✿ Reid's POV

“What kind of asshole makes you get your own beer on a first date at a baseball game?” Hernan frowns.

“I seem to date all the wrong guys,” Tracy teases, with a little smile.

I chuckle. Hernan is about to say something when the music changes and he frowns deeply.

“No. No fucking way.”

Thankfully there are no minors near us.

“What?” Tracy asks.

“The freaking song.”

“It’s good background music, man. Grow up” I tease a little.

“No” he shoots me a serious look and lifts a hand to alert the DJ. “Hey, excuse me? No jazz.”

Asha catches sight of this and laughs.

“What do you have against jazz?” Tracy gives him an amused look.

“That it sucks,” he says.

I shake my head.

“You can’t damn a whole genre like that. Maybe there’s some you would like if you gave it a chance.”

My best friend raises both eyebrows at me.

“Maybe,” he says. “But I’m sure as hell not going to do my research at the expense of my best friendʼs thirtieth birthday party.”

I donʼt argue with Hernan and he excuses himself to go let the DJ play classic rock and ’80s and ’90s hits.

“Sorry about that,” I say to Tracy.

She shrugs.

“I have strong-willed brothers so this is completely natural to me.”

I smile. Her eyes dart to my side and she makes a face.

“Which side of your family do those belong to?”

I look over my shoulder and Amy and Pamela are glaring at Tracy.

“Neither” I reply. “Thatʼs my exʼs sister and cousin.”

“The same ex you went on a date with earlier today?”

I look away from the girls at her.

“Um... yeah. But it wasnʼt a date.”

“Hm,” she lets out and returns to looking at the two. “Iʼm guessing fake boobs over there is the little bitch who made Sophie cry?”

I look at Pamela but donʼt reply.

“Good,” Tracy says like I confirmed her question, “Iʼm going to go have a little chat with her.”

My hand reaches out to grab her arm before she takes her first step and Tracy laughs.

“Relax. Iʼm just going to rip out her lashes and... rearrange her clothes or something. Nothing major. And I can promise you that I wonʼt even bite her.”

What the—?

“Thatʼs a joke right?”

I let go of her arm and Tracy looks away from Pamela at me. We stare at each other for thirty seconds and she cracks up. I sigh with relief and shake my head.

“You should have seen the look on your face. Adorable” she giggles.

I chuckle.

“You got me there, Tracy. And I am not adorable.”

She straightens and shakes her head.

“Oh, I wasnʼt joking about the chat with her. Before this party is over, Iʼm going to talk to her because I have a score to settle. And I blame you and Landon for holding Lee back from putting that unfortunate-looking thing in her place that day.”

“So you wouldnʼt have stopped Lee?”

“Absolutely not. Have you met me?”

I laugh and look around the room.

Everythingʼs perfect so far.

I hear a squeal and Camari comes barreling in our direction with Sirius after her.

“Woah, woah, Cami. Slow down” Tracy calls out and I lower myself a little to catch her just as she's attempting to speed past us.

“Nooooooooo. I was trying to prove to Sirius that Iʼm faster than than him” she pouts and itʼs the cutest thing.

“Well, this is not the time or the place to be running around Cami. You could fall and hurt yourself... or worse.”

I canʼt help the face I make as I look up at Tracy.

“Whatʼs worse than her hurting herself?”

“Breaking something” she replies almost immediately and looks down at Camari, “No correr (No running)”

“You sound just like mom and Lee.”

And speaking of Lee where is she?

I look away from Camari and glance around the room.

I need to find her. Itʼs been long since I saw her and itʼs not agreeing with me.

I bend down and smile at the six-year-old as Sirius sits by my foot.

“So, you having fun?”

Camari nods vehemently.

“So much!”

I chuckle at her excitement.

“Really?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Okay, whatʼs your favorite part of this party?”

“The woot beer,” she says, with a big smile.

“Woot beer?”

“Mm hm,” she nods vehemently again.

“You have got to be...” I look up at Tracy again and she clams her mouth shut. “How much root beer have you had, Camari?” she goes on to ask instead.

“Four cups.”

