River looked over where her husband was moving the pizza boxes Ty left behind. Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me you didn’t text Stef.”
“Of course I did,” Jax replied. “Hey, what festivals did I miss? And protests. I’m excited about joining all the protests.”
“The Winter Festival is coming up, and Nell and Henry always have a protest going on. Why would Jax text Stef?” Suspicion crept over her. “Tell me the town isn’t talking about us. It was our first date. I know they know, but they can’t possibly be this nosy.”
“Okay, I know you’re not technically from Bliss,” River began, “but I need you to hear those words coming out of your mouth.”
“Everyone’s up in everyone else’s business,” Jax agreed and sighed, a happy sound. “It makes me miss my old team. They were a bunch of dudes who pretend to be all tough but really live for gossip. So relationship meddling feels like home.”
Lucy felt herself flush. “And you are one of those, Jax?”
“One of the dudes who spent a lot of time in the military and now lives to watch other people fuck up?” Jax asked. “Yes. That is who I am. Not that you fucked up. You seemed to be doing real well there.”
She’d probably gone past pink and into ruby red.
“Jax,” River hissed. “We talked about this. I’m sorry, Lucy. I’m still teaching him how to act in the real world. Between the whole losing his memory and being tortured thing, and then spending years with Big Tag’s group, he is not ready for polite society.”
Lucy had to laugh at that thought. “It sounds like he’ll fit in quite well in Bliss. Not a lot of polite society here.”
Jax held up his phone. “Exactly. I’m getting in good with the king.”
Meaning Stef. “So you texted Stef and told him what?”
“That you and Michael understood the whole threesome thing, but Ty needs a refresher course,” Jax replied.
“He’s going to get called before the men.” River put a hand to her mouth, stopping a laugh.
He really was, and it wouldn’t be fun for Ty. Michael would likely tell them all to fuck off and go back to his mountain, but Ty would show up. It served him right to have to deal with Max Harper telling him what a fuck-up he was and Stef lecturing him about thruples when he wasn’t even in one.
Michael. She’d felt so good when she was in his arms. And then she’d seen Ty and felt guilty.
She caught sight of another reason to feel guilty. She’d left them both out there, but Michael didn’t even have a coat. “Jax, could you take Michael his coat?”
“Sure.” He grabbed it and nodded his wife’s way and then looked down at Buster. “You coming with me, buddy?”
Buster jumped on the couch and settled in.
Jax sighed. “That dog’s soft. Be right back.”
The minute the door closed, River walked over to the TV and turned it on, quickly finding a sports channel. “Come with me. He’s been traveling for days. Between the pizza and the game, he won’t even notice we’re gone.”
“You’re trying to ditch your husband?” Lucy grabbed the wine and a couple of glasses. She would need the alcohol because she suspected River had questions.
“We’ve been together twenty-four seven for eighteen months worried that he was going to be killed or taken into custody. Except for the brief but terrifying period of time when he was actually taken into custody, but that’s another story. Yes. I’m happily ditching him, and come tomorrow he’s looking for a job and we’re going to be normal and take breaks from each other.” River walked down the hallway to the main bedroom. It was closed, the guest room open and light on. “You didn’t sleep in the big bedroom?”
Lucy shrugged. “I kept it ready for you. I changed the sheets last week and kept it all clean. I made sure everything in the bathroom works.” That wasn’t exactly true. “I mean Ty did.”
River opened the door and walked in, looking around, and the happiness in her heart was easy to see. “Of course he did, and you made sure it was all perfect and warm for me to come home to.” There were tears in River’s eyes as she turned back to Lucy. “I’m home.”
Lucy poured out two glasses of Moscato and handed her one. “To homecomings.”
River held the glass up and clinked it with Lucy’s. “To homecomings.” She sat on the bed and patted the place beside her. “Now tell me what happened with Ty. Or rather let me guess. You finally started to get close to Michael, and Ty realized he couldn’t sit back and wait anymore or he was going to lose you.”
“Lose me? This is what I don’t understand. He shows up at Trio the other night and kisses me and tells me he’s always wanted me.”