KIMBERLY

chased by a rabid animal or serial killer, there was no reason for me to be running this early in the morning.

By Jace's standards, it wasn't early. By my standards, it was the fucking crack of dawn.

My husband had the brilliant idea to help me get sober by trying to do something good for my body. To avoid running, I was ready to pour all my alcohol down the drain to show him that I'd be sober if it meant not running.

But I couldn't go through with this brilliant plan, proving Jace's point further.

As a result, I was forced to endure the cruel and unusual punishment of working out. I wasn't a stranger to keeping my body in shape, but running five miles for no apparent reason was where I drew the line.

The only plus side was the fact that Jace was keeping me company... shirtless.

I would never get tired of seeing that beautiful body of his. Even after knowing how good it felt, I was insatiable, constantly craving more.

My realization from the other day certainly didn't help.

"If you wake up to a pair of hands choking you," I huffed, extremely out of breath, "don't be surprised."

His eyebrows knitted as I rested over the side of the treadmill. Walking over, he tugged on my ponytail. My body was so exhausted, I literally fell over, almost hitting the ground if it weren't for him catching me. "Wow, I'm both impressed and confused."

I gave him a dirty look, scrambling out of his arms. "What do you mean?"

"You normally have more... stamina."

I shrugged, scrunching up my face. "For enjoyable activities, yes."

Weirdly, it was the truth. If I wanted to do something, it was nearly impossible to stop me. The opposite applied: if I didn't want to do something, it was nearly impossible for me to do it. And, I really didn't want to run.

Jace didn't have a moment to respond when the doorbell rang. I bolted out of there, using this distraction as my escape. My legs were aching like crazy, but my mind was overjoyed.

I was so out of it, I didn't even bother looking through the peephole, opening the door for whoever was on the other side.

"Alex?" I opened the door further, inviting him in. "What are you doing here?"

Jace and I saw him a couple of days ago, and he normally wasn't one to drop by unannounced. Was everything okay?

He looked fidgety, constantly checking over my shoulder, and my mind put the pieces together. Someone got the courage...

"Kimmy, how are you, honey?" Alex asked, avoiding my question.

"Your son's trying to murder me, but other than that, I'm fine," I replied. "Did you want to see Jace?"

At the mention of his son, his eyes shot to me, proving the accuracy of my thoughts. He nodded hurriedly, unlike the normally happy-go-lucky guy I knew so well. "Yeah, I was thinking about what you said the other day."

"What?" I happened to say a lot of things every day.

"That if I wanted to talk to him, I should stop beating around the bushes and go for it."

Oh... that.

"Maybe, don't tell him that I said that," I winced. "Since he's trying to murder me and everything. We don't need to give him another motive."

He nodded as I led him to the home-gym, where Jace was still working out.

The unexpected sight of his father had him releasing the pull-up bar and scrambling to find a shirt. Alex just looked between the two of us, taking in my disheveled state and Jace's annoyingly perfect after-workout look.

"It's nice to see you two getting along," he commented, filling up the silence.

Jace snorted, probably recalling the murderous threat I made earlier. He cleared up his expression almost instantly before turning back to Alex. "Is everything okay? Did you need to talk to me?"

My gut felt stabbed at the exchange. It was so... formal. I don't remember the last time I talked to my family because I needed to. Most of the time, it was just me annoying the shit out of them—lovingly, of course.

"Yeah," Alex responded in the way he always did when he was around Jace. Careful, small... ashamed. "Do you want to move this to the living room?"

Jace nodded, extending his arm out, guiding Alex out. Jace turned back to me, silently asking if I wanted to join them. "I'll give you two some privacy."

Theoretically...

After the two exited the gym, I ran up the stairs—against the agonizing protest of my legs—and got myself a bottle of tequila from my room.

If I was going to eavesdrop on this anxiety-inducing conversation, I needed help from an outside source to keep me at bay. Rushing back downstairs, I found a spot in the hallway that gave me a great line of sight and hearability.

