She looks lighter and more comfortable in her own skin than I’ve seen her in a long damn time, and it throws me off even worse.
“Look who decided to join us,” Switch calls when he spots me hovering near the doorway. “You gonna stand there brooding or grab a beer like a normal person?”
“Fuck off,” I mutter, heading for the fridge.
Blade glances up from where he’s leaning against the counter. “Are you always this pleasant, or did we miss something?”
I crack a beer and take a long pull before answering. “Long day.”
Switch snorts. “That explains the sunshine.”
Brooke finally looks over and our eyes catch for half a second before her smile softens when she sees me, not big and dramatic just real, like she’s glad I’m here. That makes my heart beat wildly.
“Hey, Rev,” she says easily.
“Hey,” I answer, trying to sound normal and probably failing. I take another swallow and lean against the counter, pretending I’m more interested in the label than the way she keeps shifting her weight like she’s comfortable being exactly where she is.
Blade watches me over the rim of his glass. “You gonna stop scowling at the cabinets, or should we be worried they offended you?”
“I’m not scowling,” I mutter.
Switch laughs. “Bro, you absolutely are.”
Bella flicks a dish towel at my arm. “Relax. You’re killing the vibe.”
“Didn’t realize I was responsible for the vibe.”
Blade tilts his head. “You’re being a grumpy ass. What’s your fucking problem?”
I open my mouth then close it again because I don’t have an answer that doesn’t crack something open I’m not ready to deal with. “Nothing. Just drop it.”
Brooke watches the exchange with quiet amusement, her eyes flicking between us like she’s tracking a tennis match, and she doesn’t look tense or fragile. She looks good, comfortable and present, which makes the knot in my gut loosen and tighten at the same time.
No one says the thing sitting in the middle of the room between us and no one brings up last week or why I haven’t been around or why she looks different tonight in a way I don’t quite know how to handle, not that they even know there’s something to say.
I take another drink and try to shake off the edge crawling under my skin, but it doesn’t work worth a damn because all I can really think about is how much I want to walk up to her and pull her perfectly curvy body against mine.
A few minutes later dinner is ready and Bella is telling us all to sit.
“Hey,” Switch says, reaching across for the basket in the middle of the table. “I’m not done with that.”
Blade’s already pulling a roll free. “You hesitated.”
“That’s not how ownership works.”
“That’s exactly how it works.”
Bella laughs, shaking her head as she slides her plate a little farther from the edge. “You two are unbelievable.”
Blade notices the second Bri shifts in her chair, his hand already lifting like he’s about to steady her.
“I’m fine,” Bri says, giving him a look. “I adjusted, that’s all.”
“Just making sure,” he replies, still watching her a second longer than necessary.
Switch snorts into his drink. “You’re gonna sprain something hovering like that.”
Blade flicks him a look. “Worry about your own woman.”
