Marrying Ember(9)

I breathed half a sigh of relief as Regan squatted down and hoisted a flailing Ember over his shoulder.

“Let me down, Regan! This isn’t funny!”

“No shit it’s not funny, you’ve lost your head. Shut up and stop moving so we both don’t fall down the stairs.” Their voices trailed off as I remained planted in the RV, and saw the rest of the group and crew moving toward the vehicle.

Oh good. A full-blown scene.

“You can put your arm down, you know.” Willow spoke as if nothing had happened, though I could still her ragged breath between her words.

I turned slowly, my eyes nearly bulging out of my head. “You need to get it together.” Those were the only words that I spoke before dropping my guard and walking off the RV, to a still enraged Ember.

“November Blue, get ahold of yourself.” Ashby grabbed his daughter’s shoulders as they moved up and down against deep breaths.

Raven moved to my side. “What happened?” Her look was slightly suspicious, and I couldn’t really blame her given the undercurrent to the girls’ relationship, but I was still slightly offended.

“Nothing to do with me, Raven.” I shook my head, annoyed.

She sighed and said, “Of course not, that’s not what I meant.”

It was, but I let it slide. We were all human in our thinking, after all.

The muscles in my back froze as I heard the measured steps of Willow making her way off the RV.

Finally, Ember spoke as she pointed to the pot-stirrer who had her arms crossed as she stood just to my side.

“Her. She happened,” Ember seethed as she crossed to come face to face with Willow. It was kind of like watching a predator and prey in the wild, though none of us knew who was which at the moment, so we stood still. On alert.

“Girls,” Solstice, Willow’s mother who was normally ethereal and quiet, cut her words through the awkward silence. “Enough is enough.”

“This has gone on long enough,” Michael added.

I noticed that Mags and Journey were hanging back, watching the scene carefully, as though it were a series of whipping live wires.

Raven sounded flustered as she threw her hands in the air. “If this has nothing to do with Bo, then I demand you two spill what it is that has you at each other’s throats.”

Oh, God …

Regan and I looked at each other, his face paling as his eyes grew wide. Ember and Willow turned, facing each other with their hands on their hip as if they were silently daring each other to say it.

Just when I thought one of them had come up with a fabulous lie, Ember slowly lifted her chin and turned to face the band.

“For months … months … Willow has insisted that she and I are sisters. Half sisters. I’ve told her to drop it a thousand times, and she won’t. Now is a good a time as any to put it to rest, don’t you think.”

Ember tucked her hair behind her ears, and I watched a tear roll down Solstice’s cheek.

“Mom,” Willow spoke with the vulnerability of a lost toddler. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Ember snapped. “Come on, you’re completely ridiculous.”

At once, Raven moved to Ashby’s side, and Michael clutched Solstice’s hand. They all looked at each other in a way that made me move to Ember and grab her hand. She looked up at me with the hope of the last few months shattered in her eyes.

Solstice cleared her throat. “She’s right … Willow is right.”





The words “Willow’s right” dropped like an atom bomb over the group as we stood in a gorgeous, unassuming park in Northern California. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Journey and Mags turn and walk back to their picnic blanket, never once looking over their shoulder. Regan looked like he didn’t know what to do, but being the kind of guy he is, he stepped closer to me and Ember. From just behind me I heard the release of Willow’s tears. Stranded and alone against the side of the RV as her parents walked around us to get to her.



Parents.

Ember stared at hers, then moved her gaze to Willow.

“No.” Ember shook her head, and I could feel the muscles trembling in her hands. “No …”

“Sweetie,” Raven let go of Ashby’s hand and stepped toward Ember, who took a step back.

“Then who … if we’re … who is … no …”

“Girls,” Michael spoke with his arm around Willow. “We should talk about this inside.” He nodded to the RV and led Willow and his wife up the stairs.

“Let’s go,” Ashby whispered, placing his arm around Ember’s shoulders.

“No … no …” Ember was in a daze, her tone getting angrier by the moment.

I kissed her temple and gave her hand a soft squeeze. “I’ll be right here when you come out.”

She whipped her head around, staring at me in apparent fear. “You’re not coming?”

My eyes moved over the fragile family, and I stroked Ember’s cheek with my thumb. “This is between you and them, okay? I’ll literally be standing right here when you come out.”

Ember leaned against Ashby’s body as he led her up the stairs into the RV. Raven mouthed a grateful “thank you” to me as she followed the pair, shutting the door behind her.