The Do-Over (The Rooftop Crew Book 5)

by Piper Rayne

  I’m with him—why can’t my love life be drama free?

  We walk a few feet in silence.

  “She’s very pretty though. You really like her?” he asks.

  “I do.”

  “Good.”

  All my dad wants is for me to be happy. My mom too, but she can be judgmental. She never liked my college girlfriend, nor did she like Leilani. My mom has a certain vision of the woman I should end up with and neither of them were it. I’m not sure she’ll be happy no matter who I choose.

  We walk toward my parents’ two-bedroom apartment. My mom uses her key to open the door for the building, and we walk up the stained linoleum steps. Part of me is ashamed that Kamea will see how poor my parents are. I grew up without any money, but I was still seen as fortunate because I had two parents. Hell, Dylan and Jax didn’t even have one. They had a foster mom.

  My mom is asking them if they like galumpkis while she inserts the key into their apartment door.

  “Mom, Kamea is a vegetarian.” The last thing she wants to eat is cabbage leaves stuffed with ground meat and rice.

  “Oh. Well, that’s very environmentally-friendly of you.”

  I shake my head because my mom just doesn’t get it. My dad smacks me over the head for embarrassing my mother.

  Kamea glances at me. “It’s fine, I’m not hungry.”

  “Nonsense, everyone eats at the Whelans’. I’m sure I have vegetables. But you are going to challenge me.” Mom laughs as we file into my parents’ apartment.

  Jax falls onto the couch and grabs the remote. My dad kicks Jax’s legs to get his feet off the coffee table and takes the remote from his hand.

  “You didn’t warp back to being sixteen, Jax.” Dad sits in his armchair and pulls back the recliner to rest his feet.

  Jax groans. “You’re still watching black and white movies.”

  Rian sits at the kitchen table with Kamea on her right. Dylan sits down next to Jax, talking to my dad about the neighborhood and if he thinks things will ever turn around. I head into the kitchen with my mom. Her head is buried in the cupboard as the oven warms up.

  “You don’t have to feed us, Mom. We were going to go out to eat. I’m on shift tonight.”

  She peeks her head out of the cupboard and looks at the clock. “You have plenty of time. I can’t believe you’d come down here and not see us. Thankfully Dylan spotted us across the street of that dingy bar you were in.”

  “Yeah, I’ll need to thank him for that later.”

  She peeks her head out again and shoots me a death stare. “So tell me about her.”

  “There’s not much to tell.”

  She pulls out a box of crackers. “Cheese isn’t vegetarian, right?” She opens the fridge.

  “That’s vegan. She’ll eat cheese.”

  “And salami. I have cheese and salami.” Her smile is so wide, I hate to disappoint her.

  “Salami is meat, Mom.”

  Her head falls back. “Yes, of course. Okay.” She walks away from me and says to Kamea, “I’ve got crackers and cheese. What about olives? Do you like olives? Tim loves them.”

  Without Kamea answering, my mom returns to our small galley kitchen. The buzzer of the oven goes off and she takes the galumpkis out of the fridge and places them into the oven before setting a timer. Mom takes out a jar of black olives and puts them in a bowl, then sets them in front of Kamea.

  “Mom, relax.” I put my hand over hers. “You don’t have to entertain us. You didn’t even know we were coming.”

  “And whose fault is that?” She pokes me in the chest.

  I wrap her up in a hug. “It’s new,” I whisper. “I don’t want to scare her.”

  Mom draws back and puts her hands on my cheeks. “You worry too much. Any woman would be lucky to have you. You know your dad sat outside my apartment building for two days, asking me out every time I left. Grandpa wanted Uncle Mark to make him leave. If they like you, they don’t see your love as smothering. You just pick the wrong girls.” She pats my cheek.

  I nod because it’s the same thing she’s always told me.

  “Go get to know her. I’ve got this.” I push Mom toward the table with Kamea and Rian.

  She smiles, and after everyone has a drink in their hands, Mom sits down with the girls. I busy myself in the kitchen, trying to find something Kamea will actually enjoy. Then I have the idea to order Chinese food so my mom can have a night of enjoyment too.

