Scarlett Vanderburg's POV

"I'm on my way, I promise." I said through the car speaker, and I truly was. I was sitting in my car, racing towards the country club that Quinn was waiting at. There was a polo match between the different clubs, it was recreational for members to participate in for those who were free on the day. Quinn had loved the sport and played competitively on the Atkins team all through school, and since I had met him I had been to all his matches. "Look, I can see the entrance now."

I cut the call, and drove to the valet, where there are hundreds more cars even more expensive than mine. It might be five o'clock on a Tuesday, but I was dressed like I was going to Saturday brunch. In a short Versace nude dress with three-dimensional flowers and Saint Laurent heels. My make-up was done to perfection as well. I might be here to support my best friend, but this was a place that could make or break your reputation and in this world reputation was everything.

"I thought you had plans?" I hear a voice from the side of me and turn to see Silas, Imogen, Calix all staring at me with a variety of different expressions.

"These are my plans."

I greet each of them, making small talk as we walk towards the field. Calix pulls me to the side of the group a little while walking with me right next to him.

"You look gorgeous as always, Scarlett." He whispers softly to me. I look up, meeting his dark amber eyes, which are shining down at me softly.

"Thank you Calix." I was just about to compliment him back when I caught sight of something hurling towards me from the corner of my eyes. I immediately brace myself, so I don't fall on my butt in front of the top New York Socialites. When Everett is in reach I pick him up and pepper his cheeks with kisses, making him giggle. "Hi my baby."

"I told you I'm not a baby." He gets out between breaths, his cheeks bright red and his curls flying in every direction. His arms come up around my neck, and he hugs me tightly. "I missed you."

"I missed you too bad." I told him. "Where's your dad?"

"Over there." He points to the pitch where Quinn was warming up his horse. I finally remember Calix is standing next to me and I see him staring at me with a weird expression. Rhett had made himself comfortable in my arms, leaning his head on my neck. "Hi mister."

Calix's expression immediately softens, and he bends down lower, so he's mine and Everett's height. "Hi bud, I'm Cal."

"M Everett." Rhett proudly tells Calix. "Why are you so big?"

"You can't just ask people that, Rhett?" Quinn chides, pulling me into a hug and kissing my cheek. "Hey Lettie Bug." He then holds his hand out for Calix. "Quinn Atkins."

"Calix Radcliff." Quinn glances down at me, the last thing I had told him about Calix is that I thought he hated me. We were definitely going to have a conversation about that later.

"Do you mind watching him while I play? My parents can't make it."

"Of course not, want to hang out with me, bud."

"Obviously, Aunt Lettie, you're funner than dad." Quinn rolled his eyes and kissed both his son and my head. "Break a leg, Daddy. Let's go sit down, they have those cheese sticks."

"Whatever you want, bud."

I could see Calix was quite confused by our dynamic. "This is my god son, Quinn's my best friend." He nods, getting it better now.

"He looks like his dad."

It wasn't the first time people had assumed that, especially seeing how close Quinn and I were. "With everything except his smile, you have your mama's smile, don't you?"

Everett shrugged. "I don't know my mom."

His mom wasn't ready to be a mom, but he still had one, so Quinn and I always tried to let him remember that, and that she loves him even if she can't be here right now. I was going to say, I just pressed a kiss to his temple and he leaned his head down on my shoulder, wrapping around me like a little koala. "Come on, baby, let's go watch your dad."

Calix leads us to a table where everyone was waiting, and Imogen perks up at the sight of Everett. "Rhett." She had met him a couple of times on the numerous times he had come with me to the office or when Quinn popped by, but not enough to have established a relationship.

He waves to everyone at the table, but doesn't move to get out of my hold. Calix moves my chair back and helps me get onto the high stool. Since Everett didn't want to move, I sat him in my lap with his back on my chest, so he could see the field. Everett was one hundred percent an introvert, like both his father and I.

"Hey little man." Silas greets, Rhett looks Silas up and down, doing him a once over, and turns to face the pitch again. "Wow, okay."

Even though he was acting like he was offended, Silas really wasn't and just laughed it up. I feel a slight tug on my hair. "Aunt Lettie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry."

