Bristly little scamp.
“Well, what about strawberry shortcake?” I asked. “We’ve got that too.”
Her blue eyes lit up in excitement. “It’s my favorite.”
“How about that,” I said with a grin. “I’m so hungry I could eat an entire hog.”
“Good,” Duke said. “We ordered a hog and a half.”
“And about a quarter of a cow,” Savage added. “The brisket from The Pit is dynamite.”
“I love that place,” Jazz said, digging through a bag. “Potato salad, coleslaw, cheese biscuits, buns, pickles, collard greens with ham. Kill me. I’ve died and gone to food heaven.”
“We brought the paper plates and cutlery,” Willa said. “Oh, I left them in the car. Let me grab them.”
She went to the door and pulled it open and almost collided with Brielle.
The two of them quickly exchanged introductions.
“Nice to meet you,” Virgil said from over his sister’s shoulder.
Willa backed out of the way and let Brielle inside. Roman and Virgil carted in a cooler. “Where do you want this?” Roman asked.
“Um”—I looked around—“how about against the far wall? Let me get a towel to put down, so we don’t scratch the floor.”
I rushed to the linen closet and got an old rag. I set it down and then let Virgil and Roman place the cooler on top.
“Hope it’s okay we’re crashing the party,” Roman said.
“The more the merrier,” I said with a smile.
“Homer didn’t come with you?” Jazz asked. I glanced at her. Her expression appeared nonchalant.
“You know Homer.” Brielle rolled her eyes. “Grumpy McGrumphole-pants.”
The house was vibrant with food and conversation. Even Waverly was smiling, but that might’ve been because Duke and Savage treated her like their little sister. They asked her questions and she answered. I remembered what it was like at her age, just wanting to be seen and taken seriously.
I didn’t know her and Willa’s home-life situation, but it sounded messy and complex. What life wasn’t?
And even though I was so happy, so grateful that I’d found friends who wanted to throw impromptu parties at my house, I missed Slash.
I didn’t like that he was gone, and speaking on the phone wasn’t the same as seeing him in person.
“I’m ready for the grand tour,” Brielle said after her plate of brisket disappeared.
“This is pretty much it,” I said with a laugh. “It might be considered quaint to some, but after living in a studio apartment in Manhattan and in a converted storage room, this feels pretty grand.”
“You’ve lived in Manhattan?” Waverly asked, her blue eyes widening.
“Yep. Rode the subway. Ate from hot-dog carts. Bought seafood from Chinatown. I’ve done it. I earned my badge.”
“Wow. I’d love to go to New York City one day,” Waverly said.
“I promised I’d take you for your sixteenth birthday,” Willa said, wrapping her arm around her kid sister’s shoulder and hauling her close.
Waverly pretended to hate it, but she looked up at Willa with complete adoration.
My hand absently went to my belly. I wanted my baby to have a sibling, I realized. I hoped Slashed wanted—