Page 51 of Reckless Rebel

I shouldn’t be surprised at how much she knows, but I am, I’m sure Elle told them everything, covering all bases to ensure my transition into their family was a simple one. I feel like an even bigger dick for my outburst at breakfast now.

My throat thickens as the emotions get clogged in it, but I don’t want to dive into my darkness right now. “Are you shrinking me,” I joke in an attempt to break the tension, and she smiles as she replies, “Only when you’ll let me.”

Gerry interrupts as both Riley and Sofia appear from inside the house, “Okay let’s get this show on the road.”

“Jace!” Sofia screams as she bundles down the steps and launches herself at me. “You’re here, you’re here.”

I huff as I catch her. “Of course I’m here, Fifi, you couldn’t stop me from coming even if you tried.”

She pulls back and stares at me with a frown. “How come you and Riley had a sleepover without me?”

Gerry chokes back a laugh as Riley scolds her name, “Erm, it wasn’t a sleepover, Riley just felt a little sick, so I let her sleep at mine until she felt better.”

Her eyes assess me closely like she is trying to decide if I am being truthful before she signs, “Fine, I guess that’s okay, but we are having a sleepover all together on vacation, okay?”

Sleeping in close quarters with Riley is not something I want to endure, not after the temptation of having her in my bed all night, but I nod and agree anyway. If there is any time to have a safe sleepover with her then it’s with our sister sleeping between us.

The three of us climb into the back seat of the car and get comfortable as Ava locks up the house, and Gerry does a final check of all the stuff in the back. I feel eyes on me and I know they aren’t Sofia’s so I don’t look. I keep my eyes fixed firmly out of the window and remember that no matter what went down with Riley and Dicky last night, she is still off limits, and I’m still too fucked up to go deeper than a fuck with anyone, especially her.

It’s going to be an interesting two weeks.

26

Riley

We have done this drive so many times, yet today it feels more intense, like every atom in my body can sense there is another person here with us. We all talked a lot in the first hour, but that died down as we went into the second, and by the third, Sofia had her headphones on watching a movie, and Jace was snoring softly with his head against the window. I find myself unable to keep my eyes off him, like while he is sleeping I am truly able to look at him without fear of being caught.

He looks different than usual, there is no tension lining his forehead, no flirty smirk tugging at the side of his mouth, no sadness pouring from his eyes. He just looks peaceful, relaxed, beautiful even, it’s strange but also comforting to see him that way. I have come to the conclusion that I like him, especially like this, when he has his guard down and his heart on his sleeve. It’s easy to see why Sofia fell in love with him so quickly, and why my mom and dad were so accepting of him in the beginning.

Every new bit of information I get about him is like unlocking a new piece of the puzzle, and after spending the morning with his family I have multiple pieces with no idea where to put them. Everytime I learn something new about him, it brings more questions I want answers to. Maybe on this vacation he can learn to trust me, to see that I am someone he can also rely on and be there for him. My own feelings for him aside, I want to be his friend, I can be his friend, I just need to remember that when he’s shirtless and offering me that Playboy smile of his.

By the time we pull up into the familiar driveway I am practically bouncing with excitement, this is one of my favorite places in the entire world. The cabin is more of a large two story house that overlooks the lake with a huge wrap around porch. It’s one of about ten houses within a couple of miles of one another and only a short drive from the local town.

Jace woke up about twenty minutes ago and was quiet as he took in his surroundings as we finished our journey. As he climbs from the car he looks awe struck, which is ridiculous given the size of the freaking mansion he lives in, but who am I to judge?

“What do you think, Jace, my boy?” My dad comes round the car and throws an arm across Jace’s shoulders and I roll my eyes at the little bromance they have going on.

“G-Dog, man, this place is amazing.” His voice is genuine as his eyes track every single thing they land on, taking them in before moving onto the next.

I follow his stare, letting myself look at it as if it’s the first time I was seeing it, the beautiful stillness of the lake, the sun shining off it. The long pier I love to jump off, and the shallow stretch where I taught Sofia how to swim. There is a hot tub on one corner of the decked porch, and some double and single loungers for sunbathing. Oak beams surround the building, with large windows reflecting all the light. It really is the perfect vacation spot.

“Unpack then eat?” My mom asks with a smile, and Sofia and I nod, we know the usual drill of how we do things.

We all start pulling bags from the car and lugging them inside, once we have the car unloaded, my dad directs Jace to the only bedroom located on the ground floor. It’s one we never use as the other three are upstairs and close together, so it makes sense for Jace to have this one to give him a little privacy and access to his own bathroom.

We spend the next hour unpacking our things, and then Jace heads into town with my mom and Sofia to help them with the groceries for this week, while I stay back with my dad. He finds me in my usual spot on the sofa when we are done unpacking, sitting in front of the double doors that have the most amazing view of the lake.

“There’s my number one girl,” he calls as he enters the room, and I roll my eyes with a smile.

“I bet you say that to all the girls.” I flash him my smile and he laughs.

“Only the ones with the last name Decker.” He winks as he sits down next to me and I shake my head.

"So, Jace said something went down with you and Rick last night?" He aims for a casual tone, but I hear the underlying concern there.

"Oh great we are diving right in." I close my phone and put it down in my lap.

"You know I don't like to beat around the bush, kid, what happened?"

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