Kade and I emerge from our grassy hideaway to find everyone waiting for us at the SUV. They all have little grins on their faces, like they know what we've been doing. We dress and climb into the back seat of the car; I curl up into the far corner, and Kade lays his head on my lap. I can't resist; I brush my fingers through his hair, loving how the glossy strands feel. He wraps his hand around mine, pulling it to his mouth for a kiss, and flashes me a sexy grin that sends my heart fluttering.

"I want you to meet my dad and Georgia tonight," he says, playing with my fingers.

My jaw drops. Meet his sister? It's an honor that he wants to introduce me to his family, but I'm terrified of what Georgia will think of me. People unite over mutual heartbreak all the time, but what we went through was harsh. Besides, I don't want this to be the case for Georgia and me.

"Are you sure? This is your time with your family; I don't want to impede on it."

"I wouldn't ask you if I didn't want you there."

I bite my lip and mull it over. I'm curious to meet his family since he's met mine, and if he can handle them, I'm sure I can handle his. "Okay."

He squeezes my hand. "Okay."

When we return to the hotel, Kade tells me to meet him at the hotel restaurant at eight. I walk away and head to the elevator. Once the door shuts, I lean against the wall and panic sets in; I'm so screwed.

The door opens on my floor, and I hurry down the hall and past my room. There's only one person who can help me—Ridley. I pound on her door.

"What's going on? Are you all right? You look like you're ready to pass out," she says, looking me up and down.

"I need your help," I say. The words spill from me so quickly that I'm not sure if they're coherent.

She opens to let me in, and I walk backward explaining, "Kade invited me to meet his dad and sister. I don't have anything to wear, and I'm freaked out about meeting Georgia after everything that happened."

"I'm really not that bad," a woman says from behind me.

My eyes widen and I stare at Ridley. Shit. Shit. Shit. I should've known better.

I turn around and find Kade's sister sitting at the end of the bed with her legs crossed and her eyebrows raised. She's beautiful, just like her brother. They share the same plump lips, thick hair, and tan skin. It's not difficult to tell they're siblings.

I feel like a complete idiot. Now would be a great time for me to crawl under a rock and die.

She stands and extends her hand. "I'm Georgia Slone."

With a trembling hand, I shake hers. "Ariella Carmichael, but you can call me A.J."

She tilts her head and smiles. "Kade calls you Ari."

Something tells me she knows more than just my sorrow for the way my ex-boyfriend treated her.

"Kade has somehow made himself an exception to the rule," I say.

"That's not surprising. My little brother charms his way into things."

I like the way she talks about Kade. I sense her admiration for him, but at the same time, she keeps him in his rightful place as her younger sibling.

"So, you have nothing to wear for dinner tonight?" Georgia asks.

I scratch the back of my head and look around the room to hide my embarrassment. "Yeah, I kind of didn't expect to be eating dinner with anyone but the crew. My wardrobe consists of jeans and t-shirts."

Georgia grabs my hand and sits me down in a chair at a small table for two. "Ridley, we need to help this poor girl. She has a very important meeting with Kade Slone's father and his beautiful and brilliant sister," she teases.

Ridley pulls her red locks into a ponytail and rolls up the sleeves of her shirt. "I think a makeover is in order."

Ridley lays an array of hair and makeup products out before me, and Georgia leaves the room and comes back, pulling her luggage behind her. She rummages through the clothes and gives me three outfit options. I debate the selections as Ridley curls my hair and fastens it back with bobby pins. Finally, I settle on a black dress.

Taking a seat across from me on the bed, Georgia says, "All right, let's get it over with."

"Okay," I say.

She folds her hands in her lap and looks me square in the eye. "I met Asher over a year ago at a club in London. He was handsome, charming, and I found myself wrapped right around his little finger. We spent every minute we could together. I thought we were exclusive until a friend texted me a picture of him and some French model in a major display of P.D.A. I broke it off with him that night. He flew out to talk to me right before he left Europe, but I declined his invitation to meet. He broke my heart, and I consider him to be the lowest type of parasite on God's green earth."

It's not as painful to hear her talk about Asher as I thought it would be. Maybe it's her matter-of-fact tone, but it gives me the courage. While Ridley applies my makeup, I give Georgia the CliffsNotes version of my story.

In the end, Georgia and I apologize to each other, but not for anything we did wrong. We're sorry the other was sucked into a screwed-up game that ended up hurting both of us. When it is all said and done, it's like a ton of bricks has been lifted off me, and I can breathe for the first time in ages.

"So, what's going on with you and Kade?" Georgia asks, reclining on the bed.

The older sibling of the person someone is interested in might intimidate most girls, but I'm used to this; it's the same M.O. my brother has with me.

"I like Kade a lot. Although, if you had asked me a couple of months ago, I would've told you that I'd be all right if the bus backed up over him. But now, I can't imagine this entire experience without him."

It's silent for a few seconds as Georgia looks me over, and I shift side to side under her scrutiny. It must be strange knowing your brother is dating a girl who dated the boy you thought was your boyfriend. She smiles and stands up. "Ridley, you outdid yourself again." Georgia grabs the dress I chose and hands it to me. "I'll be back to walk with you downstairs in thirty minutes."

I smile and nod.

I finish squeezing into Georgia's dress with Ridley's help. It's a little tight but doesn't look bad. Black lace covers the top until it hits right above my breasts where the fabric changes and clings to every curve of my body. Ridley gives me a simple pair of black heels, and I slip them on.

"You look awesome," she says, taking in the final result of her makeover job.

I grin and walk to the full-length mirror by the door. Ridley has pulled my brown hair away from my face in a sloppy ponytail of big curls and accented my blue/gold eyes with dark makeup. I've never felt so dressed up in my life. Where was she when I was attending all those Hollywood parties and feeling out of place?

I lean in and give her a big hug. "Thank you so much."

"Have fun tonight. Kade's dad is a riot; you have nothing to worry about," she says with a smile.