Aunt Dee greets me with a warm smile as I approach. “Anna, sweetheart, how are you? You look beautiful, darling, absolutely stunning, except for that hideous stain all over you. Looks like someone doused you with their drink.”

“It’s great to see you, Aunt Dee.”

I giggle at her words, laced with a thick Spanish accent, as I take in the multicolored bandana tied around her head in a chic, yet fashionable way that blends into her hairstyle. Like I said, Aunt Dee is a little eccentric. She’s an artist—a painter and a sculptor—and her creativity typically carries over into her wardrobe. Much like the tie-dyed maxi-dress she has on. “I hope this stain comes out. I didn’t bring a lot of clothes.”

“I know just the trick to get it out once we get home.” She pulls back and inspects me from head to toe. “You look so much like your mother. Doesn’t she, Quinn?”

I glance over at my cousin who is wearing a pair of cut-off shorts and a black tank top. Quinn has always been whom I would consider the most beautiful person in our family. We’re exactly the same age, but it’s hard to compete with her gorgeous brown hair and legs that go on for days. She’s drop-dead gorgeous, and every man around always notices her. She’s not stuck on herself though, which makes me love her even more. She’s about the most down-to-earth person I know.

Quinn smiles at me before wrapping me up in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here, Anna. We are going to have so much fun this summer.”

“Aye, girls…but not too much fun,” Aunt Dee warns. “Your father would have my head on a stick. He is the last person on earth I want on my back.”

Quinn pulls back. “How did this morning go?”

Allowing my eyes to flit back and forth between my aunt and cousin, I frown. They know how bad it was for me back home. We talk all the time, and Quinn is like a sister to me. If it weren’t for their support, I wouldn’t have had the guts to walk away like I did. “It was bad. I’m sure he’s still blowing up my phone telling me that I’m making a huge mistake.”

Aunt Dee shakes her head. “That’s where your father and I differ in opinion, Anna. Marrying a man you don’t love to please your family is a much larger mistake. He should want happiness for you, not sorrow.”

I nod. “I can never thank you enough for giving me a place to escape to.”

She cups my face. “It’s no problem, sweet girl. I wouldn’t want my Quinn to be forced into something like that and, someday, I hope your father will change his mind and see that what he was trying to do was wrong.”

Emotions build inside my chest, making me nearly burst as I fight against them. I don’t want to have a breakdown right here on the curb at the airport. I swallow hard.

“Me too,” is all I can whisper.

My aunt’s face twists with pity. “Awww, come on. Let’s get you home, yeah?”

A single tear slips from my eye. It’s not until this very moment that I realize how serious all this is. For the first time in my life the unknown is staring me in the face and I’m scared shitless, yet exhilarated at the same time. I’ve never felt this free—this alive.

Quinn takes one of my suitcases and loads it into the trunk of her mom’s Prius. “I can’t believe you fit all your stuff in two bags. It would’ve taken at least ten for my shoes alone.”

I shake my head and smile. “You and your shoes. I’ve never known anyone more obsessed with them.”

She grins, and it lights up her gorgeous features. “I’d like to think only Imelda Marcos could rival me. I would love to peek in that lady’s closet.”

I roll my eyes as we shut the trunk. “I could think of so many better things to do with my time than explore an eighty-year-old woman’s shoe collection.”

Quinn’s eyes widen like I’ve just cursed her out. “Are you kidding me? The woman is famous for having over three thousand pairs of shoes. Aren’t you the least bit curious to see that?”

I laugh as I get in the backseat and Quinn slides in up front next to her mother. “Honestly, I find it a little disgusting and wasteful to have so much excess.”

She shakes her head as she fastens her seatbelt. “Always the realist, aren’t you, Anna? One of these days something is going to break you out of that conservative shell of yours.”

“You know I’ve been this way since birth, Quinn. It’d take a real miracle to change my views after twenty-one years,” I answer, a hint of amusement in my voice.

“No. Not a miracle, Anna—a man,” she teases. “We’re going out tonight to find you a hot piece of male ass to loosen you up.”

My mouth drops open, completely mortified that Quinn is talking to me like that with her mother around. It would be one thing for her to say that to me when we were alone, but it’s absolutely mortifying in front of an audience. My father would’ve given me a stern lecture and forbidden me to ever see Quinn again, even if she was flesh and blood. He wouldn’t care. Someone like Quinn doesn’t fit his mold.

When I don’t reply, Quinn glances back over her shoulder, gauging my reaction. “Come on, Anna. Mom is completely cool. She’s a single woman too. She gets it. Don’t ya, Ma?” Quinn nudges Aunt Dee’s elbow with her own.

Aunt Dee nods. “I do, but dear, you have to remember how Anna was raised. She isn’t used to people being so open and free.”

Quinn sighs. “Uncle Simon is too hardcore. I can’t even imagine living with him. It must’ve been torture.”

I adjust in the seat. It’s hard to hear someone else confirm that your life has been a living hell. I mean, I’ve known for a while now that I haven’t grown up like most people, but it’s been the only life I’ve ever known. Even though Aunt Dee and Quinn promised to help get me on my feet, it still wasn’t easy leaving.

There are so many things that are uncertain now, but I’m ready to face whatever comes at me, head on.

“Oh, and I talked to my boss about you yesterday. Andy says he can use another waitress since the one he just hired quit, so the jobs yours if you want it. All you have to do is fill out an application and you can start right away,” Quinn informs me.

I smile and place my hand on her shoulder. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough. I’m truly grateful”—I put my other hand on Aunt Dee’s shoulder—”to both of you.”

Aunt Dee pats my hand. “You’re more than welcome, dear.”

I lean back in my seat. No matter how many times I thank them, it’s never going to be enough. It’s like they have given me a chance to live life my way for once. I’ll always be grateful.

“Anna, I know you probably don’t want to think about this right now, but I think you need to give your father a call and let him know you’re safe. My big brother will worry himself to death if he doesn’t at least know you’re with me. He’s probably worn a path in the marble floor and driven your poor mother crazy by now,” Aunt Dee says as she merges onto the freeway.

I sigh. “I can’t. I lost my phone on the plane.”

“Oh, shit,” Quinn says. “Do you have the insurance plan so you can get a new one?”

I shrug. “No idea. Father pays the bill. But it should be okay because I know who has it and I have his number, so I can get it back. All I have to do is call him and make arrangements to get it…and my purse.”

Quinn jerks around in her seat, concern written all over her face. “Anna, I know this being on your own thing is new to you, but you cannot make friends on airplanes. You never know what kind of whack-job you’re sitting next to. How did a stranger end up with your things anyhow?”

I glance down at my soiled clothing and replay the moment I met Xavier in my head while I explain what happened on the flight.

Quinn furrows her brow. “So some rich guy has your stuff and wants you to call him.”

“I guess, if you want to look at it that way.”

“Looks like he took a special interest in making sure he’d get to see you again.” She smiles. “Girl, sounds like you’ve got more game than I gave you credit for. That must’ve been some conversation on that flight because he could’ve easily turned it into the flight crew.”