She’s right. Grey likes the truth. “It’sSuper Bee Mannow, please. I have the cape on order.”
“Oh, I have a mock-up,” Laney says. “Forgot to tell you. Remind me when we go inside to grab my phone.”
“Fantastic.”
“Do your parents know you’re doing the test?” Emma asks Laney.
Laney shakes her head. “Telling them is a decision for another day. The triplets don’t want their dad to know either right now. They’ll decide what they want to do if we find out they’re right.”
Their dadbeing my uncle, the man who raised them.
“No matter what, you’ll all handle it great,” Zen says. “It’s the Tooth. That’s what you do.”
They’re not wrong.
Grey’s siblings descended on the town not long after we got back from California, claiming to be worried about Mimi’s mental and physical health if Grey was moving her to such a cold and nastyplace and finding her a boyfriend, and the Tooth totallyToothedthem.
And because they’re all a touch horrible, they were so uncomfortable with the kindness that they left within thirty-six hours after barely seeing Grey, Zen, or Mimi at all.
He has a new number now.
And he owns the company that bought out his lab.
And he bought an empty lot not far from Theo’s place where he intends to build a better lab for research on bees at elevation.
And the cherry on top—I didn’t have to threaten Theo or any of the triplets to convince them to be friends with Grey. He justfitshere. Especially now that he’s found the best way to get peace with what Chandler did to him in college.
“What’s good foryou?” I ask Emma.
“This, definitely.” She gestures with her glass to the car and the men still giggling over their plans to fix it up and paint it like a bee. Emma offered it flat-out to Grey—I know he hurt you and I hope this can give you some peace on that front—and Grey’s insisting it’ll be a communal car for all of us to share and use whenever we want.
So that the bee-mobile is driven around town more often.
Increasing the chances that Chandler will see it.
“Five strapping men in your garage?” Zen asks. “Emma. I had no idea you wanted to star in awhy chooseromance novel.”
She laughs. “No, you goober. Watchingthembe happy. That’s good for me.”
“And the revenge part?” Laney asks.
“Let’s call itclosure.” Em sips her ginger ale again. “Chandler and I hadn’t slept together since like October. He said the wedding was stressing him out, but the truth is, he didn’t want to marry me. He just wanted everyone else to think he was awesome. It’s been hard to face, but also good, you know?”
“You think you’ll ever date again?” Zen asks.
I poke them. “Seriously?”
“Maybe we ease into that kind of inquisition?” Laney says.
“No, no, it’s okay,” Emma says. “Everyone knows I always wanted the husband and the kids and the picket fence, right? Legitimate question.”
I wrap an arm around her and squeeze.
Laney does too on the other side.
“At least I’m getting part of it,” Em says softly.
Zen nods. “That’s a kick-ass white picket fence outside. Or it will be. Once we build it.”
