Kelly leaned back, giving her an approving once-over. “You look hot. Like, ‘I’m a mom but I still own this shit.” Jake’s gunna regret letting you out of the house.”
Kylee smirked. “I needed this. I really did.”
“Hell yeah you did.” Kelly looped her arm through Kylee’s. “Let’s get outta here. I’ve got your favorite daiquiri waiting in the car and a playlist full of old-school bangers queued up. We’ve got three days of sister time and one rock concert to mentally prepare for.”
As they walked toward the parking garage, Kylee could already feel the layers of stress starting to peel away. There was something about New Orleans: the heat, the noise, the energy that always made her feel like she was waking up after a long, dull dream. And this time, she wasn’t just visiting. She was here to feel something again.
The French Quarter pulsed with life as the sisters pulled up to their hotel, the air thick with music, spice, and distant laughter. Their suite at The Ritz-Carlton was nothing short of stunning chic décor with New Orleans flair, a balcony that overlooked the buzzing streets, and a soaking tub Kylee already mentally claimed for herself.
“Holy shit!,” Kelly said, flopping dramatically onto the velvet couch. “Jake really went all out.”
Kylee set her suitcase by the bed and took a slow, full turn in the center of the room, taking it all in. “Yeah... it’s kind of surreal.”
“Girl, this is luxury,” Kelly grinned. “We ain't wasting this shit!”
Kylee laughed and clinked her champagne glass against Kelly’s. “To escaping mom life for a weekend.”
“To living our best life,” Kelly replied, raising her glass higher.
After showers and a change into matching silky pajamas, the sisters curled up on the hotel bed with a pile of local takeout gumbo, chargrilled oysters, and a box of hot beignets that made them both moan with joy. They sipped wine, streamed their favorite guilty-pleasure reality show on the hotel TV, and gossiped like they were seventeen again.
“I still can’t believe you’re seeing Bleeding Halos live,” Kelly said, licking powdered sugar off her thumb. “Do you remember how obsessed you were with the lead singer in high school? What was his name again?”
Kylee grinned, the taste of wine still sweet on her lips. “Rio Riot.”
“Oh my God, that’s right. You used to write his name on your notebooks like he was your damn husband.”
Kylee’s smile faltered, just slightly. She set her wine glass down and stared at the flickering TV screen for a moment.
Kylee inhaled slowly, then let it all pour out. “I walked in on them, Kelly! Jake and Rachel! At the office! I saw it with my own eyes!”
Kelly’s jaw dropped. “Wait. What?!”
“I brought him coffee,” Kylee said, her voice flat, like she’d rehearsed it a hundred times in her head. “I had the girls with the sitter, figured I’d surprise him. Walked in... And there she was, bent over his damn desk.”
“Oh my God,” Kelly screamed, covering her mouth. “Kylee!!!Jesus!!!”
Kylee’s eyes were glassy, but dry. “They didn’t even see me at first. I stood there for a few seconds before I said anything. Rachel’s hair was a mess, and Jake looked right at me and didn’t even move. Just froze with his dick inside her.”
Kelly grabbed her sister’s hand and squeezed it tight. “I’m gunna fucking kill him. No! I’m gunna fucking kill both of them.”
Kylee let out a bitter laugh. “I haven’t told anyone. I’ve just been pretending like everything’s fine. For the kids. For my own damn pride.”
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” Kelly said fiercely. “You hear me? You are not alone in this.”
I know,” Kylee said softly. “I just... didn’t want anyone to know we don’t have this picture perfect marriage like everyone thinks. I didn’t want to talk about it till now.”
Kelly poured them both another glass. “Then we talk. And then we get you ready to look like a bad bitch at that concert tomorrow night.”
Kylee smirked. “Deal.” And even through the ache in her chest, she felt lighter just saying it out loud.
The morning sunlight spilled through the gauzy hotel curtains, casting soft golden rays across the polished suite. Kylee stretched slowly in the plush bed, the high-thread-count sheets tangled around her legs.
For a moment, she forgot about everything Jake, the betrayal, the ache of pretending. Today was about something else entirely.
Today was concert day. Kelly busted into the room already dressed, her oversized sunglasses pushed up into her messy bun. “Get your ass up, bitch! We’ve got beignets to inhale and outfits to slay.”
Kylee laughed, rolling out of bed with a glow in her cheeks that hadn’t been there in months. “Alright, alright, I’m coming!”
