DIRTY

EPILOGUE-SAM 5 YEARS LATER

Knock. Knock.

"Come in" I called to whoever was at the door.

I was busy losing the current sparing match with my pastel blue bow tie as Cera and Lynx entered the dressing room. Cera's wavy, beach style hair was pulled to one side on her left shoulder and sealed in place with golden leaf hair clips. Little whisps of hair played delicately around her face and hair lines. It was hard to believe my little sister was nineteen now. Her powdery, lavender, bridesmaid dress shuffled around her as she closed the door behind them.

"What are you doing?" Cera asked. "It's almost time".

"Losing the fight with my tie obviously" I grimaced, as I snatched at the knot I'd put in it.

"Sebastian why weren't you in here helping him?" Cera frowned.

"What he's a grown man" Lynx shrugged, sitting down in a chair.

"Yes, but you, Rusty and Dom are the best men, you've got to see him down that aisle" she frowned.

"Geez, alright. What's you job miss bossy booty?"

"I'm a bridesmaid, I'm like the right hand to Bayleigh".

"Well right now can someone give me a hand?" I demanded.

"Do you want to do it babe?" Cera asked, looking at Lynx.

"No you can do it babe. I need to finish getting myself ready" Lynx said getting up from the chair he'd place himself.

"Pause. Babe?"

I raised my pierced brow, glaring at them both in the mirror.

They glanced at each other, and then back to me, as if trying to figure something out amongst themselves. The silence in the room was enough to make your ears ring.

"Hello?" I demanded, breaking the silence.

Cera finally sighed, her demeanor wavering. She beckoned Lynx away with the wave of her hand, and he headed to the other side of the room. She stepped around, and then in front of me and began fidgeting with my tie.

"Remember when I wrote you about that week I went with Elaina and the girls to New Orleans for Mardigras?" Cera informed.

"Go on".

I pinned her with a look. Cera cut her eyes over to Lynx, who was trying to tame his red mane with a hair tie, as he looked in the mirror. I could see her swallow before continuing.

"Well Parker showed up, because he didn't want me to go in the first place, with some caveman ass plan to drag me by my hair back to Aberdeen" she said. "Anyway, we got into an argument in the lobby of the hotel..."

"Did he hit you again?" I growled.

I could feel my fingers clenching into tight fists.

I hated the thought of my little sister and I fighting so hard to get away from our abusive, toxic father, only for her to land in a relationship with a pretentious, abusive, hedge fund baby...for two years. I hated seeing every bruise and black eye he gave her and not be able to do anything about it. But after a while it got exhausting. She never pressed charges and she went right back to him.

"Yea he did actually" she continued. "When Parker slapped me to the floor, Seb came out of nowhere and minked his ass".

She giggled. She always liked a guy that could fight. That was mostly my fault and also her downfall. And Lynx plays college hockey now, so you know that's his M.O.