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Presley shakes her head. “You’re so annoying,” she huffs.
“No, that’s your job, little sis.”
“It’s a good thing I take my job seriously then,” she quips. “Are you and Everly planning to visit Aspen Grove soon? Every time I talk to Mom, she asks if you’ve mentioned anything to me.” Presley goes out of view briefly when she leans over to grab a Chapstick from her nightstand. “She still seems upset that you didn’t invite us to the wedding. Honestly, I don’t blame her. We’re your family and should have been there. I wanted to see my favorite brother get married.”
I grin. “I’m totally telling Harrison and Dylan that you called me your favorite.”
“Go right ahead. I tell them they’re my favorite, too.”
I understand why Presley and my mom are unhappy about the wedding. They assume we eloped and chose not to invite our families. The truth is far less glamorous.
A sign of resignation escapes me. “Presley, I have something to tell you.” I take my baseball cap off and run my fingers through my hair.
“Oh my god.” Her eyes widen as she holds the phone closer to her face. “You cut your hair.”
I fidget with my bracelet. “Yeah, I did.”
“It looks so good,” she says.
“What? No jokes?”
She shakes her head. “Not about this. You seem more content, happier even. Like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.”
It’s like she can read my mind.
My scar is permanent, and I know some days I’ll still struggle with that reality. The difference now is that I’m learning to turn the pain into resilience and accepting myself for who I am.
“I do feel lighter,” I tell Presley with a chuckle.
“What does Everly think about your haircut?”
“She’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Well, sort of.”
Presley’s smile drops. “Please tell me it’s not bad news,” she begs, sitting up straight in bed.
“Depends on how you look at it. Everly and I got married on accident,” I admit, glancing down at the ground.
“What do you mean?”
“We hadn’t seen each other since high school until the weekend in Vegas. I saw her at the hotel bar and I invited her to hang out. After a few too many drinks, we spontaneously got married because of a marriage pact we made in high school.”
“Shut the front door.” Presley slaps her hand over her mouth.
“I was supposed to tell the family when we got to Aspen Grove, but I couldn’t when I saw how excited you and Mom were.”
Presley holds up her hand. “Wait, why didn’t you get it annulled if that’s the case?” Her eyes widen as realization strikes. “Does this have something to do with the Townstead acquisition?”
She might not work for Stafford Holdings, but she owns stock in the company, and Harrison keeps her in the loop on what’s coming down the pipeline.
“Harrison and Dylan confronted Everly and me before family pictures, and they advised us against ending things before the deal was finalized to avoid bad optics.” I wince at the admission.
“How could I miss all of that?” She shakes her head. “That’s what I get for making out with Jack in the bathroom instead of being nosy like Harrison and Dylan. But you should have told me later,” she scolds.
“Oh, come on, Pres. There’s no way you could have kept that from Mom. You might be good at keeping your own secrets, but you’re terrible at keeping other people’s.”
“If that’s the case, what makes you think I won’t call Mom right after this and spill the beans?”
“Besides it being the middle of the night? I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. And if you do tell, I know never to trust you with another secret.”