"Well, go get him something." Imogen announces standing up and pulling Silas with her. "What would you like, Rhett?"

Rhett gives her his order, Calix and I follow suit. "Can I go play so long?"

There were a bunch of other kids all playing soccer just behind where we were sitting. I recognized the children as people he normally hung out with,, so I let him go.

"He seems sweet." Calix says softly.

"He's the best kid I know." Everett deserved the best and so much more. "You can ask, you know."

That brings a small smile to his lips. "I don't want to appear rude or nosey."

"I'm not his mom, his mother and I went to high school together along with Quinn at Atkins. Instead of being placed with the other people at Atkins, I was placed in a dorm room with Quinn, and we hit it off straight away. He helped me a lot when I first got there. I was this small, timid thing,, and he helped show me I can do more than I think I can. I helped Quinn get through some stuff as well. When we were sixteen a new girl joined the school, she had done some pretty illegal stuff but because her parents had money she was sent to Atkins instead of prison like she most definitely supposed to. We were seated together for something or the other and ended up hitting it off, she got along with the rest of my friends especially Quinn, and they ended up dating and next thing she was pregnant at graduation. Both Quinn and I had no idea, by the time we had found out she had given birth, we were so wrapped up in final exams, and I was ready to take the bar then we went on a holiday with my parents and his." I paused my rambling for a second, Calix's full attention was on me, his look was understanding even if he hadn't been in that situation before, and I felt free talking to him about it. "Everyone knew but the two of us, all our friends that I thought had my back since I was fourteen."

It stung, especially since the four people I had looked up to my whole life had done something so similar. The only reason I didn't fall back into that modest was because of that little boy. I couldn't help both Quinn and Everett.

"They hadn't told me even though I was one of her closest friends because I was even closer to Quinn, and they knew there was no way I could keep anything from him. She had broken up with Quinn one day just out of the blue, then all of our friends, and she ghosted us. About three months later, we got a call from a hospital saying a baby had been abandoned, and they had done a DNA test to determine it was Quinn's. As much as Rhett looks like his dad, I see her in him all the damn time."

I have no idea why I opened up to him about my past, but I could tell this man was one of the most genuine, compassionate people. He cared a lot more than he showed. This was only scratching the surface of my past. All the bad things happened either before or after this,, so it was a test of sorts to see how well he could handle it.

"You're so strong." Calix murmurs, truly meaning it.

"Quinn's the strong one, I just helped when I could."

"You want to know why I thought he was yours at first, because that child looks at you like you hung the moon. I've seen the effects of single parents. Look at Si, his father was never around, and he struggled because of it until my father stepped up as a role model. Everett would have no maternal figure if you hadn't stepped up. And you were also betrayed. It wasn't only Quinn, you're allowed to feel hurt too."

Deep down I knew he was right, but it was going to take me a while to accept it, if I ever did.

"Thank you, Calix. Really."

"You're welcome, Angel, maybe one day you'll believe me." Of course, he caught that, Calix Radcliff seems to have a way to read right through me, a feat not many have accomplished. The new nickname brings a blush to my cheeks.

"Angel?"

"Seems fitting, doesn't it?" He murmurs, leaning closer to me, drumming his fingers in a steady rhythm on the table. "You both look and act like one, and you seem to be my guardian angel helping me with my case."

"I'm no angel, Radcliff."

"And I find that very hard to believe." I almost couldn't stop the full body shudder that wanted to run through me. This man was doing things to me no one had ever been able to do before. Before I could retort anything back, I look to see Everett running back to me when he sees Gen and Silas on their way back with food.

"You'll just have to wait and see." I tease.

"Guess so." He replies, eyes shining under the stadium light looking at me with a challenging gaze, one I know quite well.

The one I see in the mirror every day.

"Food." Rhett chants, feeling more comfortable with everyone at the table, and happily tucks into the snacks that were placed in front of us. The other's rejoining the table was enough to cut the growing tension between Calix and I, it wasn't a bad type of tension like the one between my siblings and I but rather one that left me feeling breathless, yet I couldn't seem to get enough of it.