There was a slight twinge in my stomach telling me this was wrong. Telling me I should respect his privacy since he respected mine.

But, my curiosity was criminal. If he asks, I'll tell him I didn't hear anything.

To be fair, it wasn't like most of my life wasn't already out there for the public. If Jace wanted to know practically anything about me, it was there, except for one major thing. He, on the other hand, was such a closed book, the pages were practically stuck together.

It was safe to say I didn't miss much, based on the utter silence passing between them.

We'd be here all night if this was how the rest of the conversation was going to go.

"That's a nice ring on your chain," Alex commented.

All fucking night.

Jace looked down to his now shirt-covered chest and at the aforementioned ring. "Thanks. Some guy gave it to me ages ago. Mom saw the inscription and told me I should keep it."

Alex nodded, but I couldn't see the facial expression he was making. Knowing him, he probably had his face scrunched up awkwardly.

And, based on Jace's pursed lips, this probably was the case.

I was tempted to go out there and liven things up, but the two of them needed to have this conversation on their own... with me eavesdropping nearby.

The silence was unbearable. I was tempted to pull individual strands of hair out of my head to pass the time. Jace wasn't necessarily a chatty person—he was quite grumpy, if I was being honest—but he didn't have that many issues talking to me.

Granted, it was months-long of me forcing it out of him.

Oh my god, we were really going to be here all night.

"What does it say?" Alex asked, breaking the silence.

"King."

The one-word answer had Alex's back completely stiffen as he assumed the rigid posture he did when his parents rarely visited. I don't know why I had beef with so many old people, but Alex's parents were something else.

I almost missed the "what?" that came out of his mouth. It was so low and with hints of pure shock.

"When did you get it? Do you remember who gave it to you?" I scooted closer to hear Alex's questions, still in the same quiet tone from earlier.

Jace's beautiful brows etched together in an expression I thought only I was capable of bringing out of him. "I was—I don't know—three or four. Mom and I were out shopping and she let me get some ice cream from the cart across the street. There was a guy sitting on the bench and he looked really sad. I don't normally talk to strangers, but something in me told me to cheer this guy up, so I offered him one of my cones. We talked and he gave me this ring. Said someone he loved gave it to him."

"Oh my god." Okay, Alex really needed to speak up. It was getting hard trying to hear him. "You were that kid?"

What? Holy fucking shit.

I took a swig, moving closer. Things were getting interesting.

"You mean..." Jace trailed off. At that moment, my home decided to betray me and squeak under my body. "Venus, I know you've been there for a while. Just come out here and sit."

I popped up from my spot—like a kid in trouble—and made the conscious decision to not say anything. Jace eyed the bottle in my hand and I shrugged. "What? I was getting stressed eavesdropping on you too. But, do continue."

Alex ignored me, still revved up in shock. "I remember that day so vividly... If I saw your pictures from when you were three, I probably would've remembered. You offered me a cookies and cream cone. You said it was your favorite—Oh my god. I saw my son that day. I can't believe I met my son that day. I'm so sorry, Jace."

"You don't need to apologize," Jace noted, unsure of how to comfort the emotional man. He was helpless.

"You said you showed the ring to Rina?" My father-in-law looked up through those water-lined eyes. I was going to need more tequila if I wasn't going to cry too. Before I could take another drink, Jace pried it out of my hands.

Rude.

His attention was on his father the entire time, so I didn't know how he saw what I was going to do. It's like this man had a Kimberly-is-doing-something-fucking-stupid radar.

"Yeah," his voice came out soft. "I told her about what happened and showed her the ring. I remember her choking up when she saw it, but I chalked it to her being proud of me helping someone."

"She was the one who gave me that ring when we first started dating," he wistfully replied. "It's fitting that you have it now."

"So, she knew that it was my father's?" Jace asked, hints of betrayal in his tone.

"It's not her fault," Alex said, quick to defend the woman he loved. "She told me to let her go and move on, but I couldn't. My parents were desperate to see us apart, and it fucked with her mentally and emotionally. I was heartbroken when she left without a word, but deep down, I understood why."

