Dare to love me.

One: The night before the wedding

Author Note: The story contains many flashbacks. Everything written in Italic is a flashback.

Today is the day I leave New York city for Malibu to live with my mother and her family. She got married two years ago to a man she claims to love, making me a step sister to two young men and a girl whom I happened to meet a couple of times.

My parents divorced eleven years ago when I was twelve. They didn't have to fight for my custody because my mom's job consisted of traveling a lot. She was a journalist at the peak of her career; covering wars in the Middle East or the revolutions in Southern America. But I was happy with staying with my father to say the least. She then met Arnold Miller around the time I was beginning college and they decided to continue their lives together. They both offered to take me in right after my father's death but I refused at first. I wasn't ready to leave all the memories I had with him in New York and start a new life. I was grieving his death and I wanted to do that in our house, alone. But after a year and a half, living under the same roof, passing by his work everyday, walking at Central Park...Living in New York became agonizing. I didn't want to forget his memory, but I couldn't live in it forever.

I get ready in an hour and eat my breakfast on the kitchen counter. I look around the place I used to call home and sigh. I couldn't stay here anymore.
I close the door and put the key in my backpack then look at the house one more time before getting in the cab that was waiting for me. My bags have been sent two days ago to Malibu by plane while I decided to travel by train, making it a three days trip instead of six hours.

*****

I get out from the train station and look for my mom. She called earlier to tell me that she and Arnold are picking me up.

« BLAKE! HERE! »

I hear a woman yell from the other side of the road. I turn my head to find my mom waving her hands in my direction. I smile and jog towards her.
She engulfs me into a big bear hug before giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek, her scent lingering in my nose.

« Oh how I missed you, dear! » She tells me.

Arnold also gets out of the car and takes me in his arms for a couple of seconds before smiling warmly at me.

« Give me your bag darling.. »

I thankfully smile and hands it to him. I, then, get on the back seat and enjoy my ride.

« We're so happy to have you here. Alyson is really excited to have you home, she couldn't stop talking about how she's finally going to have somebody who will understand her »

I laugh a little, Alyson is in fact a sweetheart.

******

« WE'RE HOME! » my mom yells as we get through the door. I have already been here two or three times so the place isn't unfamiliar to me, but I have never called it home before.

The first person to make appearance was Alyson. A small brown haired girl with gray eyes who is seventeen of age. She inherited them from Arnold. And so did her two older brothers.

« Hi Blake! You're finally here. »

She says as she hugs me. Tight.

« I tidied your clothes in your closet if you don't mind. I just wanted everything to be perfect before you arrived »

I chuckle and shake my head for response. 

Aaron, the oldest of the three, walks downstairs with a smile on his face. He is a tall light brown haired guy, and a very nice one. He is a year older than me and graduated from Pepperdine University last year. He is now doing an internship at the mayor's office and his father couldn't have been any more proud. I met him the first time on the night before our parents' wedding.