Me: Brownies, even.
Me: Food in general.
Me: Please don’t poison it.
Me: The lack of a reply is concerning.
“Jackson, she didn’t reply,” I whine.
“I thought that was the goal? To have her not reply?” Jackson asks as our group walks out of the airport. We head to the parking garage where our vehicles wait.
“Before you guys go, I have something really important to say,” I announce.
Everyone turns to look at me.
“I really couldn’t do this without all of you… and I am glad to have so many people surrounding Jackson to coat his body in protection.”
“I knew it was going to be something horrible,” Tavish says.
“And I would like you all to come over for the birthday of The Fence,” I add.
“Fuck your fence!” Micah says.
“Howdareyou. We’re going to sing songs and Ellis is going to make me more fence cookies.”
“Those were so hard to make,” Ellis says, which kind of sounds like he’s not planning on making them again.
“But, Ellis, I loved them.”
“I will make you two dozen. Is that enough?” he asks, cavingsoquickly.
“Good boy.” I smile and pat his shoulder. What a gullible man.
Turning to the others, I ask, “You’re all heading to my safe house after you get your things, right?”
“You really think we need to?” Tavish asks.
Jackson shrugs. “What’s it hurt?”
“My soul,” Tavish says.
“It’ll be good for you,” I decide. “Jackson and I will be there shortly.”
“Shouldn’t someone go with you two?” Ellis asks. “I can go back with Cassel and Jeremy, and Tavish can go with you.”
“I’ll go with you too,” Everly offers. “I still haven’t gotten to punch you yet.”
“I mean, I can definitely go too if I get to punch you,” Micah says.
I wave these vicious men off. “No, I don’t need anyone to punch me. Really, I don’t need any?—”
“Sure, we’d love for you guys to come,” Jackson says before I can even finish.
I grumble but must do as my husband says. We rearrange who is going in which vehicle and off we go. Honestly, the car with Cassel, Jeremy, and Ellis seems significantly nicer, but I force myself to deal with the cards I’ve been played. And what better way to get through them than with some music?
“You know what this calls for?” I ask from where I’m stuck in the middle seat in the back. I really think I deserved the front seat, but Everly had hurried over to it, much to Micah’s displeasure. “A…sonnggg.”
“No… please… no! Let me out! Let me out!” Tavish cries as he unrolls the window and reaches for Ellis who is in the process of getting into Cassel’s car while Henry drives off alone.