I close my eyes briefly.

“Four cups?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Who poured you four cups of root beer?” Tracy folds her arms.

“Miss Ellen” Camari replies, then with a serious look turns to look at me, “Donʼt tell Lee.”

And I laugh at that before straightening.

“How are you more concerned about Lee finding that out than your parents?”

“Have you met the woman?” Tracy chuckles and then fixes the bow in Camariʼs hair.

“Can we go now? I donʼt wanna miss out on the cake. Lee said sheʼll save the best part of your cake for me.”

Ahh so thatʼs where she is.

I smile.

“Go on. But no running okay? We wouldnʼt want you hurting yourself” I say and give Tracy a look.

She smiles as Camari runs off with Sirius trotting after her.

“Sirius is practically her and Leeʼs dog now.”

I donʼt mind.

I just smile.

“Has she always been a handful?” I turn to face Tracy.

“Not always.”

“But you seem to handle her well.”

She snorts out a laugh and shakes her head.

“Me? Oh, Iʼm never around when it gets hard. I make sure I am not around.”

I cock my head at her.

“Donʼt give me that look.”

“What look?”

“That judgy like one. And donʼt get me wrong, Iʼm not a bad person. I love Camari and all her... fun crazy. Sheʼs a great kid and Bon and Hank are really lucky. But Iʼd rather skip the hard parenting stuff. Thatʼs more Leeʼs turf.”

I arch a brow.

“I mean she handles it so well every time. They say you can never get parenting right but you see Lee take the reigns when Bonnieʼs crashing and sheʼs always got it in the bag... itʼs a bit annoying sometimes.”

I chuckle.

“And I guess it helps that theyʼre both so alike.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, the only time theyʼre forcefully grounded is when they are sick.”

I chortle.

“Iʼm not saying itʼs a good thing for them to get sick but itʼs the only chance theyʼre forced to have no choice but to take a breather from their busy lives... one more time than the other. And for Lee, itʼs the only time any of us gets to baby her.”

I nod.

“Yeah, I remember your brother mentioning that.”

“And it drives Lee crazy” Tracy laughs. “Cami doesn’t have a problem with being babied at all.”

“Yeah, clingy since birth. Lee mentioned that” I chuckled.

“Oh she admitted to being clingy?” she laughs again.

“Um... not exactly. I believe she said Camariʼs been clingy since birth. But sheʼs a kid and thatʼs perfectly normal.”

“What? No. Itʼs definitely Lee. Always been Lee” She shakes her head and pulls out her phone. “When Cami was born Lee wasnʼt around. When she got back, it was like sheʼd found a tiny twin sister or something.”

I smile.

“Here, Iʼve got old pictures from when Cami was two. Look.”

I take the phone from Tracy and look at the selfie of Lee and Camari sitting at the local pizzeria, grinning from ear to ear. Camari’s hair is in two curly pigtails and she looks stinkin’ adorable. The photo has managed to catch Lee at the worst possible angle—or, actually, the best.

Right into the lush curves of her cleavage.

Bloody—

My mouth goes dry.

“Swipe through” Tracy urges and I was going to even if she hadnʼt said to.

I swipe and look at the photo of the two of them in matching pajamas and propped together on what looked like Camari’s pillows with a book in their laps.

I smile as I swipe through the matching clothes and hairstyle terrible twos stage.

The next photo shows a much older than two-year-old Camari whoʼs plastered to Leeʼs side.

“That was just last year. Camiʼs birthday.”

The photo shows Lee and Camari eating ice cream, each of them clutching a cone. And I get this instant, hot flash of an image as my eyes stay glued to Lee’s tongue sweeping out to lick the drips of the ice cream at the seam where cream meets crunch.

C’mon, man.

But it didnʼt... it wasnʼt going to help me quench the desire I had to make Lee mine. Nothing was going to help that.

Nothing except Aileen.

“Wow, you should see your face right now” Tracyʼs voice breaks through my musings, “And she isnʼt even wearing pink in any of these pictures” She gives me a knowing smirk and plucks her phone out of my hand. “Iʼm gonna go get a drink. Want anything?”

