They spent the next round ofArrow Sins & Siegecoming up with insults and swears for Templeton, which Mack found super entertaining. “Gosh, Brad. This is just like when you nearly messed up with Avery and she had that insult book about you.”
Tex laughed. “I think we still have his picture somewhere, the one we put on the punching bag at the station.”
Brad flushed.
They spent their time hanging out, as if nothing among the four of them had changed. Yet everything had.
Mack looked from friend to friend, seeing growth. Brad no longer acted like the world would end if he couldn’t save everyone. Tex had eased past his girl-of-the-week mentality to settle down and become a terrific, stable boyfriend and one heck of a seasoned firefighter. Reggie no longer moped all the time, angry with the world. People didn’t take advantage of him so easily anymore thanks to some much-needed therapy and his lovely fiancée’s influence.
But what had changed with Mack? Anything?
“No. I’ve always been an awesome guy,” he mumbled.
“Talking to himself. Yep. He’s got head trauma,” Brad said to much amusement.
Mack took a breath, let it out, and stood, nearly upending a bowl of pretzels. Time to start his own change so his friends could get on with their lives and not worry about babying the sad, weak one left over. He didn’t think he could bear it if they turned into carbon copies of James, Alec, and Xavier.
“Hey, watch it,” Reggie growled.
“Easy, neat freak.” Mack cleared his throat. “I have an announcement to make.” He gave it the requisite pause before adding, “I’m keeping the cop.”
Everyone looked at him.
“What are you talkin’ about?” Tex frowned. “Not the pretty one with the temper?”
“Her?” Reggie blinked. “Really?”
Brad stared at him. “This I have to hear.”
“Yes, yes, Cass is the hot cop who nailed me at the soccer game. I decided I like her. But she’s on the fence about dating.”
“Oh boy,” Brad muttered. “This sounds rough.”
Mack ignored him. “She has no idea who she’s dealing with. I’m Mack Revere.”
“Amen, brother.” Tex drank down his bottle. “I need another one.”
Mack continued, “I’m making her fall for me a little at a time. We’re a lot alike. She thinks we’re just friends, which we are. But we’re gonna be more. I really like her.” He smiled, thinking about how great she was, how sweet she’d looked in his bed and in his arms. “Pretty soon she’s going to be wondering how she existed BM. Before Mack.”
Tex blinked. “Ah, BM stands for a lot of things. Maybe another acronym.”
“No shit.” Reggie grinned wide. “Oh, that’s even funnier.”
Brad wiped his face, trying to hide a smile Mack clearly saw. BM? Oh…
“Bowel movement? Really? How old are you, three?”
They burst into laughter.
When they finally calmed a little, red-faced, Mack suggested, “How aboutPM? Like Pre-Mack.”
“Better,” Brad said. “When do we get to meet her?”
“Dun dun dun,” Reggie sang. “She needs to run the gauntlet.”
“The girlfriend gauntlet,” Tex added, as if Mack didn’t know. “All of ours passed. Now it’s your turn.”
“I’m not worried. For her…” Mack grinned. “You remember she nearly killed me on the soccer field.”
