Starlee's Home (The Wayward Sons 3)

“Or fair, but you and I both know right and fair don’t really matter.”

“There’s no way the guys agree with this. I’ve seen them look at you.” Her elbow nudges mine. “They’re into you. Big time. There has to be a way to fix it.”

“I can’t see how? Sierra is panicked and the social workers are on alert. I can’t risk the twins' chance to get back to her house or Dexter’s probation.” I drop my head in my hands and groan. “You know this is all Christina’s doing. She’s pissed about homecoming and Jake. We were idiots to think we could get the upper hand on that.”

She’s quiet for a moment. Thoughtful, although I sense the anger she carries for Christina under the surface. “First of all, you need to understand a few things. One, this isn’t over. We just need to figure out what direction we want to take it. Second, I will not allow Christina to ruin another person’s life. But we have to be smart about it. Super smart, because she is a conniving bitch. And third,” she nudges me, “I’m a loyal friend, Starlee, and Jake and the other guys have always done right by me. I’ll do right by them, too.”

Her conviction stirs something inside of me. “I’ve given up on things so many times. Over and over. It’s how my mother raised me.”

“Your mother isn’t here and it’s time for you to learn a different way.”

“You think I should fight for them.”

“And yourself.” She gives me a small smile. “You’re worth it.”

I hold her eye, understanding it now. This isn’t about me losing something. It’s about me holding on to what’s important. I did it once when I came out here on my own and I’ll do it again, except this time there are bigger implications.

“What do we do first?” I ask.

She grins in return. “We use our brains. This isn’t going to be an easy task, but it’s winter and we live in the middle of god-forsaken-nowhere. We have time and a need for vengeance.”

“You’re crazy, you know that, right?” I say, but the gleam in her eye makes me laugh. It makes me hopeful. It makes me really glad she’s my friend.

6

Jake

The house feels weird without the twins. When they first moved in, I hated it—kind of hated them. George was so loud and quirky. He made so much freaking noise, either banging around his room, knocking things over or playing loud music. Charlie was the complete opposite, an introvert, closed-off, shy. It took him months before he relaxed around us.

I got used to it—them. George is fun, he just needed a way to channel all that energy. Sierra put him to work, let him paint the walls at the shop. I encouraged him to work out and join the football team. It took a while for me to get him, but Charlie is a good guy, too. He’s smarter than the rest of us, more thoughtful. Moving to Sierra’s probably affected him more than the rest of us, he just didn’t show it.

“I’m going out for a run,” I tell Sierra. She and Dexter are in the kitchen. I pause in the door at the scent of cinnamon and chocolate. “What’s that?”

“Try it,” she says holding up the pastry. “I’m thinking of calling it, 'Hell’s Hazelnut Puff'.”

Dexter shakes his head but keeps rolling dough. Sierra frowns. “No?”

I shove the pastry in my mouth and holy crap, it’s good. Flakey and soft and damn. I reach for another, but she swats my hand away. “Work on the name. You’ve nailed the product.”

“Don’t stay out too late. I don’t like you running on the trail after dark.”

“I won’t.” We don’t have to worry so much about people out here but there’s other stuff like injuries and getting stuck out there, or worse, bears.

I grab my gloves and hat, it’s cold outside, and start down the sidewalk that goes in front of the lodge. The office lights are off, they’re closed, but way back behind the trees I see them burning in Mrs. Nye’s house and I can’t help but wonder w

hat Starlee’s up to, if she’s in her room, in her bed.

My mind wanders to the time we spent in there together. Starlee and I haven’t had sex, but we’ve been intimate—close. I know what she feels like, looks like. I’ve seen her face when she’s falling over the edge and sometimes it’s hard to think of anything else.

I run my hand over my face and shake off the thoughts. I need to get my blood pumping somewhere other than my dick, so I pick up the pace and jog past the little shops and restaurants until I get to the two-mile trail that weaves behind Lee Vines.

Running brings me peace—as does anything physical. I’m biding my time, waiting to hear about any scholarship offers. I know I’ve got to keep my grades up, something I’m worried about if Sierra won’t let me get help from Starlee. Somehow, that girl gets me and is able to settle my mind and help me unscramble the words. Her voice is calm, sweet. She’s smart and patient.

My lungs strain as I race up the trail. My thighs ache. I push aside the unfairness of the situation. The loss of my brothers. I know this is a blip in time because they can’t keep us apart forever, but it sucks.

I reach the peak and stop, catching my breath and looking over the lights of Lee Vines. The Christmas tree twinkles below and it hurts to think we’ll be spending it without the twins. The truth of the situation hits hard. Not only did the boys lose their home, but we lost our family. To make it worse, the tie that bound us all together, even more than Sierra, has been pushed away.

It’s not in my nature to give up—to settle without a fight. I know it’s not in Dexter’s, either. I inhale the cold winter air and start back down the trail, feeling the start of a plan building with every step. I’m not ready to give up and I hope my brothers aren’t either.