“I made an offer first, Ro. Get in line.” Xander tosses a ball in the air and catches it with his head.
“No balls in my kitchen. You broke the dishes the other time.” Margo scolds.
Xander tucks the ball under his arm. He’s also in casual jeans and a denim jacket. “It was a one time only, Margo, come on.”
“Yeah, Margo.” Ronan quips. “Don’t be a dictator.”
“You have no right to talk. You almost burnt my kitchen over the weekend. I can’t believe I take one day off and all hell breaks loose.”
Ronan smiles sheepishly and Aiden says, “That’s it. No one is allowed in Margot’s kitchen anymore.”
“That’s my boy.” She smiles warmly at him. That motherly feel returns in full force even more than the look she gave Ronan earlier.
When Aiden smiles back, I’m struck by how beautiful his genuine smile is. I look for signs that he’s putting on a mask, but right here, in his home with the closest thing he has to family, he appears carefree.
“And no one is taking Margot away.” He gives pointed glares to Xander and Ronan.
The latter huffs. “I won’t stop trying.”
Xander lifts a shoulder. “Me neither.”
“Stop it, boys.” Margo gets between them. Her petite size is almost comical compared to their ridiculous height. “Don’t fight in front of Elsa. It’s not every day Aiden brings his girlfriend.”
Girlfriend.
I don’t know why my cheeks heat at that word. Aiden and I never talked about what we call each other. We didn’t even make it official yet.
I look over at Aiden, but he has that infuriating poker face on.
Xander wraps an arm around my shoulder and brings me to his side. He’s so close that my nostrils fill with his expensive perfume. “She was my girlfriend first, weren’t you, love?”
One moment, Xander is standing beside me, the next, he’s shoved back and my shoulder is free of his arm. Aiden has him by the collar of his jacket and is dragging him away.
With a chip in hand, Ronan lowers his head to whisper in a teasing tone, “Don’t say a word about the threesome suggestion. My life depends on it.”
Still clutching Xander, Aiden grabs Ronan by the back of his nape.
“My chips!” Ronan hugs a bowl to his chest as Aiden drags them both away.
“Tell everyone I was a good person!” Ronan shouts over his shoulder at me. “I want this line on my tombstone, He had a 7 inch dick and used it well.”
Xander and I burst into laughter as they all disappear around the corner.
“Boys.” Margo shakes her head and places the remaining bowls of chips on the tray.
“Let me help,” I offer, setting my backpack on a stool.
“It’s all right, sweetie. I can do it.”
“Please let me. I do everything on my own at home.” And I’m not used to people serving me.
“It’s so rare to find reliable teens these days.” She steps aside and motions at another tray.
After she adds a few other snacks and mayonnaise to the mix, we carry the trays out of the kitchen.
“Have you been living here for long?” I ask.
“I’ve been here since Aiden was born.” A look of nostalgia covers her features. “He was my boy since then.”