Serenity gives me a deeper answer than I was expecting. It was vulnerable and real. She deserves that back.
“I’ve never told anyone this,” I begin, rolling to my back to stare into the abyss. “But Mila and I have another sister.”
Instantly, I feel Serenity shift into go mode. “Where is she? Let’s go get her.”
“She’s okay,” I assure her quickly.
“Oh, good.” She kisses Mila on the cheek before relaxing back.
“Mila and she have the same father but different mothers,” I tell her.
“And you and Mila have the same mother but different fathers,” she reasons quietly to herself.
“My stepsister’s name is Luna. She’s twenty-two.”
“Mila is so much younger than both of you.”
“Yeah, my mom and stepdad had Mila late in life,” I sigh, running my hand through my hair. “When my mom married Frank, Luna was four and I was twelve. She didn’t come to our house much, and when she did, she spent most of the time hiding in the closet. Her mom lived up in Montana.”
Out the corner of my eye, I see Serenity roll her head to the side to look at me.
I focus on a star, facing things head on. “I ran away at fourteen. About five years ago, we reconnected on social media, and a few years after that, she called me in a panic because she had just learned that Frank and Janet had a baby.”
My gaze goes to Mila before quickly turning back to the night sky. “We couldn’t let what happened to us happen to her too,” I say, hoping she understands. “I hopped on my bike and was in Cheyenne the very next day. I chased him out of here with the threat of reporting him.”
“I’m so glad you both were looking out for Mila.”
“If he comes back, we’re going to go to the police. I don’t want …” I squeeze my eyes closed, repulsed by the thought of seeing him again. “I don’t want to go through that, and neither does Luna. But for Mila, we will.”
She doesn’t make me explain further.
“I understand,” she says quietly, turning back to the sky.
“Luna is … unique,” I continue, not really knowing how to describe my stepsister. “I haven’t seen her in person since she was just a kid. She doesn’t stay in one place for very long.”
“Hopefully Mila and I will get to meet her someday.” She lifts herself up to her elbows, looking over at me. “But if Frank tries to get near my Mila …” Our eyes meet in the darkness. “I’ll kill him.”
I reach out and place my hand at the base of her throat, brushing my thumb over her collarbone. “I know you will.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Serenity
Iwake up to Rage’s mouth making its way up my thigh. “If you’re trying to convince me to stay in bed with you all day, consider your mission complete …”
The tip of his tongue activates every cell in my body, making my thoughts glitch for a moment. He gives me a few long, slow licks before pulling his head away.
“Oh god, don’t stop … mission incomplete … mission incomplete,” I repeat.
He chuckles deeply, pressing his wet lips to my stomach just above my pelvic bone.
Every second we’re alone we quickly find ourselves wrapped around the other. We can’t seem to keep our hands, or our mouths, to ourselves.
It’s been a blissful couple of weeks. I don’t know how Rage has managed to hold everyone off, but I know I can’t have him to myself forever. Today, he is going back to work.
“Mommmmyyyy!” Mila yells from her room.
I let out a clipped laugh. “I’m going to need a raincheck for this,” I say, raising to my elbows to look at him.