to my temple, before disappearing into the house, leaving me alone in the night. Slipping the hidden phone from my pocket, it starts to ring again.

“You almost got me caught.”

“Sorry,” Savannah’s voice filters through the phone. “You weren’t calling, and I got worried.”

“They found my hiding spot,” I grumble, and she laughs.

“Who’s they?”

“Christian’s . . . mom of sorts.”

“Ah. The mother-in-law.”

“What are you talking about? Your mother-in-law is an angel.”

“Yeah,” I can hear her smile through the phone. “She is. At least you aren’t Mom.”

“If I had a mother-in-law like Mrs. Parker, I think I’d pitch myself in front of a train.”

I’ve told Savannah everything. I just had to. I needed someone who I didn’t have to lie to, and my sister’s always been that person.

Like me, she doesn’t remember our father much, either. She was only six when he died. For most of our life, we were just Marcus Parker’s stepdaughters, and for five years of hers, she was subjected to his torment in the form of illegal sex parties where he’d sell her to his Hollywood friends.

If anyone would understand not only my side but also keep an open mind about Christian’s, she would.

“How are things in LA?” I’ve spoken to her every night this week on my contraband phone about everything from Mom and our siblings to the weather.

I can’t lie; it feels good to hear her voice.

“You ask me that every day,” she chuckles.

“I know.”

“They’re good, though. I saw Mom tonight.”

“And?”

“And she’s getting by day by day. I think it helped that Hannah had a baby appointment today, and she got to see an ultrasound.”

My chest aches. I miss my family. My brother’s having a baby, and I’m a thousand miles away. I miss my mother most of all. I thought about calling her, but I know her. She’d have Savannah’s FBI husband tracking me down by the time I got off the phone.

“I miss you guys.”

“We’ve missed you,” she breathes. “Things haven’t been the same.” Then, after a pause, “How areyouholding up?”

“I’m alive.”

---