“Put some pants on?” Emery supplied helpfully.
“Yes. That.” I nodded vigorously.
Noah’s grin widened impossibly farther. “Aw, but where’s the fun in that?”
I lobbed a pillow at his head with surprising accuracy. “Out!”
13
DREW
Istumbled out of the bedroom, fumbling with the buttons on my wrinkled shirt. West followed close behind, his curly hair even more disheveled than usual. I’d heard the stories of the Spencer brothers invading each other’s places. Hearing about it? Funny. Experiencing it? Not so much. They’d cut into my cuddling time with West, dammit.
We’d barely made it three steps down the hallway when I froze, my eyes widening at the unexpected scene before me.
“Holy crap.”
Lex, Emery, and Noah were on the couch while River and Adam sat on the floor around the coffee table. Which was piled high with…was that takeout from Lusitana?
What the actual hell?
“Uh, hey, guys,” I managed to croak out. “This is…unexpected.”
River’s face scrunched in a sheepish grimace. “Sorry for the intrusion, Drew. We, uh, thought you might want some company.”
I blinked rapidly. “Company. Right. Because nothing says ‘I need company’ like being holed up in my bedroom on a Saturday afternoon.”
West’s hand came to rest on the small of my back. I leaned into it, happy I could now do something as simple as that.
Adam cleared his throat. “We brought food,” he offered, gesturing to the spread on the table. “Thought you guys might be hungry after…you know.”
My cheeks flamed as they tried but failed to conceal their sniggers.
“That’s, uh, very thoughtful,” West said smoothly, saving me from having to formulate a coherent response. How was he so calm about this?
I took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “Well, since you’re all here…who wants a drink?”
River chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “Actually, we helped ourselves to your beer already. Hope you don’t mind. I used that spare key you gave me a few months back.”
I groaned, running a hand through my disheveled hair. “Right. The spare key. For emergencies. Like, say, if I was trapped under a fallen bookcase or something.”
“Hey, food cravings can be emergencies too,” River quipped, taking a swig of his beer. “Besides, keeping up with your nutritional requirements is important when you’re taking part in physical activities.”
Noah snorted and Adam’s face turned a very deep shade of red.
West squeezed my waist gently, his voice low and amused. “And they brought food.”
“True,” I conceded, leaning into him. “I suppose I can forgive the breaking and entering this time.”
West’s curiosity seemed to get the better of him as he addressed the group. “So, not that we don’t appreciate the company, but what brings you all here? Did we miss a memo?”
The energy in the room suddenly shifted, an almost palpable excitement radiating from our friends. Adam sat up straighter, a grin spreading across his face. “Actually, we got some good news for you.”
My heart skipped a beat. After the fire, I’d tried to avoid thinking about the building because it was too painful to remember that night. West missing. Knowing he was trapped. And then thinking about how much we could have lost. “What kind of good news?” I asked, hardly daring to hope.
Adam leaned forward, his eyes bright. “A few of the donors from the auction reached out to us when they couldn’t get hold of you and they’re upping their donation.”
I felt my knees go weak with relief, and West’s arm tightened around me. “Are you serious?” he asked.