I was focusing my full attention on helping Everett that I missed most of the conversation circling around me. "Wait, who's moving?"

"Calix." Silas answered for her. "The people he's renting from now are terrible."

"Then why don't you buy it?" I asked, slightly confused. It was no secret that Calix had more money than all of us combined, times like a hundred.

"Because I can't see myself living there any longer, it was just a place to sleep until things calmed down at the company."

"And have they?" I questioned.

"No, but I've learnt by now that they won't, so it's just better to do what I need to when I want to."

I nodded in understanding. "Where are you moving to?"

"The Whitely. I got a penthouse there, I moved in on Sunday." My eyes widen in surprise, and Imogen lets out a laugh.

"Seems now that you two have met, there is no chance of the two of you separating." Imogen laughs, thoroughly amused at the situation.

"What do you mean?" Calix asks, confused, then Everett speaks up.

"Don't you live at the Whitely, Aunt Lettie?"

"Yeah I do bub." Calix looks at me in surprise. "Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other, neighbour."

The Whitely was one of the most expensive, luxury apartments in New York. The building was massive, leaving it to have two penthouse apartments instead of one. One in the North wing which I resided in and the other on the East, which I'm guessing Calix was able to get a hold of. They didn't share the same elevator, but if you left out of the kitchen door you could easily walk the few steps to the other penthouse since we shared the same staircase leading downstairs.

Sparkling obsidian eyes burn holes through me. "I guess so."

The match started quickly after that. Everett and I cheered for Quinn, but Silas and Calix were on the other team since they belonged to the other county club. Imogen didn't understand the game at all, so the three of us and sometimes Everett took turns to explain what was happening.

"Do you play?" I ask Calix, his knowledge of the sport was extremely extensive, he knew what he was doing.

"In high school, I was the team captain." He smiles to himself, probably reliving the memories. I sort of wish I knew him at that time, but then I remember that when he was eighteen I was twelve, then I'm glad I met him when I did. "What about you, did you play?"

"For fun with Quinn and our friends when we were at school, but it was recreational but never competitive."

Rhett and I were probably the loudest ones there, even though we were both relatively quiet people on a normal basis. I loved Quinn and if supporting him doing something he loved showed him that then I would always be the loudest one in the stands.

"Eww." I squirmed away when Quinn tried to get Rhett and me into a sweaty hug. Rhett was giggling, loving the attention before running around for a bit more with his friends before we left.

"Thanks for that, bug." Quinn whispers into my ear when he finally traps me. I give in, giving him a proper hug.

"Of course, what are sisters for?"

"I really do appreciate it, Lettie." He lets go of me after a second more and surveys the group behind us. He greets Imogen since he's acquaintance with her already and holds his hand out for Silas. "Quinn Atkins."

"Silas Rothwell. You played a great man, that last goal was awesome."

Quinn laughs and the two of them talk about the game, getting along great. Silas was outgoing and friendly and Quinn is more reserved but just as polite. They make an odd pair, but it works.

"Hey Quinn, Scarlett, we're heading to dinner now. If you want to join us, you can bring the little man too."

Quinn and I share a look, I shrug indifferently to whether we go or not. The choice was solely up to him.

"We'll come, but Rhett is going to stay the night with my parents. I'll drop him off first, and I'll meet you guys there."

They all nod and I give Everett a last hug. "Tell Mama and Papa Atkins I say hi."

"Will do."

Quinn scoops up Rhett, dragging the car to the very obviously protesting boy and takes him to the car, driving off quickly.

"Ready to go?" Calix asks, coming up behind me.

I nodded, letting him direct me to the car park that had now been cleared up by those who wanted to go home, but was still filled with those who had chosen to celebrate at the club.

"Come on Angel."

I love writing about small interactions like this and trust me when I say there are going to be many more group outings and look out for some one on one time.

So I might have bitten off more than I can chew with two chapters a week, I'm restarting school as well as finishing and re-writing Perilous Intelligence as well as another few books I'm hoping to start posting soon.

I'll try post once a week maybe more

Do you want a day I post or just randomly during the week?

Anyway please vote and and comment if you haven't

Ara <3