Chapter 1

The calendar is not my friend. I have a commission piece to finish this week and I'm still in the initial sketch stage… and it's Thursday. I'll finish it before the next job is scheduled to come in, but it'd be easier if my creative mojo wasn't on an unauthorized sabbatical. I'm still getting the work done, but lately, that's how it feels—like work. I miss the days of feeling endlessly inspired. When drawing was as natural as breathing.

When did the joy of creating disappear? It's not because I'm doing commissions; I actually love drawing from a prompt. If I had to analyze it—and that's really no hardship, I'm a big fan of overanalyzing things—I'd say my mojo left town when my parents did. We still talk almost every day, but phone calls and FaceTime aren't the same as spending time together. I miss the warm fuzzies I always get when I'm with them. That's right, I'm a twenty-eight-year-old mama's and daddy's girl. And not ashamed of that fact one little bit.

Even after they grabbed early retirement by the horns and drove off into the horizon to embrace full-time RV life, I still had Ro in my daily life. Until she, too, got hit by the wanderlust bug. Or in her case, the lust bug. She went on a road trip to British Columbia to meet some builder she started talking to via her online metalwork store—then stayed out there permanently. That was a year ago.

Surrounded by millions of people, yet I feel alone.

So, when the phone light's up and starts playing my cousin's ringtone, my looming deadline can suck it. Rosetta hasn't voice-called me for over two weeks. We're still best friends, but since moving to British Columbia, she's been hit-and-miss with communication. When we do talk, the reason for all the "misses" becomes apparent. She's in love. Wildly in love.

Born two days apart, we grew up together, more like sisters than cousins. Basically, we've been best friends since birth. Despite being extremely close, we're very different people. I'm the romantic, the believer in fate and fairytale endings. Ro is the "I make my own fate," try everything once, balls-out adventurous type. Minus the balls, of course. She's the va-va-voom redhead chick who turns heads no matter where she goes. And leaves a trail of broken hearts behind her.

Driving to the other side of the country to hook up with a guy she met online totally fit with her carefree nature. Putting down roots with him shocked the hell out of me. A year later, I'm still surprised every time she says she loves him. Honestly, I didn't think it'd last, no matter how great the sex is. And apparently, it's pretty great. Another way my cousin and I are opposites—she's having all the amazing sex and I'm having none. Not even bad sex.

I wait one more ring before answering. I always let it go a few before picking up. My cousin has been known to accidentally hit the Call button, and some of the heavy breathing I've heard because I answered scarred me for life—and made me green with envy. Unless fate sends someone directly to me, the odds of me getting any action are low. Like, single-digit percentage. Sadly, my life has not found its fairytale groove, and none of the men in line during my daily coffee runs have provided the epic meet-cute I know I'm destined to have. One day. One day.

"Hey, stranger," I say by way of answering. "How's the wild life?"

"Amazing. Mostly. Everything except for my idiot parents." A big, hiccupping sob comes through the line. Super out of character for Rosetta. She's cried around me exactly twice in her life—at age ten, when our grandmother on our mothers' side died, and when our grandfather followed a few months afterward.

Her parents can't be dead. If something horrible had happened to them, my mom would've called me right away. Plus, Ro would've led with that news if her parents had passed away. She wouldn't have used the word amazing in any sense, even though they're not close and have always butted heads.

I've often wondered if we were accidentally switched as newborns. As infants, we both had fair peach fuzz for hair and could've been twins. Hospital mix-ups happen. I'm more reserved, like her parents, whereas, she's more free-spirited, like mine. Mix-up or not, I'm glad I got my set of parents. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

"What's happening with your parents?" I ask.

"They're close-minded assholes."

That's a known fact. This isn't the first time they've clashed, and I doubt it'll be the last. "What are they being close-minded about?"

"My fiancé."

"Your fiancé?"

A squeal from her end of the call nearly pierces my eardrum. "Shocking, right?"

"Um, yeah! This guy must be one of a kind, getting you to put on the ball and chain. Never thought I'd see the day you'd want to commit to one person for the rest of your life. Unless—are you guys doing the open-marriage thing?"