  Heading into my old childhood room, I call up and order the Chinese food, but before I can head back into the living room, Kamea walks in.

  “This is your childhood bedroom?” she asks.

  “I thought you were talking to my mom,” I say, sitting on my bed.

  “Someone called.” She sits next to me on my twin bed, her eyes scanning the area. “It’s nice.”

  “It’s small,” I say.

  She shrugs, eyeing my bookcase. “Trophies from football?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You okay?” She tilts her head. “You seem tense.”

  I drag her onto my lap and she winds her arms around my neck. I kiss her. “I’m great right now.”

  “So… Leilani was using?”

  I figured she’d ask at some point. I nod. “I found her twice, but I don’t think it was a regular thing.”

  “That’s good.” Her head falls to my shoulder and she suddenly looks exhausted.

  I kiss her forehead, annoyed and happy that we’re at my parents’. “I ordered you some food. We need to keep your energy up.”

  She giggles. “I like your parents. They seem nice.”

  “They’re good people.”

  “Your mom wants to come to Cliffton Heights and have Rian’s pastries and my coffee. And she wants me to design shirts for her knitting club.”

  I laugh.

  “And she said I’m to come for Thanksgiving dinner. That you usually volunteer first then have dinner?”

  I nod. “You don’t have to come.”

  “I want to.”

  “Why?”

  She sits up a little straighter and looks me in the eye. “They’re important to you, so they’re important to me. I want to have a relationship. Plus I told your mom I’ll teach her how to make a tofu turkey.”

  I gape. “Tofu?” My dad would die.

  She giggles. “Come on, a little tofu never hurt anyone.”

  I toss her onto her back on the bed and crawl on top of her, wishing I could shut that door and have sex with her. She keeps laughing.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I wish I could’ve kept it a secret until Thanksgiving and placed a tofu turkey in front of you, just to see your face.”

  I tickle her. “You think that’s funny?”

  She wiggles and squirms and my dick grows hard. “I do.”

  As though I have no control, my lips find hers and I kiss her, my tongue sliding into her mouth. She moans, and one leg wraps around my leg, allowing me to grind into her.

  “Knox!” my mom yells.

  I scramble off Kamea as though I’m in high school and my parents just got home. I wipe my mouth as Kamea laughs, getting up from the bed to pretend she’s looking at trophies. I fix my pants so my hard-on isn’t on display for my mom.

  Mom comes to the doorway. “You didn’t order Chinese food, did you?”

  I nod. “I did.”

  She smiles in appreciation, then she looks to where Kamea is. “Has Knox told you what a great football player he was?”

  Kamea listens to my mom brag about me and my accomplishments. Every once in a while, Kamea’s gaze shoots to me and she looks as though she wishes she could pounce on me. I wish the same thing. But mostly she listens to my mom, asking questions and giving her the respect she deserves just for being my mom. My mom keeps touching Kamea’s arm, and Kamea never steps away. She laughs with my mom and my heart feels as if it’s growing as I watch the two of them together.

  Maybe she is the one after all.

 
Chapter Twenty-Five

  Kamea

  It’s the night before Thanksgiving and everyone has decided to head to the bar. Knox got the holiday off, so instead of being home this weekend, he’s off tonight and tomorrow. But since Jax and Dylan have to work, the girls decided we’d go to the bar first and the guys could catch up.

  We Uber down to the riverfront of Cliffton Heights, where a lot of the clubs and bars are located.

  When we exit the two cars, Sierra’s arm swings through mine. “I really like you. You’re perfect for him and you fit in perfectly with us.”

  I chuckle. “Thank you.”

  She has no idea how much her words mean to me. Ever since leaving North Carolina, I haven’t had friends I could depend on. It’s crazy to feel that these women have my back after only a few weeks, but Rian allowed me to move in when it’s clear Dylan isn’t happy about it, and Sierra let me borrow her dress, Blanca did my makeup. And Evan is always asking me how my day was. Finally, after all this time, I feel as though I fit somewhere. I’m aware that has a lot to do with Knox though. And if Knox and I go south, all this might disappear too.

