Page 26 of Rules Of Our Own

MIA

The secondI got out of the car, I ran from Alex and River. I’ve spent the rest of the day hiding at Sidney’s. She took one look at me and kicked Jax out to hang with the boys.

Even after I locked myself in her villa for the last eight hours, eating and watching reality tv she hasn’t asked any questions, but I can tell it’s killing her. She’s brought up Alex and River a few times, feeling me out, but I’ve miraculously been able to divert the conversation.

I can tell the curiosity is finally getting the best of her, and she’s just about to press when there’s a knock on the door.

Sidney lets a beaming Piper in, and relief floods me, knowing she’s going to have to drop it for the rest of the night.

Tonight’s all about Piper. The wedding’s tomorrow, which means all the girls are having a sleepover here.

“Where have you two been?” Piper collapses on the couch beside me. Her hair’s pulled up in a messy bun, and she’s wearing a simple sundress.

“This one’s been hiding and won’t tell me why,” Sidney says from the door, where she’s waiting for the others to arrive.

Piper squeals and turns toward me. “What happened?” She looks entirely too excited.

“Nothing.” My phone buzzes, saving the day. I bend over to grab it from my bag, but any sense of relief disappears the second I check it. Another unknown number. This time, three texts back to back.

Unknown: Where the hell are you?

Unknown: Don’t fucking ignore me Mia.

Unknown: I swear to God if you’re fucking around.

I hit delete before I can finish reading the last message, a shudder running down my spine, and slide my cell into Do Not Disturb mode. There’s no way I’m letting him ruin tonight.

“Who was that?” Piper’s watching me, head tilted to the side. She’s entirely too observant.

I put on my best fake smile and lie through my teeth. “Scam. You know how it is—”

Misty and Shana walk in together, the latter holding a giant bottle of rum. “Who’s ready for tonight?”

I huff out a laugh. “Isn’t getting wasted the night before the wedding a bad idea?”

“Well, considering the guys are already well on their way, I’d say it’s pretty normal,” Shana says, taking the chair across from me.

The living room of Sidney’s villa is twice the size of ours, even though we have one more person staying with us. The space is dominated by a long sofa of pale blue linen upholstery with two club chairs to its left, currently occupied by Shana and Misty.

Sidney grabs the bottle and heads to the small kitchenette area to prepare drinks.

“How was hot-air ballooning?” Piper asks, and my cheeks heat.

I clear my throat, suddenly thick. “Good. Pretty spectacular.”

She bites back a smile. “I bet. I ran into River and Alex after. They were both looking a little flush. Hot up there?”

“Um. No, not really.” By the gleam in her eyes, I realize I really should’ve just lied.

Misty leans forward, a smirk crossing her lips. “So are you going to tell us about it?”

“It’s pretty slow. Balloon just floats around.”

The girls laugh, and Misty presses. “You want to tell us what has you blushing like a freaking tomato?”

“Nope.”

“Not fair.” She pouts, then gives me a wink. “You’ve got both eligible players staying with you. The least you can do is give us the deets if you aren’t going to share.”

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