This shouldn’t be so hard.
We were friends.
But I have a lot of work to do if I want to be friends again. “I’m good for now. Thank you.”
The back door doesn’t open.
Bash doesn’t come running out to meet me.
Not that I expect him to.Wanthim to, but don’t expect him to.
“Whenever you change your mind, the cooler’s full.” She points to a red cooler next to the back door, smacking Sabrina in the chest in the process.
Delaney Kingston—no, that would be DelaneyMonroenow, according to Begonia, who says Delaney told her herself that she took Theo’s last name—steps forward like she’s covering Sabrina’soofand Emma’s horrified look at herself.
“Hi. I’m Laney. Welcome.” She steers me away from where the two other women are whisperingsorrys andI’m okays, and points at various people and things instead. “Theo and I are in disagreement over how happy we are to have you here, but I think we’ll weather this argument just fine. Hopefully you do too. Bathrooms are inside, though feel free to use the trees as long as you’re out of sight. I understand that might’ve been one of your orders. But if you do go inside, please don’t let the cats out. Also, they know how to open the bathroom door, and they don’t really have any boundaries about where they like to go or what they think is a toy.”
Sabrina coughs.
Emma sighs.
“This is Sabrina,” Laney adds, gesturing from a safe distance to the gossip of the group. She’s the shortest of the bunch, with red curly hair and bright green eyes and skin white enough that I don’t know if she never goes outside or if she has excellent sunscreen.
Laney points to the largest of the men in the group next, then ticks off the people one by one. “I know you, ah, met Grey at my wedding, but this is the rest of him. Mike Monroe, Theo and Emma’s dad. Zen—they’re one of our favorite people, and I think they’ve pulled more overnight shifts with Em and the baby than the rest of us. Not to mention the craving patrol services when she was pregnant. And then we have the triplets. This is Jack and—”
She stares at the first of the two triplets out here, a comical look crossing her face.
Both of the triplets stare back straight-faced.
“Lucky,” Zen, who’s nearly as tall as me, slender, with short blond hair and an eyebrow ring, finishes for her. “Jack and Lucky.”
“Jack and Lucky,” I repeat. “Nice to meet you. All of you.”
Emma’s lips go flat as she slides them a look.
I’m definitely being tested.
And Emma looks like she’s currently wishing I’d declined this invitation. It’s like the first day I met her in Fiji. She’s nervous. Uncomfortable.
Makes me want to hug her again, but she’s already hugging herself, and everyone here has more of a right to comfort her than I do.
I should’ve made an effort to stay in touch.
This is on me.
“You grill?” Theo asks me.
One test on top of the other. Exactly what I deserve. “No, but I’ve always wanted to learn.”
“You’ve never grilled?” Lucky says. TherealLucky, if the haircut is to be believed.
“That surprises you?” Zen replies.
I don’t hear Lucky’s answer.
The back door has opened, and a tiny human with light brown hair, brown eyes, a solid chunk of a body, and legs that apparently have one speed—fast—dashes out onto the patio. “Mama! Mama titty!”
Emma squats and catches him as he throws himself at her.