  We walk into the bar. The music is on, but it isn’t pounding bass. Blanca says something to the bartender and he nods, pointing toward a table in the corner that’s big enough for all of us. She waves us over and we all get seated, taking off our coats and hanging our purses off the back of the chairs. The waitress appears immediately and we all order our drinks.

  “So spill it,” Blanca says to me.

  “Spill what?” I ask.

  “You and Knox. You’re officially together?”

  I nod, feeling heat rush to my cheeks. I’m not sure why I’m embarrassed. Being with him is the best feeling in the world. He’s so open with his thoughts and feelings, I have no idea how Leilani didn’t fall head over heels for him. Then again, he definitely has a sense of commitment that most likely scared her.

  “Yay!” Blanca claps. “We should order champagne.”

  “I heard you really nailed it by moving in with Rian.” Sierra elbows me. “Totally something I would’ve done. When you know, you know, right?”

  I nod, although I don’t think I’m nearly the hard-ass Sierra is. With her perfect style and confidence, she still intimidates me a little.

  “What’s everyone doing for Thanksgiving?” I ask to get the heat off of me. I’m afraid I could jinx us if I talk too much about Knox and me.

  “We’re going to my dad’s, but then we’re heading to the shelter to see Knox as Santa.” Sierra sips her drink.

  “My parents’ house with my brothers and their wives, but we’re catching a ride with Sierra and Adrian over to the shelter too,” Blanca says.

  “We’re at Seth’s parents and we’re hoping to get over to Rian’s for dessert, then the shelter,” Evan says.

  “You’re stuck with us the entire day,” Rian says to me.

  “I’m sure Dylan isn’t too happy about that,” I say.

  Sierra’s head whips toward Rian. “What am I missing?”

  Rian’s lips tipping down is her way of apology, but it’s not her fault that Dylan has a problem with me. “He’s just being Dylan.”

  “You mean the way he was with—”

  Rian nods before Sierra can finish.

  “What am I missing?” I ask since the conversation took a turn into the dark for me.

  “Dylan is protective over Knox. Kind of like a big brother,” Rian says. “He’s worried because you were friends with Leilani, that you two could have some scheme going.”

  My eyes widen, and I feel sick to my stomach. “What?”

  “He’s insane.” Blanca rolls her eyes.

  Rian nods. “He is. I told him that, but the three of them…” She looks at me. “Jax, Dylan, and Knox have been friends since childhood and I think they just look out for one another. Some kind of bro code.”

  “Funny, since when Jax returned, Dylan wasn’t happy.” Sierra rolls her eyes.

  I suddenly feel so lost in this group dynamic. “I’m going to head to the bathroom.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Evan says.

  “Kamea,” Rian calls.

  I turn back around. She doesn’t need to feel guilty for communicating what her fiancé thinks. “It’s okay. I get his apprehension. He’s a good friend to Knox and that’s what matters. Honestly.”

  Her shoulders sink, but I turn to head to the bathroom. Evan’s hot on my heels as we weave through the overcrowded bar toward the bathroom. When I enter, I stare at myself in the mirror, pushing away the negative thoughts Dylan has about me. I just have to prove to him that I’m not Leilani, that I care for Knox, and that I’m not going to run away. While I use the bathroom, I try to think of some way to get on Dylan’s good side. How can I prove to him that he can trust me?

  I exit the stall, and Evan sighs when she sees me. Then she buckles over in laughter. “You’re never going to believe what just happened to me.”

  “What?” I wash my hands, staring at her through the mirror.

  “A group got between us and I couldn’t see you anymore. Then I put my arm through this girl’s arm, thinking it was you. I was laughing and telling her how crazy the bar is and how you don’t have to worry about Dylan. But when she didn’t answer, I finally looked at her and it wasn’t you. I swear she’s your doppelgänger from behind.” She laughs. “I don’t think she appreciated it because she yanked her arm out of mine and gave me a dirty look.”

  I laugh, drying my hands. “Sorry, I just wanted to get away from the table for a second. Clear my head.”

  She leans her hip on the counter. “Listen. I’ve only been in this group for a short time, but they really have been great friends to me. From what Seth says, Leilani took a sledgehammer to Knox.”

