My stomach chooses that moment to growl loudly.
“Let’s get you downstairs and fed. It may help soak up some of the alcohol,” Tate says, sitting up and extending his hand to help me out of bed.
I let him pull me up slowly. The room tilts slightly, and I grip his arm tighter to steady myself. “Go slow,” I mutter.
“We’ve got time,” he says, wrapping an arm around my waist as we make our way to the door.
The hallway is quiet, and when we reach the top of the stairs, I can smell something cooking that makes my stomach rumble again.
Downstairs, we find Landon in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove with a spatula in hand. He’s shirtless, his muscular back on display as he flips what looks like pancakes. The coffee is on, and the counter is covered with ingredients—eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, and hash browns.
“Look who rejoined the land of the living,” he jokes without even turning around.
“Don’t,” I groan, moving toward the kitchen island and collapsing onto one of the stools. “I’m in no condition for your commentary right now.”
Landon finally turns around, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Abby spoke about herself in the third person last night for a solid hour.”
“Oh my god, no.” I bury my face in my hands. “Tell me I didn’t go on for that long.”
“You absolutely did,” Landon confirms, turning back to the stove. “Abby was very drunk. Abby had very strong opinions about everything. Abby also apparently has a thing about being half naked.”
Heat floods my face. “I’m never drinking again.”
“That’s what you said the last time,” a familiar voice quips from the back door.
Levi walks inside from his workout, based on the way his skin is covered with sweat and his hair is plastered to his forehead. He’s shirtless, too, wearing only his gym shorts and sneakers. He takes one look at me at the kitchen island and grins like the Cheshire cat.
“Ah, the woman of the hour,” he says, coming around the counter and pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “How’s the head?”
“It feels like there is a rave going on in there,” I mutter.
Levi laughs and heads straight for the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water and a sports drink. He sets them both in front of me. “Drink these. Landon’s making his famous hangover breakfast.”
“Famous?” Tate raises an eyebrow.
“You should have seen him after a big-game loss in college,” Levi says, sitting down on the stool next to me. “This man made the most incredible breakfast spread to cheer everyone up. It became a tradition.”
Landon shrugs, but there’s a slight smile on his face. “It’s not that impressive.”
“It absolutely is,” Tate says from where he’s leaning against the counter beside Landon. “I’m already impressed, and I haven’t even tasted it yet.”
Landon plates up a small stack of pancakes, topping them with butter, fresh berries, and a drizzle of maple syrup. The smell alone makes my mouth water, despite my stomach’s current state of rebellion. He follows it up with some bacon and a small portion of scrambled eggs, then slides the plate in front of me.
“Start with that,” he says. “If you keep it down, we’ll get you something more substantial in an hour.”
I take a small bite of pancake, and honestly, it’s heavenly. Fluffy and perfectly cooked, with just the right amount of sweetness.
“Oh my god,” I moan around another forkful.
“That’s the response I was going for,” Landon says, plating up food for Levi and Tate as well.
The four of us settle around the kitchen island. I let myself relax into their easy conversation while I eat, and for the first time in a long while, everything feels okay.“So,” I say, breakingthe comfortable silence and looking directly at Tate. “You’re really doing this?”
Tate sets down his fork and looks me in the eye. “I came here last night to tell you guys. Drunk Abby just made it more entertaining.”
“What changed your mind?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“A lot of things,” he says. “But mainly I realized I was tired of playing life safe. You guys”—he looks between me and Landon—“arenotsafe. You’re complicated and messy, and you’re going to turn my life upside down. But I think it’s worth the risk.”
