Page 40 of Reckless Encore

“We most certainlydid not.” Alana glared at her husband. “You were named after my great aunt Beth.”

“But they always call me Bele, Mom.”

“And that is something I have completely no control over.”

Mason laughed. “A bet is a bet. She might not have Bele on her birth certificate, but as far as us guys are concerned, that’s her rightful name.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Blake raised his glass in the air.

Sophie sat back, watching as the conversation caused a growing rift. Chase broke into a fit of laughter, Ethan joined in, while Beth’s face turned a darker shade of pink.

Her friend shoved to her feet and pushed her brother, sending him toppling over the back of the log. “Stop laughing, jerk.”

“Hey,” Alana snapped. “Don’t be mean.”

“I’m so sick of this.” Beth swung around to face her mother, the circle of adults and teens all growing quiet as she stole center stage. “Why can’t us kids have something of our own? Something special that’s uniquely ours. Everything we have is tainted by your glory days and celebrity status. It’s bullshit.”

Ethan’s chuckle died. Nobody spoke. Only the crackle of the burning fire broke the silence.

“You have no idea how much you’ve messed up our lives. And you all think it’s a joke. God—” She stomped her foot. “—it’s infuriating.” She stepped over the log, nudged her shoe into her brother’s ribs, then made for the narrow dirt track leading into the dense trees.

The men hung their heads, the women glanced between each other, and Sophie and her friends sat there, waiting.

“I’ll go after her.” Maya pushed to her feet and jogged in the same direction.

“Teenagers…” Mitch muttered. “Who knew they could be so much fun?”

Sophie stood slowly, breathing deep to gain composure. “I mean no disrespect, Uncle Mitch, but that’s really insensitive.”

Every set of adult eyes pinned her in place.

“Okay, Soph.” Her dad waved her away with a flick of his hand. “We get it. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it.”

She swallowed. “I disagree.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Tyler shot her a five-second glance. There was no emotion. No connection. But she appreciated the acknowledgement all the same.

She raised her chin and focused on Melody, the kindest of the adults. “You have no idea what it’s like to be the offspring of music royalty. And believe me, it’s not a blessing.”

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Sidney asked.

“I mean we get subjected to stories of your glory days all the time. In class. From our friends. From complete strangers—”

“And online, twenty-four-seven,” Ethan muttered.

“We have no control over the rest of the world.” Mason took a gulp of his beer. “From my point of view, you should all be thankful for our celebrity status. That fame is what keeps you all in designer clothes and spoiled with overseas vacations.”

“That fame, Uncle Mason, also brings an equal amount of negativity.” She tried to keep her cool, to remain calm.

“For example,” Ethan drawled, “on my first day of middle school, I found out my mother previously had a threesome with my dad and my Uncle Sean. Yay, me.”

All the adults froze, their expressions transforming into one long look ofholy fuck.

“Yep. I got shown video, too.” Ethan nodded at the horror he’d inspired. “Now do you understand the high shrink bills?”

“I’m sorry.” Sidney gaped. “I didn’t know.”

“And I found out about Uncle Mason getting a blow job from a cross-dresser when I was ten.” Chase threw a twig into the fire. “At the time, I didn’t know what a cross-dresser was, let alone—”

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