  I hold up my hand. “I’ve heard it all, and honestly, I’m done hearing it. Knox loved Leilani. Great. I get it.”

  She runs her hand along my upper arm. “I didn’t mean that.”

  I look away from her, sick and tired of feeling second best every time Leilani’s damn name comes up. When will she not be this invisible third wheel in our relationship?

  “I see the way he looks at you. He’s fixated on you when we’re all together.”

  And when I’m with Knox, I never think about Leilani. I never doubt his feelings for me. But times like now, when someone puts me in the same boat as Leilani, or when I have to hear for the millionth time how crushed he was when she left, I feel the doubts and questions of whether I’m the rebound or a replacement.

  “It’s fine, really. I’m just being silly.” I wave it off.

  “Seth says he’s never seen him so happy.”

  “Thanks, Evan. I’m going to go back. I don’t want Rian to think I’m mad.”

  “Come on. Let’s just enjoy tonight.” Evan opens the door, and we step out into the hallway for the bathrooms. We’re about to go single file through the crowd when Evan’s hand lands on my arm. “That’s her. I don’t see the resemblance face to face, but from behind, I can see why I thought it. I’ll have to pay more attention to what you’re wearing from now on.”

  Evan’s too busy laughing to notice that the girl she thought was me is staring at me and I at her. Because the girl she thought was me is Leilani.

  Leilani walks toward me, her beer hanging in her fingers at her side. She’s wearing black leather pants and a black shirt that dips down past her cleavage. The entire outfit shows off her body, and guys check her out as she walks by them.

  “Kamea!” she exclaims as she gets closer, setting her beer on a nearby table before pulling me in for a hug. Just as forcefully as she pulled me in, she pushes me away.

  “You know her?” Evan asks me, pointing at Leilani.

  “Evan, this is Leilani. Leilani, this is Evan.”

  Leilani finally stops looking at me and shifts her attention to Evan. “Seth’s girl, right?”

  “Um… yeah.”

  “Knox always told me he had a thing for you. I
t wasn’t hard to put it together when you thought I was Kamea. People have always mistaken us, right, Kam?” She puts her arm around me. “The Polynesian genes are strong, I guess.”

  She’s being friendly, and I fear this is a calm before the storm.

  “So you guys are friends?” Leilani asks, glancing over her shoulder at the other girls at our table—they’re enthralled in a conversation and don’t see what’s happening. “You’re friends with all of Knox’s friends? How’d that happen?”

  “Well…” Evan puts her hands on her hips, head swiveling as though she’s ready to tell Kamea off. “When you skipped on the bail that Kamea paid—”

  I place my hand on Evan’s arm to stop her from doing what I need to do. “The truth is, after your friends got me kicked out of my apartment and you ran off with them, Knox found me under an overpass and gave me a place to sleep. We’ve been all over trying to find you, Leilani. I told you I needed that bail money.”

  Leilani rolls her eyes. “An overpass? Seriously, Kamea? You didn’t have anywhere else to go? So dramatic.”

  “She didn’t. No one would choose to sleep—”

  Again I put my hand on Evan’s arm, and when she looks over to me, I shake my head. Leilani’s not worth it.

  “So now you’re friends with all of them?” There’s jealousy in Leilani’s tone, and I remember she was never really welcomed into the group—or, as usual, she chose to distance herself.

  “I am.” I nod.

  She blows out a breath. “They’re not real friends.”

  “And you are?” Evan screams.

  Leilani shakes her head before looking at me.

  “And you are?” I repeat Evan’s words. “You didn’t care about me or what I’m trying to accomplish. I told you I needed the money and you took off. What kind of friend are you?”

  “You don’t want to go there.” Leilani’s words hold a threat.

  I throw my hands in the air. “Oh my God, just say it.”

  “You wouldn’t even come with me. You just said you couldn’t.”

  I toss back my head. “Because I wasn’t going to be a seventeen-year-old runaway. And you didn’t have to leave.”

  “Yes, I did. Because I saved you. I had to leave because I saved you and my life was hell after that.”