“Well you can tell him that Bennett will be there, and he’s an adult who definitely acts like our parental figure keeping us in line,” McKenna explains.
“Yeah, Benny acts like a daddy to the group.” Katie winks before waggling her brows suggestively.
“Gross, Katie!”
“Ugh, sorry. I know that’s weird to say about Bennett. I justneedto find a guy who knows what to do with his hands and doesn’t suck my face like an amateur,” Katie says, looking around the room as if she’s searching for someone that might meet that criteria. “And the guys we went to school with aren’t cutting it.”
I laugh at the way she sighs in defeat. “I think you and my friend Ryan would get along.”
“Really? Is he hot? Who am I kidding? With a name like that, of course he’s hot. Please bring him!” Katie begs.
“Shegoes to her grandmother’s house for their annual Fourth of July family gathering, or I definitely would,” I assure them.
Katie waggles her brows. “Isshehot?”
I chuckle. “The hottest.”
Katie shimmies in excitement. “Hell yeah! Let’s go get another drink so we can cheers to all of Tae’s hot friends.”
Another seltzer and a couple awful songs later, Katie and McKenna pull me and Jax into a game of Never Have I Ever around the outdoor firepit with a group that includes Carson and Griffin.
After the game wraps up, I go to grab a bottle of water and get pulled into watching Katie and Carson play a game of beer pong. They’re hilarious together, one minute fighting like cats and dogs, the next gazing at each other curiously making me wonder if they’ve ever crossed the line I know McKenna wants to cross with Griffin.
Speaking of said line, when the three of us walk out onto the back porch a bit later, we find them talking together by the fire.
“Aw, look at the two of them, lost in their own little world,” Katie points out.
My confused expression must be written all over my face because Katie laughs when she sees my pinched brows. “Oh,we’re well aware of their not-so-secret feelings for each other; however, the two of them remain clueless to the fact that their feelings are mutual.”
I look to Carson for confirmation, and am surprised to see him nodding in agreement. “And you’re okay with that? With one of your best friends wanting your sister?”
Carson’s nose wrinkles in response. “Easy . . . I don’t need to be thinking about the likes of anything nefarious happening between them. But as far as guys my twin sister could date go, Mack couldn’t find a better guy than Griff.”
“That’s so far from the reaction I thought you’d have. But what would I know, I don’t have any siblings. It’s just that typically when I read a book with a brother’s best friend trope, the couple usually sneaks around in secret.”
“Shut the fuck up! Are you a romance reader?” Katie squeals.
“I am,” I admit somewhat bashfully.
“That’s it. You need to text me all of your fave recs so I can stock up on what to read at the cabin. Kenna and I love to read too. She likes more of the dark romance books and I’m a slut for a good age gap. What’s your favorite?”
“Um, I like to be emotionally traumatized by whatever I’m reading,” I tell her and she throws her arms around me, squeezing me in a tight embrace.
“We’ve just become besties, bitch.”
Carson chuckles at the two of us and shakes his head. “What the fuck is happening right now?”
“We obviously just discovered we’re about to become the best of friends, duh.” Katie rolls her eyes at Carson before fixing her attention on something going on behind Carson.
Katie gasps. “Be so for real, are you going to let Rosie freaking Phillips be all up on your man like that?”
“Katie . . .” Carson admonishes.
“What?” Katie questions in a haughty tone.
“Looks like I don’t have much to worry about,” I tell them, gesturing toward where Jax is standing on the other side of the deck. They both turn, and together we all watch Rosie try to move in for a hug just as Jax yelps like he’s on fire and backs away from her in such an exaggerated way, he damn near falls over the railing of the back porch.
“Aw, look at our little Jaxy growing up and falling in love,” Katie coos.
