“I like the idea that my family will come here to laugh and play. Feels like a big middle finger to the assholes who tried to take all of this away from me,”Holden had said when I’d shown him the plans.
Still, our housewarming was going to be his first visit to this property since that horrible moment. We arranged it so that Holden and Beckett would arrive early, and it was wonderful tosee the grin on Holden’s face when he spotted the bonfire set up just off the driveway.
“Is this where we get to roast marshmallows?” Hikaru asked.
“Yes, son,” Holden said, rubbing the arm that Chase had broken.
I walked up to him. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “I liked the idea of what you were doing with this land from the start. It immediately made driving past this place easier.”
“And being here today?”
“Better than I thought,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I won’t lie, I was a bit of a mess earlier.”
“A hot mess,” Beckett whispered as he handed Hikaru a bottle of bug spray.
Holden nodded. “An entire hot mess. But being here right now? Totally worth it.” Turning toward the house, he said, “And your new place is gorgeous. Not sure I would have imagined you choosing this style, but between you and Hendrix, it kind of fits.”
Hendrix joined me, snuggling into my side. “The original plan was a bit more modern looking on the outside, but we were influenced by Mr. Paige’s cabin over the last year, so we made a few last-minute changes to the exterior.”
The house I’d originally had in mind would’ve been beautiful, even if it hadn’t quite meshed with the surroundings. We’d kept the footprint and the basic architecture the same, but instead of smooth, cream-colored adobe, the exterior was a combination of local stone, white-stained wood, and dark gray accents. The effect was more cabin-like, and it brought in the colors thatHendrix and I both enjoyed. I especially loved the cheerful red door.
More cars made their way up the drive, and in ones and twos the Lost Boys exited their vehicles, each carrying something they’d brought for the potluck. Everyone set their dishes on the massive kitchen island and got a tour of the new place, and then we moved back outside.
Major, ever the mother hen, had set up the small bonfire stack yesterday, and he had a whole set of rules for it. He pulled out a comically large match and helped Hikaru touch it to the kindling that would set the blaze going.
Major had done an excellent job, and soon we had a roaring fire and a bunch of slightly drunk Lost Boys telling their favorite Hendrix stories.
“He once set a trampoline between the gym and the swimming pool,” Walker said, laughing. “He jumped from a second-story window in the gym to the trampoline and did a flip before executing a perfect dive into the pool. In full costume.”
Hendrix shrugged. “I had detention for the rest of the school year, and it was totally worth it.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t even try that with our pool.”
His answering smirk was not comforting.
Beckett laughed. “What about the time you were busted fucking a cheerleader in your mascot uniform? How did you get her in there with you?”
“We were both very tiny and very determined,” Hendrix said, lewdly miming his antics. He laughed when I muttered under my breath.
Joel stroked his beard. “So you were fucking her during a football game?”
“In front of the entire crowd. Not that they knew what was going on, but… yeah.”
The pride he took in his shenanigans made me worry that he’d want to repeat them—though there certainly wouldn’t be any cheerleaders involved. Part of me couldn’t wait.
“Gentlemen, maybe not within earshot of my grandson?” Ren said, pointing to Hikaru, who Major was distracting by showing him how to roast marshmallows.
“He’s over there, we’re over here. It’s fine.”
“We can hear you,” Major called. “I’d really rather not have to explain the logistics of what you just said.”
Ren laughed, and Major’s eyes hit the dirt. It had been about six months since Ren ended their arrangement. They avoided each other when they could, and Major was always respectful, but I wished things had gone differently for them.
Hendrix, unaware of their drama, lowered his voice and kept going. “Honestly, it was super easy. I’d put on the condom before I got into the suit, and she didn’t wear any underwear. We had it all planned out.”
I shifted my jaw. “Didn’t she open up a pottery shop across the square with her husband? And their three children?”
