The Wayward Sons: Starlee's Heart: WhyChoose Contemporary Young Adult Romance

by Angel Lawson

  “You want some pie?” he asks. It’s forced, but he’s trying. God, that’s all we want. Sierra will be proud.

  “I definitely want some pie.”

  We’re walking toward the Wayward Sun when I hear the sound of glass breaking and a surprised cry.

  “What the fuck?”

  Charlie stands in the middle of the street with blood dripping down his face. A broken bottle is on the ground. George runs to his brother and everything slows as I look up at Jordan, who has an evil smirk on his face.

  Dexter slips from my grip, lunging past George and Charlie.

  “Jake!” I shout, knowing he’s the only line of defense. His blue eyes flit around, overwhelmed with the scene. Jordan lifts another bottle between his fingers and throws it our way. It misses, shattering on the pavement, and then there’s a switch flipped in his eyes. Gone is the mean smirk. Now there’s just rage. He charges right at Dexter, barreling him to the ground. His fists move fast and hard, punching Jordan in the face. The difference this time is Jordan is massive and easily throws Dexter off his body. They both scramble to their feet. Blood drips down Dexter’s knuckles and from Jordan’s lip.

  They lunge for one another again, bodies hard on impact.

  “Help!” I scream. “Help!!”

  Lights flip on in the cottages and businesses. Sierra appears in the yard. She spots the blood and Charlie on the ground and runs over.

  Two guys from Epic, including Tom, appear, who is already speaking on his phone. “Stop!” he shouts as Jake drags Jordan off Dexter. “Break it up! I called 911, the police and an ambulance are on the way.”

  Two of the guys from Jordan’s cottage rush out and see their friend. “Jordan. Stop. What the hell?”

  They don’t seem happy but also not surprised. When they get him secured, I run over to Dexter.

  “You okay?”

  He nods, looking dazed. “I didn’t want to.”

  “I know.”

  Sierra runs over. “Starlee, I need you to get him out of here.”

  “What?” There’s so much commotion.

  “I’ll take care of Charlie. Get Dexter out of here. Tell him to go to the cabin.” She presses something in my hand. A key. “Don’t come back until tomorrow.”

  “What about Leelee?” I glance up at the house. The lights are still off. She probably never woke.

  “I’ll take care of it.” Sierra’s face turns into a silent plea. “He can’t be out here when the sheriff comes. You know that.”

  I nod, finally getting it. I walk over to Dexter and help him off the ground. “Come on,” I say to him. He doesn’t argue and I lead him away from the crowd to the car. Everyone is so focused on Charlie’s injury and keeping Jordan contained, I don’t think they notice.

  We hop in and I find the keys in the ignition. “Sierra said to go to the cabin. You know how to get there?” I ask.

  He nods. “Head south.”

  Neither of us speak on the way down the mountain. Not when the ambulance passes or the sheriff’s truck. I know he’s working to calm down—to reconcile the fact he left Charlie. When he reaches for me, running his hand along my thigh and squeezing, I lower my hand to his and hold on.

  “Turn right up here,” he says once we’ve passed through June Lake. I take a road we’ve never been on before. It’s incredibly dark and hard to imagine anyone lives out here. “There’s a dirt road about a half a mile away. Just drive slow so we don’t miss it.”

  I slow the Jeep to a crawl and although it feels like we could’ve walked faster, the headlights reveal a small, flat dirt road and I turn. It’s only a few minutes longer before a structure appears in the distance and when I reach the wood-plank cabin, I stop the car.

  “This is it?” I ask, looking out the window. There are big windows and a massive stone chimney.

  “Yep. Leave on the lights, okay?”

  I hand him the key and he opens his door, walking up the set of stairs. I wait until he turns on the lights and then shut off the car. He meets me back at the base of the stairs.

  “What is this place?”

  “My parents owned it.” He scratches his neck. “Now Sierra and I do. We don’t ever come here though. Or at least, I don’t.”

