“Yes,” he says without hesitation.
“True.”
He’s hesitant, before he speaks. I know there’s something on his mind he wants to say, but he’s scared to. My pulse thumps heavy in my chest with anticipation. When he starts talking, I suck in another breath and hold it.
“I think I am going to want more with her.”
I look at him and exhale. That’s not what I expected, but I’m neither relieved nor disappointed. “More?”
“More. I’m not saying anything soon. But she’s it for me. For us. She completes us. Makes us whole. We are a family because of her.” He holds up his hands. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we weren’t before because you three guys are my family. I love you all so much, but her. She’s like a beacon of light shooting straight down in the middle of us from the sky. She completes us in such a way that I didn’t even know existed. It’s like pieces of me were broken and she fits perfectly in those cracks.” He sighs and stops.
“Wow.” I hesitate before I speak again. “Don’t quit cooking to be a poet.”
“Shut the fuck up, asshole.” He shoves me hard and I topple over into the sand, but this time he doesn’t apologize, nor should he.
He’s my friend. My best friend. Callum is my brother. Knox is like an annoying fucking brother and Emmett. He’s my best friend. I love him with a different kind of love than the others. He gets me in ways the others don’t. Hell, that I don’t, sometimes. He knows me and I know him. “I love you. You know that?”
He looks at me, eyes focused, and his lips quiver. “I know, and I love you too.”
We both look back out at the ocean and just sit in silence for who knows how long.
EMMETT - ALL IN
WhenJaxandIget back to the house, it’s just after one in the morning and most of the house is still up and playing cards. Beckett and Will seem to be the only two missing, and Everlee nods to their room.
I pull up a seat between Donna and Lizzy while Jax pulls up a stool just behind Everlee. He sits perched, thighs spread wide with his palms pressed into the seat between his legs. A goddamn dreamsicle I want to suck in my mouth.
Nope.
Should not be thinking that.
Pretty sure bi-awakening is not on the BINGO cards, which I noticed are no longer tacked to the front of the fridge. It took me a day to realize they were missing, even though I noticed something was different in the kitchen. Just couldn’t put my finger on it until this afternoon.
He catches my glance and stares at me a moment, then looks over Everlee’s shoulder and whispers something to her. She giggles, then nods at Callum, who has a stack of chips in front of him looking like a mafia king in front of his spoils. I learned a long time ago not to bet against Callum in cards. He has a wicked mind and is a lucky son of a bitch. Although, looking at Everlee’s pile, I’d say she could be the only one to give him a run for his money. Knox and Lizzy are almost out of chips, and Donna isn’t far behind.
“Let me see what you got?” Knox jeers, trying to look at Everlee’s cards.
She laughs and pulls them closer to her chest and Knox’s eyes pump before he can catch himself.
“Cheater, cheater.”
“We have to beat Callum.”
“I know. That’s my plan.”
“Good luck, love.” Callum chuckles.
Her eyes widen as she glances between Callum and her mom, but Callum doesn’t react. He just tosses in his chips.
“Aww boo boo,” Knox says, batting his eyelashes. “Are you trying to distract me with your little pet names?”
“Whatever it takes…. Love.”
Everlee’s lips twist into a smile. She’s radiant. Glowing.
“You know,” Everlee starts, then pauses. “If you wanted to beat Callum, you could just give me your chips.”
“Or you could give them to me, if we’re giving away chips,” Lizzy chimes in.
