Page 1 of New Year's Day

ONE

WILLOW

New Year’sEve

“Ready?”Iris asks. I swear her body is vibrating with excitement.

Mine is too.

Download more books from epubs.io. I nod at my cousin, the both of us smiling at each other before I reach for the handle and slowly open the door. The slight creak of the hinges has us both frozen for a second, but the music coming from downstairs drowns out any other sound.

We’re in the clear.

“Let’s go,” Iris whispers as she darts out of her bedroom first.

I sneak out after her, slowly closing the door and heading for the meeting spot we all agreed upon earlier.

The entire family is here to celebrate the New Year at the estate where August, Iris and Vaughn’s parents now live. It’s close to the ocean and there are so many rooms, I get lost in here every time we come to visit, which is often.

Makes me grateful for our more normal sized home back in the city. My dad keeps trying to convince Mom we need to move out here or at the very least to a neighborhood just like this, but Mom refuses.

“I love the city too much to leave it,” she’s told him more than once.

I always silently agree with her. And Daddy always gives in to her wishes. I love spending time here, but I prefer the city too.

Iris and I approach the landing, not surprised at all to find August waiting there along with my brother, Rowan. Their already bored expressions match, and even though I’m two years older than Row, he’s almost as grumpy as August. Or he’s just imitating him because he looks up to August so much.

I mean, how cynical can you be when you’re ten?

“Are we really going to sit here and watch our parents drink, dance and make out?” August grimaces, shaking his head. “That sounds like a nightmare.”

“I want to see what they’re wearing.” The women in my family always dress up for New Year’s Eve. You can always count on seeing vivid colors and an overabundance of sparkles. Iris and I can’t wait to be old someday and dress like they do.

Tonight the boys are still in jeans or khakis and sweaters, but us girls decided to dress up too, wearing our favorite dresses.

“Me too.” Iris walks right up to where her brother sits cross-legged in front of the balustrade, kicking him with her bare foot. He doesn’t even flinch. “If you don’t like it, go do something else.”

“There’s nothing else to do.” August yawns and I send Iris a look, but she’s not paying attention.

She finds her big brother so annoying and I get it. He’s always acting too cool to spend time with us.

“Yeah.” Row also yawns and I roll my eyes. “This is boring.”

“Shut up,” I tell him, feeling mean the moment the words leave me. I plop down next to him on the floor. “Sorry,” I whisper, leaning my head on his narrow shoulder but he pulls away, annoyed with me.

“Whatever.” Row shrugs, sending me a quick, grateful look. I can’t keep up the mean sister act like Iris can. I’m too nice and I never want to hurt someone’s feelings. Daddy says I’m just like Mom, who’s kind to everyone and I guess he’s right. Even though sometimes inside, I do feel mean.

What sounds like a herd of elephants make their way toward us, all of them spilling out of the various bedrooms, their chatter louder than it should be. August and Iris’s youngest brother Vaughn leads the pack and he stops, holding out his arms to block the rest of them from going any further.

“Quiet guys,” he commands and they do as he asks.

I’m impressed that an eight-year-old can get the rest of the cousins—who are all the same age as Vaughn—to do as he says. I study them all, my little brother Beau standing with the rest of them. They include Christopher, who is Spencer and Sylvie’s only son. And then there’s Carolina and West’s twin daughters, Paris and Pru.

“Come on.” Iris waves her hand. “You can all sit here.”

They walk over to us in a line, all of them settling in front of the railing, their hands going to the spindles, curling around them as they stare down at the party unfolding below.

The butler—who’s been with the family for ages and we all adore him for sneaking us candy—is patiently waiting by the door with his hands behind his back, his worried gaze occasionally going to one of the windows that flanks either side of the massive door. I can see what he’s watching from my perch on the second landing. It’s the snow.

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