Sawyer shakes his head. “We promise not to make fun of you guys.”
“Unless you suck,” Wilder says again, earning a few mild glares. “What? Is laughing illegal now?”
“You’d make them feel bad,” Hayes says, frowning at his twin.
“It’s all right,” I quickly cut in. “We don’t suck. Right,Liam?” In fact, Liam and I ended up getting one of the highest scores in our class. We perfected form and pace, and we didn’t fight one another for control.
He grins at me, sharing the secret, and nods. “Don’t worry, gorgeous, we’ll show them what we’re made of.”
Beaming at the thought of sharing a waltz with Liam again, I eat dinner, noting how easy it is to talk with this pack. I don’t feel less than or inadequate. They actually seem interested in my research. Dinner is almost peaceful.
“Are you kidding? That’s not fair! He’s cheating!” Wilder tosses his cards onto the table.
Hayes leans forward, a taunting smile on his lips. “It’s Uno Flip, Wild. How can I cheat?”
“You have cards up your sleeves or something,” Wild complains.
“I think we would have noticed,” Sawyer offers.
“Don’t be a sore loser,” Liam adds.
Wilder looks at me with puppy-dog eyes. “Don’t you believe me, sweetness? He’s a liar and a cheat.”
I glance between the pack. The thought of Hayes cheating in Uno is a little absurd. “All I know are the facts. Winning the game requires a combination of probability and strategy.”
“I had a strategy,” he says.
“True, but you kept laying down the same color as what was on this discard pile, but your brother changed colors as often as he could, which was smart because it slowed the rest of us down and increased the chances of him winning.”
“So, you’re saying he’s your favorite?” Wilder asks, narrowing his eyes.
Mine widen. “What, no, not at all. I’m simply expounding on the evidence presently available?—”
“Which means you like Hayes more than me.” This time, his lips twitch.
“Oh,” I murmur, shaking my head. “You’re joking.”
He tries to play it tough for a few more seconds, but Hayes pointedly clears his throat. Wilder sighs. “Fine, fine. Hayes won fair and square. Should we play another round?”
“As long as you don’t cry about it when you lose,” his brother teases.
Wilder shoots visual daggers in his direction.
“Do you guys want some popcorn or snacks?” I rise to grab some, but Liam places his hand on my forearm and gets up instead.
“I need you to play referee. These two can get violent if left unattended.”
My mouth falls open, and I look at the twins with renewed curiosity. Sibling rivalry is fascinating to me, mostly because Henry and I get along so well. My mother would happily pit us against one another. Too bad for her that we get along. Speaking of my brother, I should probably visit him soon, but everything has been so crazy with getting settled at my new lab, dealing with my parents, and now everything with this pack. Henry will want to hear about everything that’s been going on with my life, and I need to decide how much I want to tell him, first.
Wilder finishes shuffling and sets the cards in front of his brother. “Cut them.”
“I’ll cut you,” Hayes fires back.
“I’d like to see you try.”
Hayes growls.
Wilder mocks him.
