“I’ve got it,” Jude assured her with a smile as he took off after the kid.
Looking at me, Rowan sighed heavily showcasing how tired she was. “Kids are hard work.”
“That they are,” Trent agreed, breezing into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around her, “but they’re worth it.” Nuzzling her neck, he murmured, “Let’s have another baby.”
I laughed as she hastily wiggled out of his hold. “How about we try being married for the next one?” Pausing she added, “For like three years.”
His mouth fell open. “But Tristan will be nine then! He deserves to have another sibling while he’s young enough to enjoy it.”
Rowan rolled her eyes. “Talk to me again after we’re married.”
She started to walk away and he called after her, “If it was up to me we’d already be married!”
She laughed, turning her head to smile at him. “You would’ve married me when we were sixteen years old Trenton Wentworth.”
“Damn straight,” he grinned crookedly, his eyes sparkling with happiness, “even then I knew I’d found the love of my life.”
“Bleh,” I pretended to gag. “Y’all are getting too sappy for me.”
Trent chuckled. “One day it will be you, Tate.”
“Not likely,” I replied. “Love makes things complicated.”
“No,” Trent disagreed, his eyes growing serious, “love makes life worth living for. No matter how bad your day is, or what kind of horrible shit you go through, loving someone completes you.”
Cracking a smile, I joked, “Have you been reading poetry?”
He chuckled, brushing his fingers through his dark, nearly black hair. “No.” Sobering he looked from Row to me, “We both just want you to find someone. Don’t hold yourself back from falling in love. Yeah, it’s scary as fuck, but it’s worth it. No matter what,” he looked significantly at Rowan, “it’s always worth fighting for.”
“Seriously,” I assured them, “you don’t need to worry about me. It’s not like I’m anti-love. I’m just not at a place in my life where I’m ready for a serious relationship.”
“Love doesn’t wait till you’re ready,” Rowan piped in.
God, these two weren’t ever going to let it rest.
“I haven’t found ‘the one’ yet,” I mumbled.
“That’s not true,” Rowan whispered, looking at me sadly, “you’re just too stubborn to see what’s standing right in front of you.”
“I think you’re too caught up in seeing something that isn’t really there,” I countered, jutting my chin in the air haughtily. Between the two of them I felt cornered. I wanted nothing more than to run out the door, but once again, Jude was my ride.
Neither of them said anything more, because Jude returned at that moment. I had never been more thankful to see him in my entire life.
“You ready?” He asked, looking at me first and then glancing at the other two. He could sense the tension in the air but chose not to mention it.
“Yeah,” I told him, breezing past Trent and Row.
I didn’t say goodbye.
Chapter Eight
I bit into the apple, scanning the piece of paper in front of me. It was instructions for another paper due next week. The professors were throwing the work at us the closer we came to graduation. Spring break was coming up and I wanted to have everything done before I left for the beach with Trent and Row.
“Afternoon, Tater Tot,” Jude slid into the seat across from me, his heavy bag thumping against the table.
“What do you want?” I asked, never bothering to lift my head from the piece of paper in my hand. I took another bite of apple, chewing loudly.
Out of my peripheral vision I saw Jude lean across the table and clasp his hands together. “I’m not at the nursing home tonight, as you know, but I thought we could do something anyway.”