“Fine, fine. Freaking woman.” He kisses me softly before placing my feet on the ground. I head over to the sitting area, smiling at the lyric and music sheets scattered on the coffee table, with the guitar propped up in the corner and drop onto the giant bean bag. I glance around the space, taking in the drum set behind the stairs where it always seems to be—I guess moving a drum set isn’t all that easy. It’s nice seeing the small parts of their personalities spread around the house. It makes them all seem a little more human, like the guys I met that first night.
Once I get comfy, Shadow is the first to jump in my lap. He slobbers all over my face, and while it’s totally gross, I kinda love it.
This is exactly what I needed.
“You guys really need to tell me the others’ names,” I say as Asher comes down the stairs, and three other puppies jump on me while Mom and Dad stay lying down on the other side of the room. They almost look relieved to have the puppies climbing all over someone else.
Asher drops onto the sofa closest to me, resting his leg against mine. “Well Mom is Fi, Dad is Hellion, and the little monsters around you are Shadow, Phoenix, Maverick, and Goose. Guess which two Sawyer named.”
He winks at me as Sawyer calls out something undeterminable from the kitchen and I giggle.
Yep, this is definitely what I needed.
Sawyer heads in my direction and throws something at me, which I flinch and totally miss, while he laughs at me. “Sorry, should’ve given you a heads-up,” he says with a smirk.
I look over at the package that is wrapped in some sort of halloween gift wrap, which is weird but okay. “What’s that?
“Open it and you’ll find out,” he says as he sits down next to Asher who looks as confused as I am. “I just saw it and thought of you.”
Tell me why that one line makes me feel a little nervous.
I reach over the puppies and grab the gift, which is squishy on its own, but the paper is so pretty I almost don’t want to tear it. Starting tentatively to try and preserve the paper doesn’t go too well, mostly because Sawyer is practically combusting. Instead, I tear into it and start laughing when I see what it is.
Pulling the black t-shirt from the paper, I lift it to show Asher.
“Holy shit, that’s hilarious,” he says, laughing.
“I thought so,” Sawyer says proudly.
The giant ramen bowl with the most adorable little smiley face on it, with the caption that reads ‘Send Noods’ is possibly my new favorite funny.
“Thank you,” I say to him, grinning widely.
Yeah, time with these guys was definitely what I needed.
* * *
I stir and realize I’ve been asleep on the beanbag with the puppies for God only knows how long, but when I hear their voices, I decide to keep my eyes closed.
“So you were what was up with her earlier, huh?” Sawyer asks, and I realize that Travis must finally be home.
“Probably, but it was most likely her mom bringing up the baby again.” He sighs and I hear them all shuffle around before everything goes quiet as one of the puppies adjusts in my lap.
“Do you know why it’s triggering her so badly?” Asher asks, and a part of me wants to stop this conversation right the fuck now. The other part of me, the part that's keeping my eyes closed, my breathing steady, and my body still, wants to know what he knows.
I wonder if Mom told them about her?
“I know bits,” Travis says. “But that’s her story to tell.”
Huh… who would’ve thought that Travis was going to be the one to keep my secrets?
“I can appreciate that,” Asher says as my heart races in my chest.
“Does she know you know?” Cole asks, and I hear someone take a drink of something before glass touches down on something hard.
“I doubt it. We’re not exactly best buddies.”
“And whose fault is that, dick bag?” Sawyer chastises Travis, and I dare to crack open one eye, just a smidge, because I want to see.