Wildfire (Maple Hills, #2)(106)

“I’m in Maple Hills.”

“Get your ass in your car right now. I am so serious, Aurora. I’m not playing your games this time, do not ruin this for everyone.”

I hold her a little tighter. “I said I’m not coming.”

“I’m coming to get you.”

“I’m not at home.”

Leaning around her I press the mute button so her dad can’t hear us as he launches into a rant about how selfish and immature she is. “I’m so fucking proud of you. You’re so strong, Rory. Don’t let him bully you into doing something you don’t want to do. You’re worth more than some photographs in a magazine. If you have to force a smile you deserve better.”

She takes us off mute as he finishes yelling. “I don’t care that you’re upset with me, Dad. I don’t like who I am when I let you dictate how I act.” I hold her a little tighter. “I’ve spent a really long time being reckless to get your attention, because at least then you’d remember I existed. You make me feel like I’m not worth sticking around for. I’m not letting you burn me anymore because I have people in my life who do like me for me.”

“If you arrive in the next two hours, we’ll pretend this conversation never happened,” he says, not an ounce of emotion in his tone.

“I hope your marriage is happy, but I won’t be there. I’m not faking smiles for you. Goodbye, Dad.”

She disconnects the call and I expect her to burst into tears, but she doesn’t, she sinks into me and pulls my arms tighter around her. “I’m going to crush you if I hug you any harder.”

“I don’t mind.”

“How do you feel?”

“Supported,” she says.

“That isn’t what I mean, sweetheart.” I kiss her neck and she’s quiet for a moment, something I’m still not used to.

“I feel lighter, like I made the right decision for once, and I know it’ll help me move on now I’ve told him. Maybe if it makes him change we can work on our relationship. Maybe it’ll be the thing that wakes him up.”

“I hope it does.”

We sit in silence for five minutes and she doesn’t let me loosen my grip until her phone starts ringing again. I feel her freeze in my arms, only relaxing when she lifts the screen to her line of sight and sees it isn’t her dad. She presses accept and the screen fills with a woman with dark brown hair sporting a huge grin. There’s no resemblance between her and the woman in my arms until she lifts her sunglasses, placing them on the top of her head and I spot the exact same eyes I’m used to.

“Oh, so the boyfriend thing is true then,” is the first thing Elsa says. Aurora moves the camera down so less of me is in the shot. “Mum said she has a cat and you have a boyfriend. I thought she was mixing prescriptions with wine again.”

I can’t lie, the British accent catches me off guard at first.

“Hello to you too.” Aurora shuffles in my arms. “What are you doing? Why are you calling? Feel free to answer any other questions I might have missed.”

“You stand up to dear old Dad one time and suddenly you have an attitude,” she tuts. “Hold on, I’m just getting to a dress fitting.”

We hear Elsa talking to someone rapidly in a language I don’t recognise and Aurora sits up a little straighter. “El, who are you talking to in Italian?”

“I’m in Milan at a dress fitting for Fashion Week next month.”

Aurora’s jaw hangs open. “You’re not going to the wedding?”

Elsa’s nose scrunches and it’s the exact same expression Aurora pulls when she’s horrified. “To the weather woman? Christ no. I’m not being pictured in something that can be made in three weeks.”

“I thought you might be calling to convince me to go.”

Elsa scoffs and Aurora lets go of a breath, relaxing a little more in my arms. “I’m calling to congratulate you on finally growing a backbone. I’m proud of you, little sister.”

“Uh, thanks, I think,” she mumbles quietly. “Does he know you’re not going to Palm Springs? He’s going to be really mad at us. I know he’s mad at me.”

“I have no idea, nor do I care. You definitely shouldn’t care. I’ve set up a reroute so when he calls me, he’s forwarded to a therapist’s office in London. I suggest you do the same. Lord knows the man needs it.”

I can’t help but snort, but I try to smother it by hiding my face in Aurora’s hair. “I haven’t forgotten about you, mysterious, faceless boyfriend,” she says, making me freeze. “You’re lucky I have to go get pins stuck in me, but at some point, I will interrogate you.”

“She won’t,” Aurora says. “She’ll forget.”

“Stay mad at the patriarchy, Ror. Ciao.”

Aurora throws her phone onto the bed beside us and turns around, climbing over each leg until she’s straddling me with her head pressed against my chest and her arms wrapped around my waist. I stroke the back of her hair, not saying anything. Another five minutes of silence pass and I can’t remember a time where she’s ever been this quiet.

Eventually, she pushes herself off my torso, sitting up to face me. “So, that was Elsa.”