22
AIDAN
"Hello."
For a second, I thought I’d drunk more than the two beers I’d allotted for myself, then I realized why I couldn’t see the person who’d greeted me—she was short.
I stared down at the kid and shot her a wary smile. "Hello."
She peered up at me expectantly.
I peered down at her expectantly.
"I’m Katina," she prompted.
"I’m—"
"Oh, I know who you are."
"You do? One of the brothers told you who I am?"
"Nope. Star told me you’re Aidan Jr. She says you’re Conor’s brother."
Star?
I cleared my throat. "She talked about us, huh?"
"Yep," was Katina’s cheerful retort. "She says that not all monsters that hide under the bed are ugly."
My eyes flared. "Meaning that I’m a monster that hides under the bed?"
"That’s Star’s way of saying you’re hot. It’s her version of a compliment."
I twisted around to find that Savannah had come to my aid, which wasn't confirmation she'd forgiven me. That goddamn cat was still tucked in her arms, though: 'our' new pet.
Forgiveness felt as if it were incoming.
Her wry rejoinder had me rolling my eyes. "You think that’s a compliment? Good thing I’m the one who praisesyou."
This conversation was worth it the second she blushed.
God, Savvie did that so rarely that it was a fucking treat when she did. Her cheeks could turn faintly pink, but when she blushed, she blossomed like a tomato.
It was both hilarious and endearing.
She shoved my arm. "Hush, you." To Katina, she beamed a smile. "Does Star talk about me?"
Katina nodded. "She told me about the time you ran away to L.A. together."
I choked on my sip of beer. "You ran away to L.A.?"
Savannah smirked. "Our dads told us we weren’t allowed to join the circus."
"You tried to join the circus?!"
"Nah, they didn’t get in," Katina answered me, her tone placid. "Star says that even in the Stone Age when she was a kid, adults didn’t let twelve-year-olds work in the circus."
"You were twelve?!" I boomed.