Page 49 of Undone By The Mountain Daddies

I open my car door and throw myself into the driver’s seat. I let the tears roll down my face as sunlight spills into the car.

Grief is an emotion I know well, but it never gets easier.

I march into the living area, stopping when I see Henry and Sienna dancing.

Thank god.

Sienna dances effortlessly about the room, moving her hips, her arms, and her feet in time to the rhythm that she’s keeping with her fingers.

Henry stares up at her in awe. She’s the breath of fresh air I think he’s needed for a long time.

I try my best with Henry, and Knox and Cash are good for him, too. But it’s different having a woman around. I haven’t seen his face this lit up in a long time.

Sienna moves through the room without a care in the world, but somehow still maintains her dancer’s poise. I could watch her all day.

She smiles when she looks down at Henry, scrunching up her nose, like she can’t get over how cute he is.

The smile continues to spread, rounding out the apples of her cheeks. She works up a sweat, her face turning pink as she twirls around the fire in an oversized flannel. The shorts she’s wearing are Knox’s and fall all the way down to her knees. She’s a vision when she’s wearing her designer pieces from LA, but even more so when she's dancing around in loose clothing without a care in the world.

It’s no wonder Hollywood scooped her up and turned her into a star. They saw her natural charm and probably had her entire career figured out after just one look.

I think back to just a few days ago, when she first walked into the cabin. She was a completely different person, plastered in makeup she didn’t need, wearing clothes that hid who she really was.

Hollywood saw potential, and she gave them permission to mold her into a completely different person. And for what? Money? Fame?

After working as a private chef in the hills, I know how fame affects people. It makes people before it breaks them. And when it breaks them, it takes their soul.

My chest contracts. When Sienna has to go back to LA, she’ll return to her old self. She obviously knows that, judging from the look on her face last night when Cash mentioned leaving.

She’s torn between responsibility, which unfortunately tends to outweigh everything else, and being free.

She’s lucky she still knows who she is outside of responsibility. Between stepping up to support my family after Dad’s passing and taking Henry in, I never figured out who I was outside of all that.

“Yes! Okay, we’re getting there,” says Sienna. She lifts Henry’s arm into the air and spins him around.

Sienna counts to four, snapping her fingers to the rhythm as they step and twirl. She finishes with a high leg kick, and Henry watches her, mesmerized.

“Why can’t my leg go that high?”

“It takes practice, buddy. And you know what we say…?”

“Practice makes perfect.”

“Exactly.” She ruffles his hair and shuffles back a few steps. “Okay, let’s start again. From the top⁠—”

And that’s when she sees me and comes to an abrupt halt, her eyes falling over my face.

“Eli!” says Henry. “We’re dancing.”

“I can see that, bud.”

“You should join in.” Sienna turns to Henry. “Shouldn’t he, buddy?”

“Yes!”

“I might pull something.”

“Ugh, borringgg!”