“No. But hey could you—”

“No, I wonʼt” she cuts me off. “But since itʼs your birthday, sure. Iʼll compile everything I have... slip in a dozen of only Leeʼs pictures and send them to you.”

And I canʼt hold back the rush that rises in my chest.

What is wrong with you, Reid Dalton?

I groan quietly as I watch Tracy walk away.

“I need to get laid” I sigh to myself.

“And what are we grumbling about?” Leeʼs suddenly standing at my side with a large piece of chocolate cake in her hands.

Her hairʼs up in a ponytail now and she looks maddeningly sexy.

It’s the wine.

Alcohol always makes me loose and a little warm, and the instant Aileen stepped into my personal space, I got a few degrees warmer—and tinglier.

“Nothing” I clear my throat.

She hums.

“Where have you been?”

“Kitchen” she replies, “With your birthday cake.”

“Why? I already cut it.”

“I know. But I wanted to make sure no one tampered with it  so Iʼll be blamed for poisoning the Dalton prince.”

I make a face.

“The Dalton prince?”

“Yeah you, duh.”

I chuckle.

“I guess no one did and thatʼs why youʼve brought me cake?”

“The largest part” she smiles. “Here you go” She pushes the plate into my hand and gives me the fork.

I fork a tiny piece into my mouth and the moan that comes out of my mouth isn't intended. And I swear I see Aileen flinch a little.

“Oh my.... Lee this is amazing,” I say, forking another piece into my mouth. “Itʼs got this other flavor apart from the chocolate.”

She smiles and nods.

“Yeah.”

“What is it?”

“Strawberry essence.”

I pause with the fork in my mouth and my eyes widen.

“Wha—” Iʼm stopped abruptly by a cough and Aileen quickly hurries to pour me a glass of water. “Straw—strawberry?” I cough again.

“Iʼm kidding, Iʼm kidding. Now shut up and drink” She holds the glass up to my mouth and I drink. “Okay?” she asks when I pull my lips away from the glass.

I nod and stare down at the almost-finished cake.

“There are no strawberries in there, I cross my heart” She smiles and makes a cross sign against her chest. “I know youʼre allergic and that was a bad joke.”

Very.

“But you shouldʼve seen your face” she giggles, “Adorable.”

What is with everyone and calling me adorable today?

But this one was coming from my fiancée so I was going to take it.

“Have, ha, very funny” I mock and shake my head, forking the last piece of cake into my mouth.

“More?” she arches a brow.

“Mm hm. And make it even bigger this time.”

“Even bigger?” she smiles.

“Yeah like...” I glance at her chest, “... very big.”

It takes her less than a second to catch up and she wacks me on the arm with her purse.

“Ow! No fair. Iʼm not even driving.”

“Yeah, but I know where youʼre driving at” She tries for a frown but grins and snatches the empty plate away.

Sheʼs back within less than a minute and Iʼm not sure if the cake tastes even better because she has a fork and is eating from my piece too.

“Hey,” I look at her.

“Mm?” she hums, slowly pulling the fork out of her mouth and licking the corner of her lips.

God.

“Um...”

The movement of her tongue distracts me and I canʼt help myself from slipping my free hand around her waist and drawing her closer to me.

“Here, let me” I whisper and brush my thumb gently at the corner of her lips that still had a little chocolate, and then suck it clean off my thumb. “Mm... and I didnʼt think this could taste even better.”

Aileen stiffens a little in my arms as she keeps looking up at me.

“So I was saying...” I continue, not letting go of her, “... we should go out for ice cream soon.”

“We... we should?” her breath his heavy.

“Yeah. I owe you an ice cream date from the engagement party, remember?”

“Oh um... yeah, I-I do” Then as if realizing she said something wrong, she clears her throat and speaks again, “I do remember that.”

I canʼt help but smile.

“I love seeing you flustered. Itʼs cute.”

She licks her lower lip and it sends an urge through me which kicks at my cock.

Stop that.

“All good?” she asks and uses my moment of distraction to push away from me.

No, Iʼd very much like to eat chocolate off you.

