“It’s true,” Lily says with a shrug.
“It might be worth the risk,” I reply.
Tate laughs and grabs Axel’s arm, pretending to push him off the side. A small shout leaves him as the rest of us laugh.Serves him fucking right.
The boatfinally pulls back up to the dock, and we make our way back on land. Though it still doesn’t feel safe where we are. That’s the thing about alligators being able to live on land and in the water. I don’t like it one fucking bit.
Our next stop is some hole in the wall restaurant. Thankfully, they have outdoor seating, and we pick a table as we get our menus.
“You gonna try the alligator balls?” Axel taunts, and I kick him under the table.
“I believe it was you who screamed like a little bitch on the boat ride, not Cash,” Tate comments.
“You were trying to push me off, you ass.”
“Still, you were the only one who screamed,” Tate says.
“We could go again and switch seats. See how Cash does in the lower front row,” Axel argues.
“I think one boat ride is enough,” Lily interjects, playing mediator as she looks down at her menu. She seems a little out of it as she reads.
“Darlin’, you good?” Tate questions.
When she looks up from her menu, she says, “I think… maybe I’m just hungry.”
We share a look around the table, and she proceeds to scold us.
“Okay, enough. You all act like I’m a ticking time bomb. If I don’t feel right, I’ll tell you. Christ.”
We’re all completely told off as we order our food and eat. As much as this place might seem like a shithole, the food is delicious.
When we’re done, Lily seems a little tired. All of us try to act inconspicuously as we monitor her every movement.
“Maybe we can go to the room for a quick nap?” she asks.
“Whatever you want, baby girl,” I tell her.
She rides on the back of Axel’s bike on the way to the hotel, and she’s quiet as we walk up to the room.
As soon as she gets inside, she takes nearly every pillow on the bed to make a soft area for herself. She doesn’t even notice what she’s doing, and she falls asleep right away.
“Fuck, we’re gonna need to pack our shit and get ready to go home,” Tate states.
I can tell he feels guilty, a lot of the club decisions ride on his shoulders and that’s why we haven’t gone on a trip until now.
“She’ll be fine. We can make it up to her with another trip,” Axel reassures.
“We were supposed to have two more days. Her heat wasn’t supposed to start for, like, another two weeks,” Tate complains.
“When has anything in our pack gone according to plan?” I ask.
“Fuckin’ never. It’s bullshit.”
He’s not wrong. It feels like anytime we plan something, it always gets fucked up. But truly, Lily is safe. We’re taking good care of her, and that’s all that really matters.
“I’ll pack up our shit and get my bike ready,” I tell them.
They pack their own stuff up, and I take it all downstairs, getting everything in order. We’re all nervous about when she wakes up and how she’ll handle the news. None of us want her to feel like we’re telling her what to do, even though we are. A lot of times when she’s nearing her heat she is the last to know, but all of us have picked up on the telltale signs.
