Page 20 of Furious (The Six Six Six Rule #2)

Keeping Secrets

ZARA

I ’m not gonna lie, I’m nervous.

Mom and Scott are back today from their honeymoon, and I have to wonder what our new normal is going to look like.

The guys are convinced that our parents won’t have any objections to my “official” relationship with Lev. The hope is that they’ll relax about how close I am to my stepbrothers and that will give us some space to figure out what we really want without their constant scrutiny.

The fact that I’m dating Chance and Ares as well as Lev is far from the only thing we’re hiding, though.

I’m worried sick about what would happen if they found out about the racing.

And of course it isn’t just them I’m keeping secrets from. Chance and Lev are hiding the races from me and Ares. I’m hiding that I’m “the guy on the Ducati” from all of them. I know I need to tell them, but I’m scared of the consequences.

Especially when it comes to Ares. Deep down, however, I know it’s just a matter of when I’m going to come clean about it, not if. And whatever their reaction, I know it’s going to be better if they hear it from me rather than finding it out in a different way.

But for now, I push these thoughts aside and concentrate on welcoming home the happy couple.

“How do I look?” I ask Heather.

“Classy and hot at the same time.” She beams. “You have no idea how lucky you are with your dark hair and green eyes. It’s a classic combo, beautiful and elegant.”

This is one of the things I love about Heather. She’s always so supportive of other women’s beauty. I’ve rarely heard her criticize someone’s outfit in a mean way. Whenever she’s offered me feedback on my appearance, it was always in a helpful way.

“Thank you.” I smile. “But I could say the same about you. Blonde hair and blue eyes is also a classic beauty combo.”

“Girl,” Heather sighs, squeezing my hand.

“It’s the hardest coloring ever. My blonde hair needs so much upkeep to look flattering.

If I didn’t get highlights and lowlights at the salon, my natural color would be a straw yellow that would make me look pale and washed out without a tan and without makeup.

I still look washed out with my tan unless I wear eyeshadow, blusher and lipstick.

And don’t start me off about my hairstyle. ”

I run a strand of her blonde hair through my fingers. “What are you talking about? Your hair is silky and shiny and it feels like spun silk to the touch.”

“That’s because my hairdresser gives me a smoothing treatment every six weeks and I use straighteners every day. Do you want to see my natural hair?” she lowers her voice as if she were ashamed of something.

“It can’t be that bad if you get it to look so perfect.” I argue.

Heather opens a folder on her phone. “I’m showing you this because I trust you. But tell anyone that this is what my real hair looks like, and I’ll have to kill you.”

The girl in the photo looks like Heather if you look closely, but her hair is a mess of tight, wild curls.

“Wow,” I can’t hide my surprise. “It’s very different, but it’s still pretty, in a natural way.”

“Liar.” She pulls me into a hug. “But I love you for being so kind. The truth is that I look horrible. My parents wouldn’t let me get a chemical smoothing treatment until middle school and I cried every night when my mom would have to brush my hair to untangle it.

Chance and Lev used to tease me about my hair resembling a bird's nest.”

It’s strange how even the most confident people hide insecurities we would never know about just by looking at them.

“I think you look pretty, no matter how you style your hair.”

Heather’s smile widens. “Thank you. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll get tired of being a blonde and come to the dark side. We could match.”

“Whatever makes you happy. I think beauty comes from being comfortable with yourself.” I offer.

She rolls her eyes. “Easy to say that when you look like a Disney princess without even trying.” Her phone pings with a text message. “It’s my mom. Your parents are here. Let’s go greet them.”

“Remind me to thank your parents for throwing this welcome home dinner.” I say, before leaving Heather’s room. “Your mom went through a lot of trouble. She even hired a caterer.”

“Ha.” She laughs. “Mom is in her element. She loves stuff like this. All she ever wants is an excuse to dress up and party.”

I’ll still make sure to thank Mrs. Pullin.

I shouldn’t be this nervous about my mom coming home, but I am.

God knows that we’ve had our differences in the past two years, and I really want to rebuild our relationship from the ground up.

The only way that’s going to work out, however, is if Mom is ready to give me an opportunity to be myself.

Since my parents split up, I’ve always been aware that I was disappointing her.