  I follow him in. The cabin is small but nicely decorated—a little musty from being closed up. Dexter walks through the cabin, flipping on lights. He looks in a few cabinets. There are canned goods and a few things in the freezer. He grabs a bag of frozen peas and holds it against his cheek.

  “Sierra comes down here a few times a year. She keeps it stocked in case of an emergency.”

  A photo of the family is mounted over the fireplace mantle. Everyone looks happy—other than Dexter, who carries a look of teenage discontent. I don’t know what to say other than what’s on my mind. “Your mother was pretty.”

  He glances up. “She was.”

  “I’m sorry about what happened to them.” I eye him carefully. “Sierra told me.”

  He nods and then exhales. “I don’t know what’s going to happen at the hearing. It was a long shot to begin with, but now? No way Judge Hackney lets me off.”

  I walk over and slide my arms around his waist. “It’s another six months of probation. You’re so much better now, Dex, even if it sucks, you’ll get through it.” His jaw clenches and he looks away from me. “What?”

  “It’s not just probation time on the line, Starlee. They can lock me up. And not just in juvie. I’m eighteen. I’ll go into the transitional prison and if something happens there, which it’s likely to, then I’ll be charged as an adult.”

  I frown. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying if Judge Hackney feels like I’m violating probation with these fights, then I’m headed to lock-up.”

  “Prison?”

  “Or the equivalent to that, yes.”

  My hands shake. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me it was that bad?”

  “I didn’t want to scare you. I know you feel like it’s your fault because I got in the fight with Dugan, but that’s all on me. Not you.” He touches my chin. “I may have fucked up that day, but I don’t regret it. Not for a second.”

  “Dexter—”

  “Look, it’s not a big deal. You’re leaving…in what? Another three or four weeks? We only had you for a minute in time anyway. I’m just glad I got to meet you before I screwed up.”

  His voice trembles and he’s talking big—so big—but it’s bullshit. He knows it and I know it. I have no idea how to comfort him other than to wrap my arms around him and hug him tight. His body is warm, strong. I’m not used to being alone with him—not like this—not without the guys or my grandmother or Sierra around. He leans back and looks down at me. Eyes intent.

  This.

  This is what my mother was afraid of. Not just the bullies. Not just the assholes. But the guys like Dexter who I’ll want to give my heart.

  My mother has been so wrong about so many things that I know she’s wrong about this, too.

  I pull at his shirt and push up on my toes, kissing him with all the emotion of the night.

  “Wow,” he says a moment later. I rest my hand on his chest and feel his heart pounding. Before I can respond he kisses me again, this time lifting me off the ground and moving me to a cushy leather chair. He sits, bringing me with him and settling me against his lap.

  “I don’t want you to go,” I say.

  He brushes back my hair. “I don’t want you to, either.”

  “Then we fight to keep you out of prison and me from going home.”

  “Fights are what got me into all this trouble in the first place.” He places his lips on my neck; searing kisses down my collarbone.

  “Not that kind of fighting.” His stubble tickles and I squirm against him. He grabs my hands and forces me to stop. “What?”

  Then I feel it. Him. And I see his eyes darken and the bob of his Adam’s apple and something surges through me. It’s a sense of awareness. Of
control, and no, my mother never told me about this either.

  “Sorry,” I say, sliding off his lap. His hands move to my hips, keeping me in place.

  “Don’t apologize. You make me crazy, Starlee Jones. Absolutely fucking crazy.”

  My heart races and my body…well, it’s reacting like his. A shiver runs down my spine and he pulls me close for another kiss. This time it’s heated, desperate. We’ve been tip-toeing around this all night.

  What if it’s the last time?

  We can fight it but may lose. What we do have control over is this moment, and without letting my mouth leave his I push at his shirt, wanting to feel his skin. And he pushes back at mine and when his hands touch my flesh, it feels so good.

  He stops, breathing heavy, and I brush the hair out his eyes. “We don’t have to…” he starts, but I shake my head.

