Chapter 2
Taylor
Ispot my siblings at a high-top table right away. It means a lot to me that my oldest sister, Francesca, came out to celebrate tonight despite the strain on our relationship. Although, hell, with a two-year-old at home, she probably needs the outing more than I do. Our brother Ashton is sitting next to her, and our youngest sister Livvy has her back to me. My siblings have always been close to my twin brother, Damon, and me, even though he and I are the closest…as one would expect.
But Damon hasn’t spoken to me in six months, and considering it’s our birthday, his absence tonight is not only extremely noticeable but terribly painful as well. I didn’t think either of us would let it go on this long. Our siblings celebrated with him last night, and it’s the first time in twenty-four years we haven’t celebrated together. The whole situation makes me pissed all over again.
Francy sees me first and slides off her stool to swallow me in a hug. “Happy birthday, Tay! God, I can’t believe you’re twenty-four.” She does this every year. Like my age reminds her of hers. She’s only twenty-nine, but you’d think she was eighty. Grabbing me by the shoulders, she pulls back to look at me. “Not even a swipe of glitter? Or a single rhinestone?” The sadnessand disappointment in her voice make me feel like shit.It’s just Taylor making the wrong choice again.
“Just didn’t have it in me tonight,” I explain, trying to force a light-hearted tone and smile, even though I’m not exactly sure why I’m worried about sparingherfeelings when she sure as shit didn’t think of mine when shit hit the fan.
No one did.
They all believed Patrick and then immediately took Damon’s side, resulting in my entire family being furious with me without even hearing my side of the story. But of course, they would take his side. Damon is the reasonable one. The one who followed in our father’s footsteps in cybersecurity. The one who’s following a traditional path in life. The one whodoesn’tlike glitter, lingerie, and other boys.
Some part of me knows that’s not fair. My family has always been supportive of my choices, and they’ve never judged me. But Iknowif I were less…me…they would have at least given me a chance to explain.
Francy hugs me a second time. “But those thingsareyou. How do you not haveyouin you?”
Despite being close with my family, they’ve always mistaken my sunshiny personality and ability to block out the bullshit as immaturity and naivety. An unwillingness to process things like the adult I am. It used to piss me off to no end when they would let Damon answer for both of us as if I can’t be trusted to make my own choices.
If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s when people assume that because I like glitter, lace, and bright colors, I am somehow weak, vulnerable, or lacking in intelligence.
Damon and I may have identical features, but we wear them so differently, I don’t think we look alike at all. Our personalities couldn’t be more different, either. But despite our differences,we used to be the perfect yin to each other’s yang, and now each of us is simply one half of a broken circle.
I give Francesca another tight smile. “Thanks for coming tonight,” I whisper, trying to change the subject. Francy climbs back on her stool, and I turn to slap Ashton on the back. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me to his side for a hug before smacking me lightly on the ass.
“Happy birthday, Tay.”
“Thanks, man.”
Livvy greets me last by flinging herself into my arms and planting a kiss on my cheek. I’m sure, to a lot of people, it probably looks like she and I are a couple, but I’ve never been good at caring what other people think—hence the rift currently dividing my family in half.
“Tay!” Livvy says, bouncing with excitement.
“Liv!” I mock her playfully and wait for…there it is.I let out the first genuine laugh I’ve had in months over the look she’s now wearing.
Suddenly, her finger is in my face. She’s too cute—even at twenty-two—for it to be menacing, but her assumed innocence is her greatest weapon.
As is mine.
Damon, Liv, and I took martial arts together for six years. Our parents thought it’d be a good idea since Livvy is pretty, petite, and too fucking sweet for her own good, and I’ve always been a walking target for assholes. Damon joined in because we always did everything together. Being the more serious, more calculating one of the two of us, he often stood my ground for me when ignorant pricks would try to start shit at school, even if I could take care of them on my own.
I remember one night when he looked at me and said,‘I love who you are, but I swear sometimes it’s like you’re trying to make life harder for yourself.’
Thankfully, I was able to keep my mouth shut, but that didn’t stop the thought from crossing my mind:Not all of us can be beautiful, smart,andstraight.
Damon sometimes comes across as harsh or cold to people who don’t know him. But he just takes a while to warm up. He doesn’t trust easily and he holds his cards close to his chest.
Fuck, I miss him.
Studying me, Livvy frowns and touches my cheeks.
“Why aren’t you pretty tonight?”
“Ouch, Liv,” Ashton says from behind her.
She glares at him over her shoulder before turning back to me. “You know what I mean.”
