Taming Hollywood's Baddest Boy - Max Monroe Page 0,67

damn time because of a drunk driver. The reality is so clichéd, it almost doesn’t sound real. It’s something you think just happens in movies to add drama to a plot, but then it happens to you, and it’s almost too hard to believe.”

“Jesus,” I mutter. “That’s…horrible, princess.”

“Yeah.”

I stare down at our entwined fingers, feeling compelled to open up to her in ways that are completely foreign for a guy like me.

“Even though my story isn’t as tragic as yours and my parents are still alive, on some level, I know what it’s like to lose your parents. You lost your parents to a car accident, and I lost my parents to Hollywood.”

“How long has it been since you’ve spoken to them?”

“Eight years.”

“And what about your sister?”

“About the same,” I answer honestly. “Which makes me feel like a real bastard. She never did anything wrong, but I just couldn’t be a part of that life anymore. I had to cut ties with everything and everyone in order to survive. I was becoming someone I didn’t want to be. Someone I didn’t recognize.”

“Did you try to tell them you weren’t happy?” she asks.

“My parents got too lost in the greed and the fame, so much so that it ended up being the end of their marriage. I was at my lowest fucking point when their nasty divorce went public, which only fueled the fire of my issues,” I admit.

Besides Lou, Billie is the first person I’ve ever told any of this. The realization damn near grips me by the throat, but I swallow past it and keep going.

“And, well, after their marriage ended, they both turned their backs on Hollywood completely—Mom went off to fucking Barbados with some guy, and Dad pretty much did the same, from what I know. And my sister, Rocky—well, you probably know her as Raquel—she tried to understand what was going on with me, I think. But mostly, she just wasn’t feeling the same way about everything as I was. She wanted to keep going. Appeared happy to keep going. But there’s a part of me that always wonders if that was a fa?ade, you know? Or hell, maybe she’s just better at coping with things than I am? I don’t know.”

“Do you ever think about reaching out to them?”

“My parents? No. Never.” I shake my head without hesitation. “I think I still have too much animosity toward them because of what they did to Rocky and me. Our childhood was stolen because of their Hollywood dreams. But, my sister? Yeah.” The truth makes my chest ache, and I pause for a moment as I try to find the right words to explain a situation that probably comes across as cold and harsh to someone else.

I mean, who just up and leaves their baby sister behind?

Me. I do. Well, I did.

But at that point in my life, it felt like the only way to survive.

“I think about calling Rocky nearly every day,” I confess. “But for some reason, I can never find the courage to do it. I just…feel bad for leaving her like that. No matter what bullshit I was into, I always looked out for Rocky. I was protective of her. And then I just left her to fend for herself. I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive myself for doing that.”

“I can imagine it was really hard for her,” Billie comments, her voice gentle like a breeze. “But I’m sure there’s a part of her that understands why you had to leave.”

“Fuck, I hope so.”

“And, not sure if you know this, but Raquel Weaver is a staple in Hollywood these days. Everyone knows her. Everyone loves her.”

“She’s always been lovable,” I say, and memories of my childhood fill my mind. My sister was always something special. An unavoidable force of sweetness and charm. The recollections spur a wistful smile to my lips. “Even when she was being an annoying little sister, she was still lovable.”

“So, you have no idea what’s going on with her these days?”

I shake my head. “Sadly, no. Not in the slightest.”

Billie searches my eyes and frets her lips.

“What?” I ask. “What’s that look for?”

“Well…because your sister is still in the public eye, I do know something pretty big that’s going on with her…” She pauses and then adds, “You’ve really never seen an article or just…Google searched her to see if you could find anything out?”

“The last thing I want to do is read about my baby’s sister’s life through