“You need to go to bed,” Beckett said. “And you need to take the puke bowl with you.”
“But it smells like popcorn,” Parker whined. “Because it’s the popcorn bowl.”
Beck slipped his fingers under his glasses to rub his eyes. “Either you get the bowl or you sleep in the backyard.”
“Fuckin’ Beck,” he grumbled. He dropped down on the floor, scooting on his belly to meet the dogs at eye level. “Your ancestors told me they’re proud of you. Sing the songs of your people with honor.”
Parker got to his feet, gave his brother a smacking kiss on the cheek, and disappeared inside the house.
Beckett shook his head after him. “I know I’ve said this already but what the fuck?”
I laughed. “Yeah, it’s been a night for him. There was a lot he needed to get off his chest. He’s really stressed.”
Beckett glanced inside and then back at me. “Can you stay for a minute? I need to make sure he isn’t actually in the backyard or asleep with his head in the refrigerator.”
I looked down at my dogs. They thumped their tails and blinked up at me like they were cool with this place. So, sure, I could hang out for a bit. Since I was already here. That was the only reason. The realreason. Not that Beckett and I weren’t screaming at each other for the first time ever. And it had nothing to do with him wearing glassesandjeans. “Yeah, no problem.”
He pointed at the porch swing, the bossman stare dark in his eyes. “Sit down. I’ll be right back.”
For once, my first instinct was not to argue with him. Probably had something to do with the glasses. They sealed the deal for me in a way I could only express through hungry noises usually reserved for nature documentaries. This attraction was terribly inconvenient given the many issues I had with this man. He wasn’t nice to me, for one. Not in the way normal people were nice. And he appeared to fundamentally dislike me. Not even the best pair of secret glasses could wipe that away.
But then he came outside with two beers, a glass of water, and a large bowl, saying, “I didn’t know what you wanted, and since you’re driving, I brought options.” He set the beverages on the small tree stump table next to the swing and put the bowl in front of the dogs.
He brought water for my dogs.
“But we also have soda and sparkling water. And Parker has been stocking up on pineapple juice for some reason.”
“You don’t want to know about the pineapple. Trust me,” I murmured.
Beckett blinked at me for a second before a disgusted look crossed his face. “Oh god, don’t tell me it’s the—no.” He started to make a vague gesture then thought better of it.“Fuck.”
“Pretty much.” I laughed as he grimaced.
“Beer or water?” he asked.
I reached for one of the bottles. “Will you make fun of me if I only have a couple sips of beer?”
He sat down beside me, a beer bottle in hand. “Why would I make fun of you?”
“Because you make fun of everything,” I said, laughing. “You never, ever stop criticizing me. It’s like your favorite thing to do.”
“I won’t say a word. After what you’ve been through tonight, you’ve earned a free pass from me and my comments.” He tapped his bottle against mine. “I was on a conference call with my partners to handle some issues that’ve come up since I’ve been gone. It went two hours longer than intended.” He blew out a breath and took a long pull of his beer. “Lost track of time. I should’ve noticed he wasn’t home yet.”
“Eh, it’s fine. What’s the point of being seventeen if not to sail to Jamestown and wander the docks alone at night?” I took a sip. Alcohol was not a friend to my brain, but a small amount on certain occasions didn’t bother me. “Though he really is overwhelmed. School and relationships and your parents. He’s…” I rolled the bottle between my palms. “He’s having a hard time with the college stuff. The pressure seems a little overwhelming. Maybe ease up on him?”
Beckett leaned back, the shift causing the swing to kick into a gentle roll. It was nice. Relaxing. Peaceful, even. If I could be peaceful while sitting next to my iceberg.
“We had aconversationabout that this morning. I was informed that he’s not me and he doesn’t share my interests or, as he put it, achievement-obsessed perfectionist compulsions.”
I pressed my lips together to hold back a smile. “I will not comment on that.”
“And I will appreciate that.” Beck pushed his foot against the porch floor, starting the swing on a steady rhythm. “I’m an idiot. I should’ve known he was feeling the pressure of all this shit even if he’s been strangely philosophical every time we talk.”
“How areyoujuggling all of this?”
Beck gave a hard, brittle laugh. “I’m clearlynotjuggling it. I’m dropping balls left and right.”
I shifted, turning to face Beckett and folding my legs in front of me on the seat. My knee pressed against his thigh and I decided to leave it there. He could scoot over if he didn’t like it. “I need to pause here and tell you that the teenage version of you would’ve turned that comment into something lewd.”
