Page 98

I stare at them—these women I’ve admired all day. Who’ve made me laugh and fed me fruit and talked about their husbands like gods—and I realize… I never would’ve guessed. That beneath all the love and strength was once fear. Pain. Chaos.

“I don’t know what to say,” I whisper.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Lexi says. “Just know that we see you.”

“Even if Eddie is halfway around the world being a rockstar with amazing arms,” Frankie chimes in, lifting the mood.

We all chuckle, but there’s something tender in his eyes as he sits up and looks around the circle.

“I’m still waiting for Prince Charming,” he says with a wink. “But I found my princesses in you guys. When my parents couldn’t accept who I was and told me I’d be alone forever… Cherry brought me home for Christmas and introduced me as family. Lexi threatened to key a guy who ghosted me. And Jake let me cry into a cashmere throw blanket while he made French toast.”

I reach across and squeeze his hand. “I’m so glad I met you,” I whisper.

Frankie blinks fast, then sniffs and fans his eyes. “Don’t make me ruin my dewy spa glow, girl.”

We all laugh again, but the tears are real. The kind that feel good. Cleansing.

I pull my phone out of the robe pocket and lean into the group.

“Let’s take a picture.”

Cherry groans. “God, I’m puffy.”

“You’re stunning,” I tell her. “Shut up and smile.”

Lexi leans into me, Frankie clutches his eye mask to his heart, and Cherry flips the camera off with her pinky up.

I snap the photo and smile down at it like it’s treasure.

Then I send it to Eddie with a short message:

Me + your favorite chaos crew. Miss you. Wish you were here. ??

And as I tuck the phone away and sink back into the cushions, I realize I feel lighter.

Not because everything’s fixed.

But because now I believe it can be.

31.Eddie

The private VIPlounge at the airport is too cold and too bright, all chrome finishes and leather chairs that squeak when you shift in them. It smells faintly of money and filtered air, the kind of sterile quiet that reminds you this isn’t a place for real people—just deals in motion.

I’m tucked in the corner, hat low, hood up, a pair of dark sunglasses resting beside my coffee I haven’t touched. I don’t want caffeine. I want her.

My phone buzzes.

It’s a text from the coordinator with the most recent number of sign-ups for donation, it’s a good number, but until Joey gets his kidney I won’t rest. I’m about to slide my phone away when I spot one from Laney, that must have come through earlier.

I swipe it open without hesitation. One image. Four faces. Hers glowing in the middle, framed by Cherry flipping the bird, Frankie looking like he just won the crown, and Lexi smiling like a whole goddess.

Me + your favorite chaos crew. Miss you. Wish you were here. ??

My whole damn face lights up.

I call her immediately.

She picks up on the second ring, her voice warm and full of sunshine. “Hey, rockstar.”