Lies That Bind (on hold temporarily)

Chapter Thirty Two

S A R A

Stepping into the house and seeing the walls lined with picture frames ranging from wide, toothless smiles and graduation caps, all the way to an intimate wedding ceremony on one of my favorite piers, I feel a sense of calm and safety wash over me.

The house is warm and welcoming, something I can't say I've ever truly experienced. Not while my mom was around at least.

My dad was never shy about letting me know he loved me. He worked hard to make sure I'd never want for anything, but what he failed to realize until it was too late was that material things weren't what I wanted—or needed.

I needed this. A home. A place where I could walk through the door and immediately feel like I was being wrapped in a hug. And then actually be wrapped in a hug.

The closest I ever got to having a family and a home was when I was at Ty's. But even that wasn't all great.

Mr. and Mrs. Mason were like second parents to me, but they had struggles of their own that seeped through the cracks more often than not. There were screaming matches like you wouldn't believe and more than a few slammed doors with promises to leave and never look back.

Empty threats, but the words still stung.

And I hated how much it affected Ty and Alec. Neither of them deserved it. Ty was pretty numb to it all, but Alec took it especially hard. The fights got worse after he moved in with them so he felt it was his fault that they were having issues. In reality, he was probably the only reason they were even still together at the time.

Years of therapy mended the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Mason, but Alec left the first chance he got because he didn't want to put that strain on them anymore.

Now that I think about it, it's probably why he doesn't stay in one place for too long. He never wants to overstay his welcome or be a burden on anyone. If only he knew that he could never be a burden.

"Sara?" James calls, pulling me out of my head.

I spin around and my eyes flick to his. "Hm?"

A soft smile plays on his lips and butterflies start to flutter in my stomach. The man is damn sexy when he looks at me like that. "I asked if you were ready to go out to the backyard."

"Oh. Yeah, let's go."

He rests his hand on the small of my back as we walk through the house to the backyard. Every inch of this house is filled with that same sense of warmth. I can tell from the photos that he has a big family and that they're all close.

As soon as James pulls open the sliding glass door and steps onto the patio a slew of excited hellos sound.

His fingers lace with mine and he pulls me to his side. A Jack Johnson song plays through a bluetooth speaker while everyone's attention falls back to their conversations, seemingly unphased by my presence.

Eric, James's cousin from the pizzeria, is the first to approach. "Hey! Sara, right?" he asks, bending down to snag a beer out of a cooler beside me.

"Yeah." I smile, reaching my hand out, "Nice to officially meet you."

"Likewise," he says, quickly wiping his wet hand on his shorts before giving mine a shake. "I'm glad he finally convinced you to come around."

I turn and take a quick look at James. "Me too."

"You might not be saying that a few minutes from now when you meet the less normal ones," James jokes, hanging his arm over my shoulder.

Eric laughs, looking around at the sea of his family. "He's right." He hands me the beer he just opened. "You're gonna need this more than me. Especially when Sofia catches sight of you."