“Same.” I jumped when his hand landed on my knee, his fingers trailing up to my thigh and landing over my scars. I wondered if he knew where he was touching. “Aria got her personal best time on the track today.”
“You did?” Mom asked, jumping in her seat and clapping her hands. “That’s freaking awesome.”
“What’s awesome?” Sal’s gruff voice asked. “Why’s Cade here?”
“He dropped Aria off. I told him he had to stay.”
“Gotcha,” Sal said and slid into the booth next to Mom. “So what’s awesome?”
“Aria got her personal best on the track,” Mom told him, her eyes beaming, and for the first time, I didn’t feel like I was a disappointment.
“Proud of you, Ri,” Sal said. “You’ll be off to the Olympics soon.”
I ducked my head as my cheeks burned. It wasn’t that they’d never said it before, I just…had never believed them. But one squeeze of Cade’s hand on my leg told me he felt the same. Maybe this was when everything would change. Maybe being me would be enough and I wouldn’t need the relief anymore.
Maybe…maybe I could start over and forget about the past.
If only it were easy.
Chapter Eleven
ARIA
“Ahoy, matey!” Asher shouted from where he was standing on the sofa. He held up his foam sword and readjusted his eye patch. “You walk the plank!”
“You walk the plank!” Belle shouted back, her own eye patch in place, but she also had a stuffed parrot attached to her shoulder using one of Lola’s scarfs. They always battled for who was the captain of the Easton Ship, and almost always, Belle won the fight, and she made Asher walk the plank.
But today Asher was having none of it.
“I need to count the treasure, Belle!” He huffed and rolled his eyes.
“That’s Captain Belle to you.” She moved her head from side to side and planted her hands on her hips.
“Nu-uh, I’m the captain!” Asher shouted back and lunged across the sofa to where she was standing.
“Guys.” I leaped forward, knowing a full-out war would ensue if I didn’t step in. “You can both be captain.”
“There’s only one captain of this ship!” Belle raised her hands in the air. “And that’s—”
“Me,” a new voice said.
We all froze, our eyes widening, and then both kids launched themselves off the sofa and made a mad dash for the newcomer.
“Cade!” Belle shouted, her parrot wobbling precariously and nearly falling off her shoulder. “Tell Asher that, as the oldest Easton daughter, I get to be captain.”
Cade reached down for Asher and threw him up onto his shoulders. “No can do, PB. I’m the captain.”
“What?” She stomped her foot and twirled around to face me. “Aria, the boys are being mean to me!”
I raised my brows and tried my absolute hardest to keep a straight face. “Boys—”
“Why are boys so mean?” Belle asked, her little face starting to collapse, and I couldn’t take it. Her bottom lip wobbled, and I practically ran toward her.
“Don’t cry, Belle.” I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and brought her to my chest as I looked up at Cade and
gave him my best death stare. “Apologize, Cade.”
“What?” He pulled Asher off his shoulders and placed him on his hip. “What the hel—heck?”