  “I want to.”

  “Yeah?” His mouth quirks in a grin.

  “Yeah.”

  With that he lifts me off the couch and grabs my hand, leading me across the cabin. I follow him into the room, to the bed and under the covers.

  I let him show me what it’s like to be loved by a man and in return I find the swell of emotion I’d been told to avoid, to fear, and I do the scariest thing of all.

  I love him in return.

  22

  The cabin fills with light and I cover my face, wondering who thought all these windows were a good idea. Then I remember where I am and whose cabin this is and feel for the warm body next to me.

  His body is gone. The sheets still warm.

  A curse from the kitchen tells me where he is.

  I dress, taking a moment to look at myself in the mirror. Isn’t that what all newly-non-virgins do after they’ve had sex? I’m a cliché, which provides me with the strangest thrill.

  I’m a normal teenager who had normal sex with my normal boyfriend.

  Oh shit.

  I have four boyfriends. There was no way I was going to do this right.

  I tug my hoodie over my head and walk to the kitchen. Dexter’s standing over the coffee maker. A can of coffee is open on the counter.

  “Hi,” I say, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. The last time I looked at Dexter we were snuggled under the covers, breathing heavy. I glance at his hands. They’d been all over me. All over. Me.

  He turns and smiles. “Hey. I’m just trying to figure out how to work this machine.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “Babe, you drink caffeine with a pound of sugar every morning. We need to get you your fix.” He pushes something on the machine and it beeps. “Ah-ha. Got it.”

  He leaves the project and walks over, kissing me on the forehead. “Thanks for last night,” he says quietly. “Keeping me out of that fight, bringing me here…everything else.”

  “You’re welcome,” I say, leaning my head against his chest. I hear his heartbeat thrumming under the cotton. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” he says, glancing down. A line of concern slashes between his eyes. He leads me to the couch and I grab the blanket on the back. We snuggle underneath. “What’s up?”

  “Last night was great—”

  “But…”

  I smile. “There’s no but…there’s just…what about the other guys? You know I’ve been seeing them too, and I know we never defined anything but we kind of agreed things were fluid, but I’m not exactly a fluid person—or I don’t think I am. Maybe I am? Or maybe I am and you aren’t.” I inhale and then exhale loudly. “Did I ruin everything for everyone?”

  “First of all, there’s no you. We made a decision last night and you’re right. We should probably figure out how to go forward.”

  “Are they going to be mad?”

  He shrugs. “Jealous, maybe. They may have a few words for me.”

  “Like what?”

  “Making sure I didn’t take advantage of the situation—that was something we agreed on when all this started.”

  “You guys talked about it?”

  “Sure. Actually, we had a whole conversation about it, coming back from the social worker last time.”

  “And…”

  “And that’s between us.” He kisses my hand. “But we all made an agreement that we want you in our lives. You make us better people, Starlee.”

  I think for a minute. “Is that normal? Like, for guys to want to share?”

  “We’re not normal. You should have realized that a while ago.” He pulls me close and lifts up his arm, tugging at his sleeve to reveal the tattoo inked in his skin.

  “Do you know what this says?”

  “Not exactly. I know you all have one.”

  He rests it across my knees and I read the script: Family Don’t End With Blood

  I run my fingers down the words. “Is it from the show?”

  “Yep, you just aren’t there yet.” He wraps his arms around me. “We got these about a year after we moved in with Sierra—as a birthday gift. We made a decision that day that we’re family. All of us, regardless of what our blood says. What it also means is we don’t operate like everyone else. We’re close. Strong. United. All we have is one another.” He places a long, sweet kiss on my neck. “Until you showed up and rocked our world.”

  “I’m not sure I know how to navigate something like that. I’ve never even had friends before. What if I’m a complete failure.”

  “At being a girlfriend? We can help you with that, and frankly, it’s too late. We’ve claimed you. There’s no going back.”

