“Me neither,” Cooper agrees. “But it is my birthday and they won’t stop bugging us till we go downstairs. Come on, it’ll be quick.”
He pulls the covers off me. Eyes bulge at my nakedness.
“I got hot in the middle of the night.” I shrug.
“Expect the thermostat to be turned up every night.”
Cooper climbs out of bed, pulling on a pair of sweatpants. He doesn’t bother with a shirt, instead tossing one to me. I throw it on and tug up leggings from last night up.
Before we go downstairs, I curl into his lap. “Happy birthday, Superstar.” I give him a swift kiss on the lips.
He tries to confiscate more, but there is a pounding on his door and a summons from Jaxon. “Your two minutes are up.”
Downstairs, all of our friends—Elliot included—plus Jake are standing around the kitchen island. Shot glasses are lined up, and Dawson pulls a bottle of liquor from the freezer. He pours each of us a friendly-sized shot.
I slink in next to Elliot. “Sleepover with Chase?”
“I’ve told you before”—she boops my nose—“it’s not like that with us. We are just friends.”
“Friends who have sleepovers.” Another weird tradition that started freshman year. Completely platonic, so they say.
“Pot meet kettle.”
“I’m having sleepovers with my boyfriend.”
“You little slut.”
“That would be you,” I joke.
“Whateverrrrr. You happy?”
I glance across the island at Cooper. “That’s one way to put it.”
She slides an arm over my shoulder, hugging me. Our heads lean into each other.
“I love our little family,” she says quietly enough for my ears only as shots are dispersed.
Me too, I exhale.
I remember a time when I didn’t think I’d get to have this. Passed over by family after family.
“Happy Birthday” breaks out amongst the group. Out of tune, and definitely out of key, but no one cares. No one truthfully cares about the time either. There might be yawns floating around between lyrics, but there’s also smiles and laughter.
I may not have my biological family, but I have these people. I have Meave. I have Mom and Dad. I have the Carmichaels. Heck, I even have Dr. Manning. I have Cooper.
“And a pinch to grow an inch,” Jaxon hollers above the clinking of glasses. “Cheers!”
We all toss back the chilled clear liquor, grimaces on everyone’s faces.
“Way too early for this,” Jake says. “Why do you guys do this?”
“I don’t think anyone truly knows.” Cooper shakes his head, collecting the glasses and taking them to the sink.
Cooperand I went back to his room and slept for another hour. Or I did, he was up reading when I woke again—no Jaxon this time, the door was securely locked when we got back up here.
I roll over, loving the sight in front of me.
Lickable muscles. Bedhead. And all completely mine.