I clear my throat.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. All good.”

She forks another piece of the cake into her mouth.

“Mm,” she hums around the fork and my cock tingles again.

Seriously Lee.

But before I say anything, Bonita approaches us.

“Hey you two” she smiles.

I politely smile back.

“Great party, Reid.”

“Thanks.”

“And for once, no drama.”

“Bonnie.”

“What? Itʼs the truth” she smiles. “Well, itʼs getting late. Itʼs already way past Camiʼs bedtime so we should get going.”

“Tomorrowʼs Sunday, Bon. Let her stay up a little longer” Lee smiles.

“We still have quite the drive back to Meridian.”

“Well you can stay the night if you want” I suggest. “Thereʼs a lot of room here.”

“Oh no, no, no. We wouldnʼt want to intrude.”

“You wouldnʼt be intruding Bonnie” I assure and take Leeʼs hand in mine, “Besides, weʼre family, right babe?”

“Mm hm” is all she can manage and I canʼt help but smile.

Cute.

“Whereʼs Cami anyway?” Bonita asks

“Here” Matthew announces and lets go of Camari whoʼs beaming. And bouncing.

“Hi, Mommy!”

“Well, arenʼt you having a lot of fun” Bonita chuckles.

“I had more woot beer!” she says.

“Root beer?” Lee makes a face.

“And Reidʼs chocolate cake! A lotttt!”

“Cami who—”

“Woot, woot!” she giggles, cutting Aileen off.

She wrinkles her nose in confusion and Bonita laughs.

“Root beer and chocolate cake huh?”

“Yep!” the child pops the 'p'.

“Oh Bonita, I’m sorry to sugar her up and hand her back,” Ellen says, joining us. “I couldnʼt help myself. Sheʼs so adorable and well... my daughter doesnʼt let me dot on her anymore and well... I just couldnʼt resist.”

“It’s okay,” Bonita says, shrugging. “I get to strap her into the car. By the time we get home, the sugar rush will have worn off.”

Ellen smiles at that.

“Oh, okay.”

Lee leans into me and whispers, “Hey, speaking of Maeve, we need to talk about her.”

“Why?”

“Well because I think youʼre...” she pauses briefly, “Letʼs just talk when weʼre alone okay?” she leans away from me and I smile.

“Of course.”

She narrows her eyes but smiles back at me before looking away.

“Hey, what do you say about a picture before we hit the road?” Matthew suggests.

I nod.

“Yeah, yeah. Thatʼs a great idea” I agree.

“Great. Iʼll just get—”

“Anika?” I hear Ashaʼs voice.

We all turn and there she is.

Has she been here this entire time?

“Oh my goodness, Nikki! Where have you been?!” Amy cries, hurrying to her sister.

Guess not.

“Weʼve tried your phone a billion times. You werenʼt answering.”

She looks away from me and shakes her head at her sister.

“I had something to take care of.”

“Anika my dear” my mother swoops in, “Where have you been?”

“Iʼm sorry, Portia I just... I had something really important to take care of. I didnʼt mean to miss the party.”

“Oh nonsense. It hasnʼt been much of a party without you here. But youʼre here now and thatʼs really all that matters to us, isnʼt that right Ben?” she turns to look at me.

I donʼt bother to reply. I just hum to myself and give them a tiny-lipped smile.

“Well,” my mother eyes Aileen whoʼs still standing at my side, “Why donʼt I get you some—”

“Oh my goodness, Nikki!” Pamela screams, “Whereʼs your ring?”

I pause for a second. They along with everyone, our eyes fall on Anikaʼs bare finger. And I canʼt hold back the small groan that rises in my throat.

Sheʼd better not say Aileen stole it.

“How much are you going to bet that sheʼs going to stick with the freaking cliché and say I stole it?” Lee whispers to me.

“Well if she does, Iʼm going to lose it” Hernan chips in out of nowhere and I have to agree.

“You and me both” I mutter.

But nothing prepares me to hear what her response is.

“I gave it back to Ethan... we broke up.”

My head spins for a second.

“What?!” Anikaʼs mother shrieks. “Why?!”

