Jesus Christ. What the hell was wrong with him?
I ignored the smirk Jay still had aimed at me and pushed away from both assholes. “I’m going to get some food.”
After stepping inside and grabbing a plate, I began filling it with a little bit of everything on the kitchen table.
“All this food will totally add ten pounds.”
I looked up and raised a brow at Lyla as she grabbed her own plate.
“Don’t start with all that crap.” I pointed my fork at her, reiterating the same thing I’d told her a million times. “You look great.”
I wasn’t going to make things awkward by telling her that her full tits, round ass, and slight curve to her hips would make any man fall to his knees. Except for me. Because again, I was just her friend.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if the weight went to my boobs, but it’ll go straight to my ass.”
Again, I didn’t understand why that was a problem. But I didn’t plan on voicing that either. We filled our plates, and I snatched an extra piece of corn bread, placing it on her plate. She had to have at least one piece.
“Ugh. You’re a bad influence.”
I shrugged. “You’re welcome.”
She rolled her eyes, but I didn’t miss the slight pull of her lips as she fought a smile. “I saw you picked up the EMT shift tomorrow.”
“Yup, we’re working together. Are you excited?” I shot her a smirk. “We can grab food at Mamacitas between calls.”
I hadn’t planned on picking up a shift on my day off, but when she told me it opened up, I’d jumped at the chance. I probably wouldn't have if it were anyone else, but she was one of my favorite people to ride with and I always looked forward to working together. She was smart—knew her stuff but was also willing to learn. And she made it fun.
“And that’s why you’re my favorite.” She popped an olive in her mouth and turned, walking back outside.
I followed her to a table where Logan and Izzy were sitting. His twin daughters were still running around the yard somewhere. Lyla took the seat next to Izzy and the two started chatting. Lyla had originally become friends with Izzy over a year ago when their mutual friend Nicole had introduced Izzy to her group of friends.
I sat across from Logan, smiling as I listened to Lyla rave about Izzy’s ring. “Congratulations, man.”
We all knew he was going to pop the question last night. I wasn’t so sure how all that was going to turn out back in May, especially since Logan didn’t want to take my advice and talk to Jay before anything happened with his sister, but it all worked out in the end.
“Thanks.” Logan’s lips lifted into a wide smile. It was good to see him so happy and smiling so much lately. It was obvious Izzy brought that out in him.
The rest of our crew began filling chairs at the long table. Multiple conversations were happening at once, and I sat back, taking it all in with a smile. We might be a loud, chaotic bunch, but I loved it. We felt more like family than anything else.Something I wished I’d had growing up. It was just my mom, me, and my sister, so now that our crew had grown, incorporating women and kids, I finally felt like part of a big family.
Lyla laughed and it drew my attention to her. She caught my eye and raised a brow. I sent her a wink and she rolled her eyes. This was the dynamic we had. I could openly flirt with her, and she would brush it off with a roll of her eyes or a shake of her head. Because we were just friends. Nothing more.
After everyone finished eating, we sang happy birthday to Nora and had cake. The party began winding down, and people started to leave. Families with smaller kids were the first to clear out, their kids either exhausted from running around or hitting a major sugar crash. I was just about to head out when Lyla stepped back into the yard. She’d said she was leaving a bit ago, so why was she back out here?
“I need a jump,” she announced.
Standing across from me, Zack hid a smirk behind the lip of his beer bottle just as Logan leaned over close to me. “Better go help your girl.”
“She’s not—” Why was I even bothering? “Jesus, never mind.” I pushed away from the group and headed toward Lyla. “Come on, I got ya.”
She turned, walking back around the side of the house. “It’s been one thing after another this week. Like ending things with Ted wasn’t enough, I’ve been puked on, lost one of my favorite earrings, and now this.”
Her ramblings jarred my memory. “Oh, I found it.”
She spun without warning, and I collided into her with anoof, almost toppling us both to the ground. My hands braced against her lower back, keeping her upright, while I found my footing. Most of the time her clumsiness was endearing. Other times, I was just glad to have quick reflexes.
With her hands flat against my chest, she glanced up at me, blue irises shining bright, pulling me in. Long lashes framed her eyes and freckles dusted her fair skin. A loose curl fell in front ofher face, and I fought every urge to brush it back. Ensuring she was stable on her feet, I stepped back quickly, before she could feel my reaction to having her in my arms.
Dammit. I’d been so good about controlling my physical reaction to her. But that was twice in the last week I’d failed. Maybe her having a boyfriend had helped me put her in the completely off-limits just-friends category. I needed to figure out how to get back there now that she was single again. Because the last thing I needed was for her to figure out I actually found her attractive. That would ruin everything, I was sure of it.