"Hell no," she says on a riotous laugh. "Dak is not a sharer. I'm his, full stop. Even his best friend doesn't talk to me alone without letting Dak know first."

"And you're really okay with that? Being with someone so possessive? Because that's kind of got ‘red flag' written all over it."

"He's possessive, not controlling. Zero red flags, I promise. Dak would do anything for me, just like I'd do anything for him. We're unbreakable."

"Ro the ho becomes the ultimate monogamist," I tease. "You sound pretty sure about it."

"I used to make fun of you for believing in finding your one true love, I know. But that saying ‘when you know, you know' isn't a load of horseshit lonely people cling to. It's legit. When the one comes into your life, you just know."

Envy tightens its greasy fingers around my heart. "I'm happy for you, Ro, even if I haven't seen you in a year because this guy stole you from me."

Another laugh rolls into my ear. "He didn't steal me from you. You're still my favorite human in the whole world."

"Second favorite, you mean. Since your fiancé is obviously at the top of the list." The awkward silence I receive is out of character for her. I wouldn't have thought my comment problematic, but obviously, I touched a nerve. "Look, I don't care where I fall on the favorites list. If you're happy, I'm happy. I miss you so much, though! When's the big day? The wedding will be back here, I assume?" More silence. Enough to make me wonder if she's still on the call. "Ro?"

"Sorry, just calming my shit down over here because we've circled back to the asshole-parents part."

"What's their issue? They should be jumping for joy. Their ‘I'm never settling down' daughter is going full-on domestic."

"Oh, they were happy I'm getting married. They didn't even care that the wedding's in three weeks, and that we're having it here."

"Wait, what?"

Ignoring me, Ro continues. "So, they asked for a video call with us, since they haven't met Dak."

That'd never happen with my parents, but they're nothing like Ro's. They're not the type to fly across the country to see their daughter and her boyfriend. Plus, they've probably been waiting for the breakup to happen—because Ro isn't the settling-down type. Or, she wasn't.

"And they didn't like him? From one video call, they made up their minds?" It wouldn't surprise me, honestly.

"They didn't even try getting to know him, Nat. The moment they saw him, they freaked out because he's not a basic white dude. They refuse to come to the wedding and say they'll disown me if I marry him."

"They're racists?" I whisper the despicable word even though there's nobody who could possibly hear it.

"What else do you call people who judge others by their outward appearance?"

"I'd call them a lot of things, none of them favorable." I knew my aunt and uncle were old-fashioned about a lot of things, but racist? "Do you want me to go over and try to talk sense into them?"

"No—definitely not. But there is something I really, really want you to do, if you're willing."

"Of course, Ro. Anything. Name it."

"Be my maid of honor?"

"Well, duh! Of course, I'll be your maid of honor. I'd be pissed if you chose anyone but me!"

"Ooh, Natalie gets spicy!" Ro says on a big laugh. "It suits you, babe! Keep it coming. And on the subject of coming, can you head out here early? I'll send you money for the flight. You can even upgrade to first class on my dime."

Before I can answer, she starts in on me, the way she did when we were kids. Like the times I wanted to dress up our Barbies so they could go on fancy dates with our Ken dolls in the house, but she wanted to ditch the Kens and the clothes, take naked Barbies out in the backyard, and make them do things with my brother's assortment of dragons and other creature figures.

"Please, please, pleeeeease… It'll be fun, I promise."

I couldn't say no to her then. Because I love her. Also, because I was secretly intrigued by Barbie doing unspeakable things with monsters. As for now… I can't let her down. Especially not when her parents have bailed so completely. "The fun will be in limited amounts because I have deadlines. I'll have to bring work with me. And how early is early?"

"I'll take whatever you can give me," she says. "At least a week before the wedding, though. Two would be even better."

"You said the wedding is in three weeks. So, I should drop everything and come now, basically?"

"Perfect!"

"I was kidding, Ro. Has the mountain altitude clouded your sarcasm detector?"

Her genuine laughter bubbles through the speaker. "Love has! But the air here is amazing, Nat. You'll never want to leave, trust me."

I always have, and she's never been wrong. Even about Barbie's unspeakable adventures. "Send me the info. I'll be there as soon as I can swing it."

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