And when Anika looks at me, I just wish the ground would open and swallow me whole.

Sheʼs going to—

“He... he wasnʼt the right person for me.”

“And you didnʼt know that before agreeing to marry him?” Brandon frowns. “Nikki you set a date. You moved the wedding forward. You were going to get married next week.”

“I know that, Brandon. But I didnʼt know that he wasnʼt the right person for me.”

“And you know now?” her father asked.

She nodded, her eyes still glued to me.

“I do. And Reid helped me see that.”

And she did it.

“It was silly of me to think Iʼd be able to ever replace your son, Portia” she goes ahead to say.

And she doesnʼt stop there.

“But at the resort... and on our date earlier today... I just knew Ethan wasnʼt the right man for me.”

Oh just great!

And out of all the pairs of eyes staring at me, Lee doesnʼt even spare me a glance. And when she takes her hand away from my hold, my chest begins to burn.

“Well,” Aileen suddenly speaks out, “I think nowʼs the perfect time time for that Bloody Mary you wanted.”

I keep staring at my hand that was in hers a second ago.

“Just stay right here. Iʼll go get it for you” She forks the last piece of cake into her mouth and pushes the empty plastic plate into my chest.

And I blew it again.

“Lee” I call after her, transferring the plate into Hernanʼs chest and going after her.

She doesnʼt stop.

“Lee.”

Not even a glance back.

“Aileen!” I step up and grab her by the arm, forcing her to stop.

“Donʼt touch me Reid!” she snatches her hand away from me, fury in her eyes.

I exhale.

“Lee...”

“Donʼt. Please.”

“But—”

“Please” she whispers, exhaling deeply. “And you donʼt owe me any explanations.”

I frown at that and follow her into the backyard patio that thankful, is empty.

“You have got to stop saying that, Aileen.”

“Why? You donʼt owe me any explanations.”

“Stop” I flex my jaw in annoyance, “Just stop. Please.”

She nods.

“Yes of course” she lets out in a tone that makes my chest burn even more.

I shake my head.

“Donʼt do that, Aileen.”

“What are you doing here, Reid?”

She said my name.

“Armani” I grit out, “And we need to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you, Reid. And I most definitely do not need dating advice for you. Although I must say if landscape architecting doesnʼt work out for you anymore, you have another great talent you can explore.”

I close my eyes briefly.

“Donʼt do that either.”

“Do what?”

“Say it like that. It sounds—”

“Clandestine? Faithless? Sordid? Illicit? Adulterous? Not that any of this is real” The words leave her calmly, I guess passive-aggressively, which is not the version of Aileen Wilmore I want right now.

“Lee, hey—”

She holds up her hand and stops me.

“Anika is clearly still in love with you, Reid. And all you need to do now is accept that.”

“Accept?” I frown.

She nods and turns her back to me.

“And all those false compliments you give me, the romantic gestures, the looks, every little touch, Reid, it's got to stop. And even more, now that Anika has finally dumped the Aussie and the contract is finally over.”

“Lee—”

She shakes her head.

“After tonight, all this is over. Weʼll be over. Youʼll finally get rid of me and...” her voice cracks, “... and I you.”

“Aileen please, listen to me. I—”

But I stop when she turns back to face me. And I’m caught off-guard by her glazed eyes. Crying?

She’s crying.

Now the biggest betrayal in the room is coming from my own heart. I can’t bear to see her cry. And thatʼs how I know, beneath all the craving to have her in my bed, and wanting to be close to her, I could have genuine feelings for her.

Instinctively, I want to hold her, kiss her hair, and tell her everything is going to be okay.

But it isn’t.

And not now when Anikaʼs ruined everything.

I rub my hands roughly across my face and through my hair in frustration.

“Aileen please donʼt cry. I... weʼre going to talk about this and itʼs—”

“Please... letʼs not talk about this here. And most especially not now, please. Itʼs still your birthday...”

Fuck my birthday!

“And I donʼt want anything to ruin it. I donʼt want tonight to end on a bad note okay?”

