Page 21

Chapter 20

Keelan

" W here is my baby? I need to squeeze her!" Izzy's voice rings out through the quiet house.

I set the bottle down that I just prepared for my niece and pick her up from her tummy time mat.

Izzy walks in smiling and very tan. After spending three days under the Puerto Rican sun, her freckles are more pronounced now.

"Hey, sizzler! Lookin' goo—" She snatches the tiny human right out of my arms without glancing in my direction.

Ryker comes in next, lugging their hall and what looks like two extra totes that are possibly full of souvenirs if I know my sister.

"Oh, Thank God!" Ryker says.

"What?"

"She's in one piece."

I shoot him a look. "Seriously? Ye of little faith."

"Tell me, Stella girl. Did Uncle Keelan be a bad uncle and throw a party without us knowing?"

"Again," I say now to my sister. "Little faith. Also, a thank you would be nice. Not that I need it, but you know… manners."

"Thank you," Izzy says sarcastically.

"It was my absolute pleasure, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat," I say with a bow. "Now, what did you bring back for me?"

I stick my finger into one of the totes and pull it open.

"Uh-uh," Ryker says, pulling it away from me. "That one's for Ri."

"Where is she? Did you finally manage to run her out of the country?" Izzy asks, sniffing her daughter’s hair and rocking her back and forth as Ryker approaches and plants a soft kiss on her head.

"So about that…"

Izzy stops rocking Stella. "Oh, God. What happened? I knew I should've called her to check up on her."

"She called out from work."

Ryker and Izzy both look at me like I just said she flew to the moon on a casual Tuesday afternoon.

"She called out?" Ryker says.

"From… work?" Izzy scrunches her face. Then, without a moment’s hesitation she gives Ryker the baby and fishes her phone out from her tote.

"She's fine," I tell her.

"No… Rina never, never misses work."

"Not even when her grandma passed. Or when she had the flu," Ryker feels the need to add.

"I know, I know. But guys…" Izzy is already dialing her number. "I've got it handled."

"Oh, yeah? Well, where is she?"

"She flew out to see her parents."

Izzy drops the hand holding her phone. "In Puerto Rico? Where we just were!"

I nod.

"But why? What happened?" Then she gasps. "Is it because Redmond's dating that teeny bop pop star?"

"No—wait, he's what?"

"Yeah, it's all over social. The four of you were seen at that swanky place you like to go to with the deconstructed deviled egg?"

"God, I love those weird little eggs," I say wistfully.

Izzy snaps her fingers. "And then you and Rina left together, and Redmond and what's-her-face left together."

"They did?"

Izzy pulls up an article from the Houston Pulse.

Well, shit. Looks like our little PR image rehab plan went to complete and total shit.

"What were you guys doing out with Redmond anyways?" Izzy plops onto the couch and stretches her hands out to steal Stella back from her husband.

"Yeah," Ryker says, relinquishing the baby. "I thought we hated him."

"We do hate him. In fact, we hate him even more now."

I catch them up on all the latest happenings while they were away. And Izzy just shakes her head, a scowl now on her face.

Ryker mutters obscenities.

"Well, you know what we have to do," Izzy says.

"Yeah," I say. "Fuck him up" At the same time, Izzy says, "Go get Rina."

"I mean, go get Rina. That," I say, pointing to her.

Ryker huffs from behind the couch where Izzy and I are seated. "What is it, grumpy cat?"

"If she left, it's probably because she needs space—from everything and everyone. She's done this before. Things get hard on a personal level… Rina disappears for a decade."

"Don't you think that's exactly the reason why we should go after her?" Izzy insists.

"She is with her parents. It's not like she's alone," Ryker adds.

"Rina thinks that she can just leave because nobody has ever chased her. Nobody's ever come looking for her. They let her leave," Izzy says sternly, looking at me.

"Wait… what's that supposed to mean?"

She stays blinking at me for a few seconds.

"You let her go, you idiot. In college… you let her go."

"I let Rina go? That's the story she's telling?" I scoff. "She left me—without even a second glance. We were friends… or whatever, and then she just left. No real reason."

"Are you sure that's what happened?" Izzy asks. "Think about it even for one second, Keelan. She was willing to lose her friendship with the only girl she considered a friend over you. And she would just leave?"

"That's what happened, yes. Ryker knows. He was there?"

We both turn to him.

"Oh… I was there."