Every time I would do or say something that reminded her of Dad, I could see it in her eyes.

I only ever had two choices; I could conform to what Mom wanted or sneak around her countless rules, knowing in my heart that she was going to be upset if she ever found out.

Either way, it was a constant burden on my soul.

And deep down, I’m worried that things haven’t changed much between us.

“Zara, baby.” Her eyes light up when she sees me and the usual guilt sets in. Maybe disappointment goes both ways. Despite our many differences, I have no doubt that Mom loves me.

“Mom, you look… radiant.” That’s the only word to describe her. My mom has always looked beautiful, but right now, she looks happy and relaxed.

The golden tan on her skin makes her blue eyes pop and the easy smile on her face reminds me of happier times, when I was younger and she was still married to my dad.

“That’s what two weeks in paradise will do to you.” She beams.

“I’m sure the company you were in deserves some credit, too.” I smile at my stepfather, who greets me with a hug.

Scott looks as happy as his new wife. The tan suits him, and right now, the resemblance to both Chance and Ares is more noticeable than ever.

“Zara,” the smile reaches his blue eyes. “While your mom and I had a great time, we both missed you and your brothers. We can’t wait to hear how the first couple of weeks of classes went both for you and Chance.”

I can’t help but notice how he referred to Chance and Ares as my “brothers,” but I choose to focus on the safer topic of school.

“So far, so good.” I return his smile. “Campus is great and Heather has been awesome by picking me up and driving me to and from class. I’m sure she’s going to be relieved when I get my license.”

“Oh, Heather doesn’t mind the company.” Mrs. Pullin intervenes. “And hopefully having you in the car will keep her within the speed limit. I’m sure she doesn’t want to get pulled over and be lectured about speed and texting and driving in front of you just yet.”

Heather rolls her eyes at her mom’s dig. The few times I’ve been in the presence of both women, I noticed their constant bickering. I guess I’m not the only one who doesn’t have an easy relationship with their mother.

“Mrs. Pullin, I wanted to thank you for the beautiful welcome home you organized.”

Heather’s mom accepts my gratitude with a graceful nod. “Oh, don’t mention it, Zara. It’s a pleasure. Scott is our oldest friend and we couldn’t be more thrilled to see him so happy again. Besides, you and Heather hit it off, and Kirk and I are pleased that she has a new friend.”

In that moment, the sheriff enters the living room, followed by Ares, Chance, and Lev.

My stepbrothers greet our parents before acknowledging me. Lev, however, pulls me to his side.

“Hey Zee, you look beautiful.” He places a kiss on my temple and I lean into his hug. He smells so good.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” I take in the way the dark gray suit he’s wearing is perfectly tailored to his strong, fit body. Somehow, the gray fabric brings out the emerald green of his eyes. He’s the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome.

Our whispered exchange doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Zara?” Mom looks between me and Lev. “Is there anything you would like to tell me to bring me up to speed with how your last couple of weeks have been?”

Heat rises to my face and I’m grateful for the way Lev pulls me closer to his side.

“Lev and I went on a couple of dates, and…” I stop, nervous when the conversation around us dies down and all eyes are on us.

“I asked Zara to be my girlfriend, and she said yes,” Lev concludes for me.

The moment of silence that follows feels way longer than the few seconds it really was.

“That’s… such great news.” Mom’s smile looks genuine. “Isn’t it, Scott?”

My stepfather agrees, shaking Lev’s hand. “Absolutely. I’ve known Lev since the day he was born, and I’ve always said that if I had a daughter, I couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend. Now that I do have a daughter, that statement still stands.”

“See?” Mrs. Pullin winks at me. “I told you your parents would approve.”

The conversation around us fades into the background as I meet Chance's and Ares’s gazes.

Chance’s lips curl in just the hint of a smile, and he winks at me. Ares just offers me a serious nod.

LEV

Scott’s demeanor visibly relaxes when I announce that Zara and I are a couple.

Even my parents look very pleased with the news about me and Zara, when they arrive at the party.

I’m sure they view dating the mayor’s stepdaughter as something beneficial for their status in town.

It’s more than safe to say that I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about status.

I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t think about the obvious perks that come with being Zara’s official boyfriend, but I’m aware that my girl hasn’t made her choice yet.