The Lie: Rebels of Ridgecrest High (Book 2)

I wake up between Hunter and Roman, still unable to believe what Roman told me last night.

Everything was perfect. I got my happy ending, I got a much better one when Roman said he saved all his firsts for me. We lay together, snuggling, and Hunter must have made his way down to sleep behind me at some point.

There’s a knock at the door, and I groan. Why would I give this up? My little cocoon of happiness. The knocking grows a little louder, and Roman bolts upright, and I gasp at the sudden movement. It scared me.

When he looks down, his eyes widen at the sight of me, and he scans the room.

“Fuck, Roman, are you okay?” Hunter asks from behind me. He gets up and stands beside the bed, looking Roman over.

Roman finally blinks and nods, and I see his shoulder start to relax. I stretch out my hand, palm up, and he looks down at it before taking it.

“Lie down,” I tell him. I don’t like seeing him like this. Whoever’s at the door better have a good reason for waking us up so early on a Sunday morning.

He does, and I snuggle up to him as the knocking starts again.

“I’m coming,” Hunter yells and I mutter. “Not yet.” As he makes his way over to the door, wearing his black boxers that hug his ass so nice, I want to bite it. I smile to myself at the thought and hold Roman’s hand tighter.

The door opens, and we hear Jace’s voice on the other side. I groan. Fucker, messing up my sleep and scaring Roman like that. Shit, I don’t know if that’s something Roman will ever grow out of, or if loud sounds like that will always have him on alert.

“Hey, I was wondering if I could talk to you, Roman, and Mila.”

I tilt my head to see Jace at the door. His eyes meet mine, and I look away. Roman squeezes my arm and kisses my forehead.

“Mila.” Hunter’s beside me, holding my sleep tee in his hand. I look down and realize I’m topless still.

“Yeah, okay. Just let me put this on.”

Roman helps me, and I smile over at him.

“Thank you.” I kiss his lips quickly before sitting up and preparing for this conversation I know has been coming. With the guys being so at ease with Jace this week and the game on Friday, I know they’ve made a step toward being friends again.

Jace comes in and sits on the coffee table, while Hunter takes up position beside me.

He looks at the three of us. “So, you’re all together, then?” he asks, and it’s not what I thought he would lead with, but Jace seems to have a habit of speaking before thinking.

“Yeah, we are. We told you how it was and that you had to accept it before we could accept you back.” Hunter shifts beside me, and I reach for his hand. He takes it, and Jace’s eyes follow the movement. “You said it was cool.”

“I’m cool with it. Just, I guess seeing it like this…I get it.”

I wait for him to say more, but he doesn’t. So, I jump into the conversation. “Since you’re here, then that must mean you talked to Grady?”

He dips his head and fiddles with the hem of his shorts before looking back at me. “Yeah, I did. What you said . . . I didn’t want to listen. I was angry—at myself and the world. Not you, Mila. I took everything out on you, and I see how many mistakes I’ve made because I don’t think about my actions.

“I take things out on the people I care about, and I hate that I did that. I’m here to tell you I’m sorry.”

When I nod, he lets out a deep breath.

“I’m sorry for lashing out at you over the kiss with Grady. That wasn’t fair of me. I shouldn’t have been upset. I asked you, you were honest with me, and I wasn’t with you. I was hurt. All my life, I’ve come in second to Grady. No fault of his own, just when you’re so close in age, you’re always compared to your older brother.

“You were mine, my friend, my first crush, first kiss…When it came to you, I didn’t have to share the spotlight with Grady. I was first in your eyes. So, when the two of you kissed, I couldn’t see that. I was angry and did the worst thing possible to hurt you.”

He did. Anyone but Britney. He used her to get back at me, and he knew she’d been a bitch to me since I returned.

“I don’t know if you can ever forgive me for that, but I’m truly sorry.”

I shuffle to sit more upright. Crossing my legs, I look over to Jace. His head is tilted to the side, and he looks sincere. He looks beat down and like shit. But he’s hit rock bottom, that’s how your supposed to look.

Now it’s up to me to forgive him. For us to go back to the way we were…with a few scars left behind to remind us that life isn’t perfect. And we all fight.

“I forgive you, Jace.”

His eyes widen in shock. He probably wasn’t expecting that. But I need this, for me more than him. I hate that there’s been this huge divide between us all, and I seem to be the only one who hasn’t forgiven him here.

“You need to work on your anger. Think before you act. Speak up when you’re feeling hurt, and we can talk it out.”

With a nod, he gives me a beaming smile. He instantly seems lighter at my words, and I smile in return.

“Thank you, Mila. I won’t ever abuse your trust again.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him not to make promises he can’t keep. But I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. He changed so much in the four years I was away. And now we’re all changing together. Growing into who we’re meant to be.

“Let’s go to Annie’s Diner for lunch,” Hunter suggests.

“Lunch?” I asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, it’s eleven, babe.” He kisses my shoulder and reaches for his shorts.

My stomach rumbles at the thought of food, and I realize I’m hungry. Everyone laughs, and I do too. “Lunch, it is.”

I laugh at a joke Hunter makes as we walk up the path to my door with food for the night. We spent time down at Annie’s diner with Jace and Roman. It’s weird having Jace back. And it’s not the Jace I met when I got here. This is more like old Jace. A mix of our childhood but in a grown body.

There, on my doorstep, are six red roses. The hell? I look over to Jace’s house and back to the roses.

“He’s trying to show me up,” Hunter says with a chuckle.

“He needs to stop. I’ve forgiven him. We’re friends now.” It might not be what it used to be, but I’m willing to try again. Baby steps. But when did he get the chance to put them there? We left him at the diner. Roman drove them both and is a few minutes behind us.

Hunter wiggles his brows at me, and we make our way inside with all the food and roses.

“I think he wants to be more than friends.” He slaps my ass, and I jump.

I chuckle and grab his hoodie, pulling him in for a kiss, squishing the roses between us. He grabs my waist as he plants one right on me.

“Can I eat your pussy for dinner?” Hunter groans into my neck.

“No, you can have it for dessert,” I let him know. We don’t have time, I want dinner first. Roman wouldn’t care if he walked in on us. But I want to see if maybe I can have them both? A Hunter, Roman sandwich.

And speak of the devil.

 “Hey handsome,” I call out to Roman as he locks the front door and rushes to the window. We’re one step behind him. What’s going on? There’s a car outside on the street and they’re just sitting there with their headlights directed at my house. They slowly peel out and I can see the men from here. My heart sinks as they point at us.

Roman warned me they would find him…find me. I start to shake as Roman grabs the roses from my hand and roars. It’s primal and a warning to them.

“Amato family,” he spits out.

Roman’s phone goes off with a message and we all look down as he opens it.

Amato Assholes: You owe us a fight. Get ready for tonight or your girlfriend gets to fight…for her life.

I have lost feeling in my whole body as it starts to shut down.

They know where I live.