“Lee—”

“Reid, please. Letʼs talk later. Tomorrow would be great. Then itʼs officially over and everything will be back to the way it was” she sniffs. “This would all be in the past.”

“Aileen...”

She dries her eyes and sighs.

“I gotta go look for the vodka... for Anikaʼs Bloody Mary.”

“Teresa...”

“I gotta go, Reid. Don't stay out here for too long.”

And like that sheʼs gone. Making me hate myself even more for not standing my ground to stop her.

✯✯✯✯✯✯

I head to the bar and pour myself some bourbon. Throwing it down my throat, I wince a bit at the burn that catches in my throat.

“Youʼre going to regret not having a clear head to fix this mess” Hernan joins me.

“Clear head or not, it doesnʼt look like Iʼm going to fix anything tonight” I glance at Anika whoʼs cradling the Bloody Mary in her hand. “She wonʼt talk to me. She wonʼt even let me touch her.”

“You got your ex to break up with her fiancé, at the resort and on your date today, termination your contract, and you want to hug her?”

“Nothing happened between us at the resort man, you know that. Neither did anything happen on the... it wasnʼt even a date, okay?! And of course, I wanna hug her. I wanna do more than just hug her. And I would if you idiots didnʼt interrupt earlier.”

Hernanʼs eyes widen.

“Donʼt say a word” I warn him and he shuts his mouth.

“Well, if it isnʼt the man of the hour” Brandon approaches me.

I toss back another round of bourbon and frown.

“Iʼm not in the mood, Brandon. Fuck off.”

“Woah, woah, easy there, Ben. He means well” Clayton cuts in, a hand to my chest. “Itʼs not his fault youʼve got women fighting over you. I mean they always have, havenʼt they. So donʼt be too upset about this.”

I shake him off me.

“Iʼm not in the mood for you either, Clay.”

He holds his hands up in surrender. I go to pour another drink when Asha snatches the bottle from me.

“Asha—”

“Iʼm not in the mood to handle a drunk ass Dalton, you hear me?” she pushes the bottle into Hernanʼs chest. “Twoʼs more than enough.”

“For now” Brandon snickers and Asha shoots him a look. “Sorry.”

I exhale and let it go.

“Sorry to interrupt” Bonita cuts in and smiles a little at me, “Weʼve really got to get going now.”

I simply nod.

“Thank you so much for coming, Bonnie” Asha smiles.

“Of course. Cami?” she calls over her shoulder, “Come say bye to Reid.”

Camari wiggles out of Landonʼs arms and drags herself to her motherʼs side.

“Bye,” she says with zero enthusiasm and turns away.

“Woah, woah, woah” Bonita stops her. “What was that?”

“I said goodbye” she lets out innocently.

Bonita pins her with a look and she pouts.

“But I donʼt wanna.”

“But youʼre going to” She gestures to me with her eyes.

Camari sighs dramatically and forces a smile on her face.

“Goodbye.”

And I canʼt hold back my chuckle.

“Iʼm sorry about her, Reid. I—”

I wave Bonita to a stop.

“Itʼs okay, Bon. Donʼt worry” I say and lower myself to her daughterʼs height. “Cami, did I do something wrong?”

She makes a face.

“Are you going to marry that awful lady instead of Lee?”

Asha chokes on a laugh and clutches to Hernanʼs arm.

“Hey, thatʼs out of line, Cami” Bonita scolds.

“No, itʼs fine,” I say again. “Cami, no. I am not going to marry... Anika” I say instead.

“But you went out on a date with her.”

“It wasnʼt a date.”

“Wasnʼt it?” Clayton asks above me.

“It wasnʼt” I scowl at him and turn to Camari. “Look, Cami. Itʼs complicated okay? And I know Leeʼs upset with me and thatʼs why youʼre also upset with me. So Iʼm sorry. But weʼre going to have a grown-up talk, and weʼre going to fix everything.”

I hope.

“But I promise you this, Cami. I am not, going to marry Anika, okay?”

She nods.

“Now can I get a smile?” I smile at her.

“No.”

“Why not? I just apologized. You canʼt still be mad at me.”