Alex wasn't one to curse, so for him to say any one of my favorite profanities was a big deal.

Although, I couldn't help but feel bad for Effie. Ever since we were kids, we knew about the pressure that the couple had to get married and have children, which is why they stopped after Gigi and Ana.

Even though they were platonic soulmates, having to spend your life married to someone who loves someone else has to be miserable.

"Still..." Jace argued. "I could've had a dad if she just told me."

The sadness in his voice was cracking my heart. Unconsciously, I reached out, taking his hand in mine and squeezing it.

Over the last few months, whenever I was going through it, Jace found a way to comfort me. Despite how desperate I was to put any feelings at bay, I'd be damned if I didn't do the same for him.

"I know it may seem late, but I loved you like a son from the moment we met... Well, the second moment we met," Alex joked feebly. "You became an amazing man without me, but I want you to know that I'm here now. It was a lucky coincidence that we met when you were a kid, but it's fate that we met again, even though the circumstances weren't ideal."

Nodding, Jace stayed silent, the only response out of him was the squeeze he sent back after I squeezed his hand again. "Would you, Efthymia, and the twins like to come over for dinner one day?" he suddenly asked, wrapping his fingers through mine.

Don't flip out. Don't flip out. Don't flip out.

"We'd like that very much," he smiled warmly, looking down at our hands. "You know, I don't know if you remember this part, but I got a call that day and had to leave."

Jace's eyebrows furrowed again. "I vaguely remember that."

"Liam called me." The mention of Dad had me widen my eyes. "Kimmy was a baby and she was really sick. I was pretty good at calming her down, so Liam asked when I was coming back home. When I told you I had to leave to take care of her, you told me to give her three big kisses on her forehead, saying your mom would do that when you were sick. I should've known then..."

I looked at Jace out of the corner of my eye, only to see his eyes already on me. Be still, you traitorous heart.

Alex continued, "It worked like a charm. Now, I know it sounds all cliche, but maybe you two were meant to meet."

Now, it was my turn to stay quiet.

Jace snorted, "If only I knew that baby would be actively planning my murder less than twenty-five years later."

An involuntary roll slipped out of my eyes as I slapped his arm. "I might just go through with it."

Alex's eyes crinkled up in laughter. "Speaking of murder and Kimmy, Addie told me she's been trying to contact you."

He was right about that. I missed three calls from her yesterday and one this morning. I wasn't normally one to ignore family's calls, but Addison liked calling me when she thought I fucked up, so I graciously declined her judgment.

"Why?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "She called me this morning and when I told her I was coming over here, she told me to ask you to call her back. I think it's business-related."

Oof, my weakness.

"Fine."

With that, we bid him goodbye and the father-son duo actually hugged. A tear slipped out of Alex's eye at the embrace from his son and confirmation of the plans we made.

I think I finished my job here.

♕♕♕

I was staring down at my phone, completely unwilling to call the one person who I used to love like an older sister.

Jace's curious eyes were on me the entire time, trying to understand my hesitation. As far as he knew, I loved my family and had a decent relationship with all of them and a slightly choppy one with Addison.

But he didn't know just how bad it was.

Back when we were younger, Addison, Ashton, Vivian, and I were extremely close. Even though Addison was two years older than me and Vivi—making her almost three years older than Ash—our ages didn't hinder the relationship.

She used to be a loving, caring older cousin.

Someone who I went to for all my problems.

Someone who loved me unconditionally.

After the kidnapping, Addison changed.

It took me a long time to cope with the fact that Ash and I weren't the only ones affected. But even after I came to terms with it, I still couldn't understand Addison's issue.

"Why aren't you calling?" Oblivion was completely evident in his tone. "And if you say personal after witnessing the conversation I had with Alex, I will spank you."

"If you're going to threaten me, don't make it enticing."

Call me the queen of evasion.

He rolled his eyes, grabbing my chin to tilt my head to face him. "Tell me."

There are no words to describe how much that turned me on, but I had a feeling that if I told him this, he'd throw my clothes in the trash.

