"You shouldn't have to fight this battle at all." I loosen my grip but don't let go completely, my thumb absently stroking the inside of her wrist.
She sighs, looking down at where my hand is still wrapped around her delicate bones. "I know, but?—"
"But nothing." I tilt her chin up with my free hand, forcing her to look me in the eyes. "Don't ask him again, Reese. He's not allowed around the boys ever."
Her eyes flash with defiance. "You can't just decide?—"
"I don't give a fuck. If you need help or want company, you ask me." The words come out harder than I intended, but I don't take them back. "I'm serious."
She opens her mouth to argue, but I shake my head. "No, this isn't negotiable. The other option is I tell your sister and my cousin about what your boyfriend said. Don't worry, I'll wait."
The color drains from her face because if I tell Penn, he won’t stop to think. He’ll have Justin strangled by his own innards and at the bottom of the river.
Actually, on second thought, maybe I’ll tell my cousin anyway.
Chapter 4
Reese
Ramsey's driving is a whole mood today—jaw tight, knuckles white on the wheel, staring at the road like it personally offended him. His right hand tapping and flexing along the gear shift. I've been watching him from the passenger seat for the last twenty minutes, and he hasn't said a word since we left the house. Just classic brooding Ramsey, looking hot as fuck while being completely impossible to read.
"Are you still mad about the Justin thing?" I finally ask because the silence is killing me. "Because I swear I haven't talked to him since you hung up on him three days ago."
His eyes flick to mine for half a second before returning to the road. "I'm not mad."
"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England." I roll my eyes and shift in my seat, pulling my knees up to my chest. "You've been stomping around like someone pissed in your protein shakefor days."
The corner of his mouth twitches. "Maybe I'm just thinking about having to chase two toddlers around for the next twenty-four hours."
"Bullshit. You love those boys, and you know it."
He doesn't deny it, because that would make him a liar, and he doesn’t lie to me. We turn into Penn and Reagan's neighborhood, and I'm practically bouncing in my seat.
"They're not going anywhere," Ramsey mutters, but there's fondness in his voice.
"It's been almost a month since I've seen them," I remind him, already unbuckling my seatbelt before the car even stops. "They've probably grown like six inches."
"That's not how human development works, baby girl."
"Whatever, hockey boy."
The front door flies open as we're walking up the path, and my sister appears, looking frazzled but gorgeous in a tight black t-shirt and ripped jeans that shows off the baby bump starting to form. Reagan's hair is pulled back in a sleek ponytail, her makeup flawless despite the wild look in her eyes.
"Thank god you're here," she says, yanking me into a hug. "The monsters are destroying everything, and Penn is just encouraging it because he thinks it's hilarious."
Behind her, I can hear the unmistakable sound of tiny feet thundering across hardwood and Penn's deep laugh. Ramsey brushes past us, already heading toward the chaos.
"I'll go handle it," he says, disappearing into the house.
Reagan pulls back, studying my face. "You look tired. Is everything okay?"
"Just dance stuff," I lie, because I'm not about to tell herabout the Justin drama. "You look amazing, though. How are you feeling?"
Her hand drops to her stomach automatically. "Like a beached whale that's also starving all the time. This one's already matching their brothers."
Just then, all four boys come barreling through the hallway, dinosaurs and darts being thrown before the two overgrown ones stop in front of us. Penn smirks before walking behind my sister, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Ramsey Blackwood," my sister says, pointing one perfectly manicured finger at his chest. "Do NOT encourage their bad habits. They get enough of that from their father."
