____
Ava nestles into my chest, letting out a little hum as I stroke the back of her blonde curls.
“I’m so glad you brought her,” I say to Chloe, who is sitting across from me.
“I appreciate you holding her so I can eat.”
“Say we don’t mind, do we sweet girl?” I make a silly face, and Ava giggles.
“What’s it like living with the guys?” Gray asks Poppy and Lacey.
“Honestly, I love it,” Lacey says. “I mean, I miss Poppy, but it’s so easy with Jace and the hot as sin sex isn’t half bad either.”
Poppy takes a sip from her mimosa. “Honestly, same. Logan woke me up with his head between my legs this morning, so I’m not complaining.”
“Little ears, you two,” Chloe scolds.
“Oh, shit, I mean shoot. Sorry Ava,” Poppy says.
Chloe shakes her head. “Any luck with the apartment hunt, Wren?”
I glance over at Gray. “Oh, um, maybe, but I don’t think it’s going to work out. I might have to take one of you up on your offer.” Ava slaps at my face and babbles out a stream of consonants. “Does that mean I should move in with you?” I ask her.
“Wait, why did you look at Gray?” Lacey asks.
“I didn’t,” I say a little too quickly.
“Oh, my god. You’re lying. What’s going on?” Poppy questions.
My eyes bounce between my friends.
“Might as well tell them,” Gray says, shrugging her shoulders and sipping her water.
“Tell us what?” Chloe asks.
“I might have agreed to live with Tanner last night.” I wince as I say it.
Everyone stares back at me with wide eyes and open mouths. Our waiter returns to clear the plates covering the table.
“What in the actual fuck? I mean, frick. Sorry, Ava. So much forI’ll never live with him,” Lacey says, shaking her head as soon as the waiter disappears. “Come on.” She gestures her hand in my direction. “Tell us we were right.”
“It was a weird night,” I start.
“Like how weird?” She wiggles her eyebrows and smirks.
“Not weird like that. Weird that I hung out with him without any of you. We drank, played ping-pong, and then he slept on my couch.”
“We’re going to circle back to the couch. But ping-pong at The Local?” Poppys asks.
“Yeah, why?”
“Holy shit! That table is magic,” Lacey says.
“Truly,” Gray laughs. “I didn’t realize the table was involved.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Logan and I literally ran into each other while he and T were playing ping-pong. They had a bet that if Logan won, he could go home. If Tanner won, Logan had to stay. Logan won, but then we met and he stayed. Magic.” Poppy takes a sip from her mimosa.
