“My mom and—?” he began, and I should have tuned into his tone, but I was freaking out!
“And I was still mad about Ariana. So I was ranting about her to my girls. And in doing so, saying how awesome you were, and me talking about your varying shades of awesome, it might have veered into the sex stuff.”
“Rewind,” he bit out. “My mom and?—?”
Since I clearly didn’t learn my lesson of approximately five point two five minutes ago about not letting anyone get a word in edgewise, again, I spoke over him.
“I think they heard some, if not all of it, and everyone can see my love bite.”
“Go tell them I’m gonna be there in five,” he ordered.
“Gabe!” I cried. “They can all see my love bite.”
“Go. Tell. My parents. To sit their asses down. Leave you alone. And I’ll be there in five.”
His vibe was finally penetrating my freakout.
“Gabe—”
“Five,” he gritted.
Then he disconnected.
Oh shit.
I forgot I had a platinum level protective boyfriend, and as such, he would not be at one with his parents ambushing me, and taking that further, I should have just dealt with it and not told him.
When I took my phone from my ear and turned, I saw all the girls were in the staff room with me.
“Well?” Harlow asked.
“Gabe’s coming, and I think I made a mistake calling him, because he sounds pissed.”
Raye, Jessie and Harlow, all having their own Hottie Squad members, nodded understandingly.
“On the one hand,” Shanti said, “I can see they’d be worried, what with the two who came before you. On the other hand, they can’t be ignorant of who their son is, so gotta say, not sure this was their brightest move.”
Tex lumbered in at this juncture and asked, “Is this Angels business?”
“No, we’re—” Harlow tried to answer.
That was as far as she got before Tex noted, “It’s lunchtime, and we got a full house and no one to bring them food. Not sure why I gotta keep tellin’ you this shit, but it works like this. People order food. We give it to them. They pay for it. And that pays your wages. Are you following me?”
“Gabe’s parents are here,” Raye told him.
He reared back. “Mike and Shelby? How’d they get by me?”
“And Luke,” Jessie added.
“Ah.” Tex nodded. “That’s how they got by me.”
“And Willow’s folks surprise showed too,” Shanti put in.
“And Willow has a love bite,” Luna finished explaining my current tribulation.
Tex homed in on my love bite.
Then he visibly gagged.
