Page 63 of Fight For Me

Rose gives him a look. “You’re seriously going to bitch about a trip to the beach?”

“I’m going to bitch about afilmedtrip to the beach, yes.”

She waves her hands dismissively. “We can be in the background, like Wyatt.”

“Rose—”

“Come on, Will,” Everly chides. “We’ve never done a trip with just us older cousins. We always have the parents and little kids with us. Don’t you think this will be fun?”

He scowls, but he doesn’t argue. “I want a contract with the production company,” he says, “very clearly laying out how often they can show my face. And if Eva isn’t comfortable with it, I’m not going.”

Everly gives a happy squeal. “Eva will totally be into it! And her label will love it—free publicity. I bet Bodhi will come too! Oh my god, we’re going to have so much fun!”

Everything gets chaotic after that. Reed and Daltrey are still arguing against any of them going. Santana and Lyric have come over to complain about how unfair it is for us to leave them behind. Everly is talking a mile a minute making plans. In the middle of all the commotion, I take the empty seat next to Alex.

“What are you thinking?”

Her eyes flash as she looks at me, like she’s gearing up for a fight. But then her shoulders slump, the exhaustion clear on her face again. “It sounds like fun,” she mutters, voice flat.

“Alex.” She told me the first night we talked about it that the best way to keep her insomnia under control is to avoid stress and anxiety. Vacationing with half a dozen Ransomes doesn’t sound exactly relaxing—especially with a camera crew in tow.

“I’ll be okay,” she says, but I can’t help noticing her voice shakes a little. She pointedly looks away. “Are you going to come?”

“Yes.” I don’t even have to think about it. Maybe it’s foolish, volunteering to spend more time with her. With River, Leo, and my brother going I probably don’t need to worry about Scott getting out of line. Still, I don’t hesitate. If there’s the slightest chance she might need me, I’m going to be there.

* * *

“Damn,”River mutters, gaze darting around the resort’s swanky pool area. “I think I’m sold on Miami.”

“Isn’t it amazing?” Everly asks. She’s clearly trying to take in everything at the same time. The way her head is snapping back and forth so quickly is making me feel dizzy. “Look, there’s a swim up bar! And a lazy river! Ooh, waterslides!”

“Let’s take it down a notch, Lele,” Alex says, patting her back. “We don’t need you hyperventilating before the vacation even starts.”

River slips on a pair of black ray-bans and smirks. “You have fun with all of that, kids. I’m a little more interested inthatview.”

Rose follows his gaze to a group of girls in barely-there bikinis cozied up to one of the many bars. She scowls at him. “You’re not bringing a bunch of hook-ups back to the villa, Riv.”

“Have you seen the size of the villa?” he shoots back. “I could fit a dozen girls in there without anyone even noticing.”

“Let’s avoid starting a harem while the cameras are rolling,” I tell him.

“Speaking of cameras,” Will mutters, scowling. I follow his gaze and see Scott strolling up in a pair of plaid board shorts and pink polo shirt, collar popped, somehow looking even douchier than usual under the bright Miami sun.

“Hey gorgeous people!” he calls. “We’re all set up for you over here. We’ve got loungers and drinks and the cameras are good to go.”

“Awesome,” Will says flatly, and Rose smacks his shoulder. She’s been giving him lots of lectures about being supportive of his cousins since we got to the airport. He doesn’t seem all that keen to take her advice.

The production team arranged for two open air cabanas for us. I have to admit, they’re pretty sweet. The loungers have lush looking cushions, there’s two dedicated waitresses just for us, and the teak ceiling provides some protection from the scorching Florida sun. Of course, the presence of cameras is attracting a lot of attention our way.

We’ve barely set our things down before Everly is insisting on trying out the water slides. Bodhi, Leo, Rose, and Fox go with her, and one of the cameras follows. River is gone within seconds, probably in search of a girl to chat up. Will and Eva situate themselves in the farthest corner of one of the cabanas, hiding out from the curious eyes and the remaining camera. Which leaves me and Alex alone in the other cabana.

“You uh, want to go check out the lazy river or something?” I ask, feeling way more awkward than the situation probably calls for. Alex and I haven’t talked at all about what happened at the club last weekend, and she hasn’t come out to the living room late at night all week, even though I waited every night with my knitting stuff.

Still, she’s been a little more at ease with me since we left LA. Maybe going on vacation has her feeling more relaxed. We can sit and chat by the pool in Miami without it getting weird, right? Even if Alex is wearing a bikini under her sarong thing. I am definitely not obsessing about that. Not at all.

She spreads a towel on one of the loungers. “Is it lame if I just want to veg out here for a while? I can’t remember the last time I just laid in the sun.”

“That doesn’t sound lame at all.”