Leaning against the Corvette, I waited for Evie. After playing the first dance for the bride and groom, she told me to wait outside and we could leave together. Jacket off and put in the trunk, I had my sunglasses back on. The front door opened and I inhaled sharply. Evie bounded out in white jeans that were slightly distressed. The top, or lack thereof, was a black tube top that was a second skin on her already tanned skin. “Come on, pretty boy, pick that jaw off the ground and let’s go!” The smirk played on her lips and she hopped over the side of the Corvette without even opening the passenger door. Shaking my head, I got in the driver’s seat and started up the engine. Evie squealed and as we pulled out, she refused to stop laughing. She stood up, putting her arms up as the wind blew around her. Taking out my phone, I snapped a quick picture of her. This was the third photo I had taken, and I never took photos. “Where are we headed?” She asked as she plopped down in the seat. I
Why am I so fucking nervous? I wiped my palms on a chair before lacing my fingers together. Evie had yelled at me ten minutes before to stop pacing, so I sat down but now I was stuck. Taking deep breaths, I tried to calm myself. Red carpets, charity auctions, tv interviews and I was never as nervous as I was now. Looking at my watch, we were already 10 minutes late. “Evie, we needed to leave like…20 minutes ago.” “Z, you ask me to hurry up one more time, I’m gonna make you go in there alone.” My heart sank and I shut my mouth. Leaning my head back on the chair, I closed my eyes trying to think of something else. Four days. Four days since the wedding. Three from when Jason yelled at me when I said I wasn’t coming back with him to New York. In all my years being his friend, I don’t think I had seen him that angry. I didn’t bother trying to explain, though. He wouldn’t understand. Probably the only person who would have understood would have been my grandfather. “Alright. We can go n
The party settled down a bit after everyone ate. Ron was sitting to my right, Evie to my left. She had little Nevaeh, which I learned was heaven spelled backwards, asleep on her lap. Stella was next to her and they were chatting quietly as we listened to the band play. Some of her cousins apparently were part of a famous band and they played while people danced. It was now nearing 10:00 p.m. but the music was still lively and people still continued to dance. “¿Mija, cantarás para nosotros esta noche?” [Daughter, will you sing for us tonight?] I turned to looked at Evie who was blushing. “I don’t think so.” “¿Por favor?” [Please?] Stella looked at Evie, who was shaking her head. “Evie, canta para tu madre. Sabes que a ella le encanta.” [Evie, sing for your mother. You know she loves it.] I regarded Ron with a curious look. “What’s she asking?” “She wants Evie to sing. The girl has a beautiful voice. I wish she would have continued her musical career after her father died, but noth
I looked at the woman perched on the top of the chair. I chuckled and brought my phone up, snapping a picture of her. She was leaning over, looking at her phone that was on the table. My shirt was huge on her and it slipped down off her shoulder, her hands disappearing in the long sleeves. Holding up my phone again, I waited until she looked up at me and smiled. Snapping another photo, I put my phone down. “What do you want to do today?” She hummed, tapping her finger against her lips. Or she would have, but instead the long sleeve of my shirt swayed slightly as she tapped it to her lips. “I’m not sure. We could go out to the fountains again. That was fun. If we take a hat, your guitar, and my voice, we could make some money!” Shaking my head, I leaned back against the headboard and opened my arms to her. She quickly got out of the chair and crawled across the bed, settling against me. Burying my face in her shoulder and hair, I shook my head again. “No people today.” “It’s suc
“Premium Outlets? Isn’t that a contradiction?” Evie threw her hands up. “Alright, Mr. Rich. You know, normal people don’t just rent out an entire store for their pleasure.” “I’ve only done that three times. Jason usually is the one who decides every three months he wants a whole new wardrobe.” She turned and looked at me, I figured to see if I was kidding. She inhaled. “I was joking but you aren’t, are you?” Shaking my head, I pushed my sunglasses up on my head. “So where are we going to find some clothes in this place?” “Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?” She groaned, but grabbed my hand, pulling me up to a directory. “Let’s see what they have here.” “Isn’t Levi’s a jeans brand?” I pointed to a store name. She nodded. “But they are kind of on the pricey side…” Her voice trailed off. “Evie.” She didn’t hear me, still looking over the map. “Evie!” Evie jumped and looked up at me. “What?” “Levi’s is fine.” Blinking a couple times, I saw a blush creep across her face. “
I looked at the woman cuddled into the crook of my arm. She was breathing quietly, fast asleep after the night’s playtime. Her face was serene and while she was always my goddess of mischief, her face now truly looked like a goddess. Looking over at my phone, I decided to leave it. It didn’t matter what time it was. Usually, if I was awake I was either working, working out, drinking, or fucking. I didn’t rest or relax. There was no need. Why stop and smell the roses if there were no roses? I brushed away some hair from Evie’s face. She was my rose. She made me want to enjoy every moment, even the quiet ones. Never had I thought a woman could make me feel like this. I figured inevitably I would be sold off for the sake of reputation or business. Now, that was all out the window. Part of me knew that Adrian might pay the price for my decision, but if I could appease my father by giving him what he wanted, becoming CEO of his company, then he might just let it all slide. “It’s too early
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. My eyes fluttered open and I was greeted by a blank, white ceiling. My brow furrowed and I blinked a couple times, trying to think about how I got here. Lifting my hands, I could see the tubes coming out of my arm and hooked up to machines next to me. The memory flashes of blood covering my hands and my heart sped up with the beeping matching it. A nurse came in and smiled at me. “You’re awake! That’s wonderful!” “Where is she?” The nurse looked at me, confused. “Where is who? Your mother is here…” “No, no. A woman, she was with me. Where is she? Is she okay?” “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know who…” My voice rose. “What the fuck do you mean you don’t know who? She took a god damn bullet for me! Where is she? Just tell me where she is and I’ll find her myself.” “Sir, you didn’t come in with anyone. Your parents flew you in…” “Flew me in? Where am I?” The nurse looked at me nervously. “You’re in New York…” “What?” I roared. The door opened, my mother and f
Stacy called for the jet to be fueled and ready to go a couple days after the appointment. I didn’t really speak during that time, and Stacy didn’t ask me much either. She knew I had a lot on my mind, but she was always there if I asked her for something. It was also a quiet flight back to New York. With my tablet, I read through some work emails and messaged Derek saying I needed to speak with him tomorrow. Adrian also kept texting me non-stop asking me when I was coming home, but I ignored his messages. Jason was bugging me, but I told him our landing time. I asked him to bring the car to pick us up. We have were about halfway through the trip back to the states. “Zach…” Stacy put her hand on my arm. I flinched, but I quickly placed a smile on my face and looked up from my tablet. “What is your plan? I know you had a very broad sense of what you wanted to do before you went in, but now…” “Now that I know my parents forced my memory loss to stop me from destroying my dad’s busi