The Broken Vows: Zane and Celeste’s Story (The Windsors)

“I’ll teach you the recipe soon,” Grandma Anne says as she hands me a fresh batch of cookies. “It’s a family secret, and I’ll entrust you with it.”

My eyes widen, and my first instinct is the decline her offer. She throws me a pointed stare that shuts me up, and I clutch the box of cookies to my chest. What would she say if I told her I haven’t even had one of them in years? I’ve given them all to Sierra.

Grandma reaches for me and brushes the hair out of my face. “I know things feel tough right now, Celeste, but from where I’m standing, it looks like you two are finally working through your problems instead of deflecting through anger. Trust the process, and trust in each other.”

She smiles in response to the surprise that must be written all over my face and tucks my hair behind my ear. “Go on,” she says. “Go bribe Sierra with my cookies.” I blink in disbelief, and she chuckles knowingly as she sees me out. “It doesn’t seem like it to you, but you’re slowly winning over the entire family. Just keep at it, okay? Everything is going to be fine.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, unsure what exactly I’m thanking her for. It’s more than just the cookies, that’s for sure. She smiles knowingly as she walks me to my car, her gaze oddly reassuring.

I glance at the cookies in my passenger seat as I drive to Sierra’s house, feeling a lot more lost than usual. My mind has been a mess for weeks as I tried to reconcile what I thought I knew with the truth. Thinking back to my actions fills me with remorse and shame, unlike anything I’ve ever felt, to a point where I’m wondering whether some of my heartache is truly my own inability to forgive myself for everything I’ve put Zane through.

I draw a shaky breath as I stare up at Sierra’s red front door, longing hitting me harder than ever when I place the box of cookies in front of it, sounds of laughter just about audible. As I turn to leave, the door opens, and I glance back over my shoulder to find Faye standing in the doorway.

“You’re here,” she says, grinning. “Come in.”

I freeze and shake my head, unsure how to tell her I’m not welcome here. No one knows about my agreement with Sierra, after all. “Oh, I can’t,” I end up saying, my face flushing.

Sierra appears behind Faye, her gaze thoughtful. “It’s not like you have anything better to do,” she murmurs. “And my brothers are all playing poker at Luca’s house tonight, so you might as well join us.”

Sierra holds out her hand, and I stare at it in surprise before placing my hand in hers. She pulls me into the house, and a bittersweet kind of ache rushes through me when I spot Val and Raven on the sofa. They both look up and smile, neither of them looking particularly surprised to see me. “I wondered how long it’d take you,” Val says. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Raven’s face flushes, and she parts her lips to refute Val’s words, only to look away and cross her arms. Faye bursts out laughing as she joins Raven and wraps her arm around her shoulder. “It took me a little while to understand why Sierra kept insisting we hold anti-poker night at her house month after month.”

Val nods and leans into Raven, her gaze amused. “It didn’t quite click until I heard Rave ask Grandma to bake you cookies today. The way she insisted it had to be today was unlike her, and after questioning her about it, I found out it’s because she knew you’d bring them to Sierra, finding us all here.” Val rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “I have no idea why Sierra and Raven felt the need to resort to such childish schemes when they could’ve just told you they wanted you here.”

Sierra crosses her arms and glares at Val, her cheeks flushed. “You were the one who said you’d stop showing up if we didn’t start inviting Celeste!”

Val shrugs, a sheepish smile on her face as she swipes a shot glass off the table. “And despite that, you didn’t actually invite her. You just conned her into showing up, which, to be fair, is kind of the same thing when it’s you.”

I take the glass from Val, and my eyes widen when I realize my name is engraved on it. They really were expecting me tonight, weren’t they? “That, um…” Raven says. “Well, that’s from me. Welcome to anti-poker night. I’m sorry it took us so long to invite you.”

I smile, genuinely, for the first time in days, despite the tinge of rejection I feel. It’s obvious they’ve been meeting up for months and never once thought to invite me, but I’m tired of holding grudges and letting the past hurt me. “So, what exactly is anti-poker night?”

Faye bursts out laughing and Val begins to pour tequila into my glass while Raven hands me a lime slice. Sierra glances at me and grins, and for a few moments, everything feels the way it used to, before I destroyed our friendship. “Anti-poker night is our monthly get-together. We make it coincide with the boys’ monthly poker night and use it as a chance to catch up. Usually, tequila is involved.”

She holds up her glass, and the rest of the girls follow suit, their gazes expectant as they wait for me to join in too. My hand trembles as I tap my glass against theirs before knocking it back, the liquor burning down my throat. Seconds later, Sierra pushes a lime wedge into my mouth, and I suck down on it. “You’re all going to kill me,” I murmur.

Faye reaches over and pats my arm in understanding. “They’re actually quite merciful tonight, probably to ease you into it. Normally Val brings some ridiculously strong mezcal that her brother makes for her, and that… well… it’s something else.”

Val’s arm wraps around my waist, and I tense, surprised by how welcoming they all are. They’ve been kinder recently, but I didn’t think they’d ever welcome me back like this. I’d say they can’t possibly know how much this means to me, but the look in their eyes tells me they do.

“So,” Val says. “We’ve all noticed the way you’ve been trying to win Zane over recently, and we’ve got some ideas that might help you.”

They all lean in, the intensity in their gazes putting me on edge. “You’d help me?” I ask, my voice breaking. “I didn’t think… well… I didn’t think you’d want us together.”

Sierra shakes her head and refills my glass, her gaze bittersweet when she looks up at me. “I know how sorry you are, Celeste. My Mom always said that the best apology is changed behavior, and you’ve exemplified that. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry too, and I forgive you.”

I bite my lip in an attempt to suppress my tears, and Raven throws me a sweet smile. “Just like you’ve made mistakes, we did too. We never should’ve treated you the way we have, and we shouldn’t have been so stubborn when you’ve been trying so hard. I’m sorry, Celeste.”

Faye nods and hands me a lime slice. “It’s obvious Zane loves you, and it’s just as clear that you love him too. It may take a bit of time, but I know you’ll make up. Maybe it’ll never be quite the same, but maybe what you create from the shards will end up becoming something even more precious.”

“We’ll help,” Val says. “We just want you both to be happy.”

Sierra wraps her arms around me when I burst into tears, and Raven leans in closer. “I’ll let you cry tonight,” she says, her voice stern, “but as soon as you’re done, we’re going to come up with a plan, and you’re going to make Zane happier than he ever thought possible.”

I nod, hope rushing through me in a way it hasn’t before, and she smiles back at me like she understands how I feel, like she’s been there. “It’s going to be okay,” she promises, and I’m tempted to believe her.