“Are you two done?” Sly asks sharply, pulling me out of my trance. I see him glaring at Dex and Pete as they each hold up armfuls of junk food like trophies.
“Almost,” Pete says, grinning. “We’re debating which one’s more likely to cause diabetes first.”
“Neither,” Sly says flatly, plucking the boxes from their hands and setting them back on the shelf. “We’re not living off processed sugar.”
They both shove their lower lip out at him in a pout, not unlike Wren did to me earlier. Sly just shakes his head and carries on down the aisle. While his back is turned, I quickly grab a box of snacks for each of them and place them in the cart, hiding them under the bag of dill pickle chips that Wren picked out.
Wren notices and gives me a grateful smile. I give her a wink as Jagger grabs her hand, and we follow the others.
By the time we reach the last aisle, I’ve lost count of how many unnecessary items Pete and Dex have tossed in the cart, despite Sly’s constant refusal. Jagger grabbed a few practical things, like water, canned food, and batteries, while Sly double-checked every expiration date.
And Wren… she’s been smiling the entire time. The way she bounces between each of the guys gives me a small glimpse at how she makes this bizarre relationship work. And for a moment, I feel jealous not just for Wren, but for the family they’re building together.
I’ve been so focused on Wren my entire life that it’s left no room for friends. Even my friends at school were just that—school friends. I never saw them on weekends or weeknights, and after I graduated, I never kept in touch. There was only ever one person I wanted to spend my time with.
And now I’m not sure if I still hate the fact that she comes equipped with four possessive, insane, fugitive boyfriends. At least I know they’d do everything possible to keep her safe.
For a moment, I almost let myself enjoy their company too. Right up until Pete pulls up another cart beside mine, from who knows where, and grins at me. “Hey, Elias, how pissed would you be if we raced these?”
I sigh. “I hate all of you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
PETE
“Wow, we’re going to drive those?” Wren asks as we watch the go-karts whip around the track.
“Yep, unless you don’t want to?” I ask, feeling a little nervous about my choice of date. I thought it would be something fun we could do together.
We’ve decided tomorrow is the day we storm Robert’s place, so I wanted to do something fun with Wren to help her not stress out about what’s to come. Also, I felt bad that I hadn’t taken her on a date yet.
“I do! I’ve never seen anything like this before. And you’re sure I don’t need a driver’s license?”
I shake my head. “Look, that kid has to be like thirteen, and he’s driving on his own.” She looks where I’m pointing and nods. “Let’s do it!”
Dex beckons us over to where he’s waiting with our tickets. I’m not delusional enough to think I could take her out on my own; it’s too risky for that. So I asked the others, and they all agreed to come, even Elias. However, he, Jagger, andSly choose not to participate and would instead stand guard so we could relax a bit without having to watch over our shoulders.
I actually really appreciated their help. When Sly asked Dex and me for help setting up his backyard date, I was pleased that Wren would get to experience something special. She deserves to be happy. I was starting to really appreciate the benefits of the four of us dating her. Four times the protection, four times the help, four times the love for her.
“Let’s get this on you,” I tell her, taking the offered helmet and strapping it on her before I put on my own. Dex sits in the first available kart, and I help her get situated in the next one. I explain the pedals to her, and she nods excitedly before I get into the kart behind her.
Dex takes off fast, and she’s slow to follow, a little hesitant at first. That lasts about three minutes, then, as if she just found the gas pedal, she starts flying around the track. But she’s all over the place, and I have to slam on my brakes several times to avoid hitting her.
I watch with worry as she bounces off the tires lining a corner. Somehow, she goes so fast that I can no longer keep up with her, and she even overtakes Dex. She starts to take corners far too quickly, making my heart beat like crazy in my chest.
She needs to slow down.
I watch her moving ahead of me, taking a turn so fast that she spins out of control, her kart taking out a giant stack of haybales, finally pulling her to a stop.
An employee nearby runs over, switches off her kart, and makes her get out. I pull over near them, planning to help, but the employee shows her a safe path back to the entrance.I follow slowly, keeping her in my line of sight the whole time, and when I reach the start of the track, I pull in and park my kart, jumping out and running over to her.
“Are you okay?” I ask, my hands lightly running over her as I assess her for injury.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just embarrassed.”
I pull her in tightly, hugging her as I let out a relieved breath.
The employee pulls up in her kart, quickly jumping out as he moves over to use it. “Sorry, but you can’t drive anymore.”