“Not until Leeʼs not mad at you anymore,” she says matter-of-factly.

I nod.

“Fair enough. But if you want, you can take Sirius home with you tonight.”

She smiles, then frowns as if realizing something.

“Are you trying to bribe me?”

“No. If I were, Iʼd do it with woot beer and chocolate cake.”

She giggles and I stand up.

“Cʼmon. Letʼs go find Sirius.”

“Okay!” she bounces and takes my hand.

“Weʼll be right back, Bon.”

“Of course” she chuckles.

Weʼre halfway across the room when my phone beeps.

“Hang on Cami” I stop, jerking her to stop too.

“Is it work?” she asks, looking up at me with bright eyes.

“Maybe” I whisper.

I let go of her hand in mine and reach into my suit pocket to bring out my phone when I feel something. A vibration beneath me. I make a face and stay still. It comes again. At first itʼs subtle, like a gentle sway, and I canʼt help but glance at the DJ.

Special effects?

But then the shaking intensifies, and people start to realize it's not normal. Glasses start clinking, pictures and books fall off shelves, and the lights flicker.

“Earthquake!” I hear Ray holler.

“Everybody get down!” I hear my father next.

Immediately panic sets in as people look around, trying to find a safe spot. Some hold onto each other, while others rush under sturdy furniture.

“Camari!” I hear Bonita scream.

“Iʼve got her!” I call out and scoop her into my arms.

“Reid...”

“Shhh itʼs okay. We need to stay calm and find a secure place. Letʼs get under that table over there” I say.

I quickly move under a sturdy table and cover her.

“Iʼm scared.”

“Me too, Cami. But being together makes it better. Just hold on tight okay?” I assure her tucking her head into my chest and making sure every inch of her is shielded.

The shaking goes on for a few minutes then subsides.

“Is it over?” Camari whispers, looking up at me.

I lift my head from underneath the table and look around. Things werenʼt falling off tables and shelves anymore and I couldnʼt feel any vibrations.

“Reid?”

“Yeah,” I swallow and exhale deeply. “Yeah itʼs over. And youʼre okay” I smile back down at her.

She throws her arms around me and I hug her back.

“Cʼmon,” I say and stand up.

“Everyone okay?” Otto calls out, steadying Maeve at his side.

Choruses of “Yes” fill the room and I sigh with relief.

“Cami” Bonita hurries to my side and I let her scoop her daughter from my arms.

“Iʼm okay, Mommy. Reid was like a knight.”

A relieved laugh ripples out of me and Bonita smiles.

“Thank you.”

I nod.

“Well, this is definitely the wildest party I've ever been to” Matthew speaks out, undoubtedly trying to lighten the mood.

Tracy laughs nervously and nods.

“Yeah, who needs a dance floor when you have a shaking ground, right?”

Laughter ripples out of everyone and I even catch my mother chuckling before she remembers itʼs a 'crime' to laugh at Leeʼs familyʼs joke and returns to her displeased look.

“Well, itʼs certainly good to hear you laugh” my father smiles at no one in particular, “Now letʼs all go outside for some fresh air and wait for any potential aftershocks to pass.”

I nod.

“This way, Bonnie,” I say and gesture for her to go first.

Hernan falls in step with me and slaps a hand on my back.

“You okay, bro?”

“Yeah, yeah. You?”

“Never better.”

I chuckle.

“We'll have a story to tell for years” Landon laughs as we step outside. “Remember that time we danced through an earthquake?”

“One hell of a story” Matthew agrees, “And Leeʼs going to be thrilled when I tell her you screamed like a girl.”

“I did not!” Landon slaps his brother on the back.

“Very mature, Lan” Matthew teases. “And you did.”

“Leeʼs not going to believe that...”

I tear my eyes away from the bickering duo and look around at the people, hoping to spot Aileen. Then a grave feeling fills me when I notice sheʼs not with us outside.

No, no. Nothingʼs happened to her.

“And hereʼs everyone” Otto announces, coming through the servantʼs door with the helps.

I hold my breath hoping to see Aileen with them but sheʼs not there.

Shit!