  He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight and it dawns on me that despite giving a part of myself away last night, I don’t feel a loss. No, it’s quite the opposite. I feel a gain. I feel strong and resilient unlike ever before, and that’s just from feeling the love from one Wayward Son. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like with the others, and I can’t wait to find out.

  Dexter drives on the way back, both our nerves much less frayed than the day before. He spoke with Sierra on the phone. Charlie had to get stitches but otherwise is okay. Jordan got picked up by the police and arrested for assault and public intoxication.

  “When we get back I’m going to talk to Leelee about staying for my senior year and if she says yes—”

  “She’ll say yes,” Dexter says.

  “If she says yes,” I continue, “I’ll talk to my mom.”

  He smiles at me from the driver’s seat. “That would be really great.”

  “I haven’t been to public school in years.”

  “We’ll get you through it.”

  “There’s so much I want to stick around for. I can keep tutoring Jake. I can catch up on Supernatural and finally join in family night. Charlie can finally help me figure out Fortnite…” A thought pops in my head. “I can go to Jake’s football games!”

  “Or you can sneak under the bleachers with me at those games—keep me warm.”

  “You’re so bad.”

  He winks and my heart flutters.

  When we get back to Lee Vines, everything is back to normal and you’d never know there was a fight the night before. He parks the Jeep in front of The Wayward Sun and he almost falls over himself trying to get to the door before I can open it. We’re both a mess; wearing the same clothes as the night before, but there’s a giddiness between us, one I feel like everyone that passes us by can sense.

  Dexter leans against the side of the Jeep and pulls me close. He kisses me and boy, I don’t want to stop. I do, though, and say, “I should check on my grandmother.”

  “I should check on Charlie.”

  We gaze at one another for a minute longer like two ridiculous dorks.

  “Starlee?”

  I drop Dexter’s hand and step away. He frowns and looks in the direction of the voice. I don’t have to look but I do.

  “Mom?”

  My mother looks good. Better than she did before she left me here. She looks rested. Tanned. Her outfit is cute—stylish, and it doesn’t match the horrified
scowl on her face.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, completely stunned.

  Her eyes zero in on Dexter, no doubt taking in his lip ring and tattoo and the fact that he’s a boy. A boy that was just touching me and from the look on her face, she saw him kissing me too.

  “Get in the house, Starlee.”

  “Mom, answer me. What are you doing here?”

  “Get. In. The. House.” Her tone is cold as ice.

  “Ms. Jones?” I hear Dexter say. “Hi, I’m Dexter. I live next door.”

  Her eyes flick over and then back to me. Disappointment. That’s what I see, and along with it all my plans for the next year. Not wanting to make her more upset, I walk past her, leaving Dexter alone in the street with not as much as a goodbye, and head to the house.

  Leelee stands in the kitchen. “Starlee, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was coming. Sierra told me you went down to June Lake with Dexter and I wasn’t worried, but your mother showed up out of the blue. Sitting on the porch first thing this morning.”

  “It’s okay. Why is she here?”

  “I still don’t know, but she was mad as a hornet when she got here.”

  I hear the front door open and close. My mother appears in the kitchen doorway. “Care to explain that?”

  “That’s Dexter,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. “He lives next door.”

  “I know that, Starlee. What were you doing with him?”

  “We’re friends.”

  Her eyes sweep over me and in my heart, I know she can tell. She can tell what happened between us the night before. A lump forms in my throat and my cheeks burn hot with humiliation.

  She walks across the room to her purse on the kitchen table. She unzips it and pulls out an envelope. She holds it up. I’ve seen the marking in the corner before. State of California. “You got this in the mail. I opened it to make sure it wasn’t important. Turns out you’ve been subpoenaed to a hearing on tomorrow.”

  “I know. I got one here, too.”

  “It’s for that boy.” She reads his name off the paper. “Dexter Falco.”

  “Yes.” My eyes meet Leelee’s. She moves into action.