The horror...

"I just don't have the best relationship with her," I mumbled through squished cheeks.

He gave me a stern look. "That much is obvious. Why?"

How does one possibly summarize almost eighteen years of conflict into one conversation? For some unknown reason, Addison developed a strong dislike for me and everything I did. Everyone would try to excuse it by saying she blamed herself for what happened and chose to cope this way, but that didn't excuse anything.

I tried—for so long—I tried to amend our relationship. But, as we grew older, it was like she saw me as her rival and not her cousin.

As much as I hated to admit it, I had this strong feeling she was jealous.

Of what? I would never know, but by the way she acted, it was obvious.

"You're gonna think I'm a brat," I sheepishly admitted.

He raised his eyebrows in a 'try me' gesture, responding, "I'll always think you're a brat, but you're my brat. So, stop beating around the bush and speak."

"Ever since what happened to me and Ash," I started, taking a deep breath, "she's been on my case about everything. For the first few months after what happened, she would barely talk to either of us and everyone would say it's probably because she blamed herself, even though neither of us blamed her.

"In all honesty, I think she's jealous. Maybe because Ash and I became really close after what happened. Because I bounced back from it like it was nothing. Because... Well, I don't really know why. But, ever since, she'd constantly compete with me over everything. I didn't need that type of person in my life, and I'm not the kind of person who lets other people walk all over her, so I fought back.

"And, we've been fighting ever since," I finished.

Jace took a few seconds to process the words, nodding to himself. "I did notice a lot of... animosity between you two"—I snorted at the understatement—"but why don't you want to call her now? Especially if it's related to something important, I figured you'd have no problem keeping it concise."

Dramatically throwing my head back on the couch, I trilled my lips at his stupidly astute questions and observations.

"For the first time in a while, I feel pretty okay," I admitted. It was the absolute truth. I haven't been drinking as much. I've been clean for a couple of months. I was in a lot better place than I ever anticipated being.

Even though I was mentally teetering along the edge, I was getting better. Camelia constantly reminded me to be proud of the small achievements I've been making to prevent myself from being all up in my head about how fucked up I was.

I didn't need anyone—especially my older cousin—doing anything to mess with it.

Moving again so my head was in his lap and I was looking up at our gorgeous ceilings, I continued, "Addison makes me feel wrong. She makes me feel like I'm constantly or I'm doing enough. Even if we keep it professional, I just have this fear that she's going to say something that ticks me off and all the progress I've made goes out the window."

We've already broken so many rules and here I was sharing a part of myself that I haven't even told Ashton. Tears pricked in my eyes and I couldn't help but hate how vulnerable I was around Jace.

I couldn't help but hate how I knew he would comfort me somehow.

I couldn't help but hate how my heart skipped a beat at the notion.

"First off, I'm not going to fix something I know nothing about or defend someone who I don't know well enough," Jace stated, running a hand through my hair. Somehow, he figured out how much I liked it and never stopped. "But, I know you. Your achievements, your progress is entirely your own. No one—not even Addison—can take that away from you. But, if she does say something out of pocket, I'm here. Not because I think you can't handle it on your own, but because I don't want to hear anyone say that shit about you."

How was I supposed to be okay when he said stuff like that?

How was I supposed to not fall in love when he made me feel like so much more?

"You're annoying," I whispered, with my eyes closed to keep the incoming tears at bay.

"Only to you, dumbass." He tugged my hair. "Now, call."

Begrudgingly, I reached over and grabbed my phone off the table, dialing the one number I haven't purposely called in ages.

After a few short rings, I heard the familiar voice at the other end of the line. "And she picks up."

"Alex told me you had something to tell me," I replied, keeping my voice steady.

She must've sensed some hesitation on my end because she didn't sound as bitchy as she normally did. "It's about Laurent. The father, not the asswipe."

"They're both asswipes," I replied.

Both Jace and Addison let out a soft snort. Then, Addison asked, "Am I on speaker?"

"Yeah."