“Whereʼs Lee?” I call out to no one in particular.

Matthew and his brother stop bickering and turn to look at me.

“I thought...” Landon stops and looks around us, “Wait I thought she was here.”

“Dammit!” I growl and move towards the house.

“Hey, woah, woah, woah!” Clayton stops me.

“What are you doing Reid? Where are you going?” Anika asks.

“Iʼm going to look for my fiancée in case you havenʼt noticed sheʼs not here” I frown.

“I forbid you from going in there, Reid. The earthquake might not be over and—”

“Mom, she could be in there. Hurt! I need to go look for her!”

“Or she couldʼve left” Pamela shrugs.

“Without her purse?” Tracy questions, lifting Sophieʼs hand which held Aileenʼs purse. “Her wallet, keys, and phone are all here.”

“And she wouldnʼt leave without telling someone” Asha shoots Pamela a look.

I shake my head and slap Claytonʼs hands off me.

“I donʼt have time for this” I growl.

“Reid—!”

Siriusʼ frantic bark grounds me and I turn.

“Hey, hey, woah there big guy!” Clayton backs off when he almost knocks me down.

I scratch behind his ear and his barking only gets louder and ferocious.

“I think heʼs trying to tell me...” I stop, “Lee? Where is she?”

Sirius removes his front paws from my chest and lets out a single bark before running off in the direction he came from.

Please be okay.

“Sirius!” I exclaim and run after him.

He leads me through the backdoor of the house, down the halls, and towards the... wine cellar?

“Sirius!”

He stops five feet from the wine cellar door thatʼs been barred off by a large wooden bookcase lying on itʼs side.

“Sirius” I pant, bending down to catch my breath.

Am I out of shape?

He begins barking loudly again and I shake my head.

“Stop it, Sirius. Whereʼs Lee? I need to find...”

Thatʼs when I hear the unmistakable pounding from behind the bookcase.

“Aileen?!” I call out.

“Get me out!” I hear her muffled scream.

Oh shit!

“Reid hey. Did you find her?” Hernan asks, reaching my side with the others.

“Sheʼs in there” I manage to say, reeling my emotions in check.

“Get me out, please!”

“Lee?!” her uncleʼs eyes widen.

I thread a hand through my hair and sigh.

“Weʼll get her out, Hank. We just need to call the fire department or—”

“Fire department?!” Bonita bellows, “We donʼt have time for the fire department. Move the bookcase!”

“Thatʼs almost impossible, Mrs. Wilmore” Clayton speaks up, “Itʼs made out of Lignum Vitae and—”

“I donʼt care what itʼs made out of. Get my daughter out there please!”

I frown a little at her reaction.

“Bonnie, relax. Weʼre going to—”

She shakes her head at me.

“You donʼt understand.” Then she turns to her husband, “Hank, itʼs going to happen.”

“No, no. Sheʼs going to be fine. Sheʼs going to be fine” Nora steps out and moves towards the bookcase. “Miha?! Weʼre going to get you out. Just breathe.”

“Shit, there are no windows” Matthew steps back into the room.

When did he leave?

“Well duh itʼs a wine cellar. Who puts windows in a wine cellar?” Amy chuckles.

Matthew ignores her and looks at his brother.

“Lan, we need to move the bookcase before—”

“Get me out of here!” Aileen screams. “Please! I canʼt breathe! Please! Somebody! Bonnie! Papi get me out, please! I canʼt breathe! Please get me out!”

“Oh my goodness” Bonita completely breaks down and her husband hugs her.

“What are you doing standing around, Lan?! Get her out right now!” Tracy bursts into the room, Sophie and Camari in tow. “Hurry! Her claustrophobia gets really bad!” she screams and shoves Hernan forward.

I pause.

“Sheʼs claustrophobic?” I ask, a million thoughts running through my brain and the little things finally making sense.

But maybe I shouldnʼt have said a peep. Because Clayton looks at me and cocks his head to one side.

“You didnʼt know?”

And I donʼt blame my heart for betraying me again at that moment.

Oh shit!

Thank you for reading!
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Ciao
~the_atticwriter