A man—who might as well step over the puddles of melted panties—walks up and wraps his arms around her waist, slipping his hand over her stomach. Yeah. I’m jealous.
The guy who melted my panties also set fire to my heart. Ash has a guy who is buying her a crib and keeping her from overexerting herself.
“You look familiar,” he says, pursing his lips as he studies me.
“This is Bo. I told you about her before,” Ash tells him, then redirects her attention back to me. “You should come over one day when you have a chance. Pick any time. I’ll be free. As long as you can endure Trip.”
Trip? Oh yeah. Her son.
“I’ll take you up on that. I’d like to catch up.”
I’m glad I didn’t run into her during my numb phase. Or as I’d like to think of it… My reset phase.
A black car pulls up to the curb right beside us, idling there like it’s waiting on something.
“Well, I guess I’ll let you get to Ruby and Corbin’s place. Call me so we can set something up,” Ash goes on, still smiling like her world is the most incredible place to live.
Apparently that car is waiting on them, since that’s where they’re going.
I watch the happy couple walk away like the regular old weirdo I am. I even stare shameless as he pays her special attention, helping her into the car even as she bats his hands away. My lips twitch when I hear her assuring him she’s still just as fine today as she was yesterday.
My phone buzzes, drawing me out of my thoughts, and I look down.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: I will not show you my sphynx kitty! Stop asking. And stop calling it that! Peru! ..l..?That’s me flipping you off because my phone won’t update and get the flipping off thingy.
Okay… What the actual hell is this? Before I can message back, another message comes through.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: That should say PERV not Peru!
ME: Who is this?
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Oh shit. Sorry, Bo. Not my fault. My phone is a possessed demon.
Deciding not to carry on with a number I don’t know about a conversation that doesn’t make sense, I put my phone back away and start walking again.
It would probably be smarter to drive to Ruby’s house, but I decide to walk. It’ll give me time to chicken out. Ruby messages me on the way to some gathering they’re having just as the sun sets.
RUBY: Jax just got here. Didn’t know he was coming. I wanted to warn you. I totally get it if you don’t want to come now. BTW, Bella says she’s sorry. She meant to text that to Maverick, but her phone hates her.
My feet freeze in their place, and I almost tip over from the abrupt stop.
Not because Bella is texting about sphynx kitties either. And not because she has my brand new number for some reason.
Jax is there?
No way am I going over there now. It was already hard enough to move outside my comfort zone to do a group thing, but Ruby has been there for me since the walls closed in. It didn’t feel right to tell her no when she invited me.
Nope. Not ready for that.
Why is he there? Ruby said he rarely ever hangs out with them. He has his own friends.
His own friends who stalk my apartment and take pictures to send him out of context. Friends he believes over me, even when I’ve done nothing wrong. Friends who will apparently always hate me and continue to watch my every move until I finally do mess up.
He trusted the butt sniffer who is now the stalking butt sniffer.
Yeah, I talked to Viv. Finally. I mostly wanted to know why she told Jax the wrong story, and she kept calling. Imagine my surprise when she was desperate to let me know it had nothing to do with her, and even said Jax was a stupid asshole.
Viv is the one person from that family I thought hated me. Sometimes I don’t think I know people at all.