“You know she’s my girlfriend’s best friend. I could totally?—”
“Why are we friends again?” Beau asks, irritation weighing down his brows.
“Fine, fine. I’ll drop it,” I say, holding up my hands.
He narrows his eyes, unconvinced. “I’m going to put up that last shelf and you’re going to be quiet, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, knowing full well quiet is not in my vocabulary. I will break him down, and when I do, I have a feeling it’s going to be juicy.
Beau Richardson just got a whole lot more interesting.
CHAPTER 16
KNOX
Emery squeezes my hand tightly as we pass through the threshold of my parents’ house. Originally, we were supposed to have dinner at Emma and Henry’s. Still, with the extra edition and Emma inviting her best friend and her fiancé, we outgrew their house pretty quickly.
“Don’t be nervous,” I whisper, even though Eve is trailing closely behind. “I’ll be by your side the entire night.”
She nods her head slowly, letting me pull her forward. There is a small part of me that reveled in seeing Emery’s shy side. Don’t get me wrong, I like seeing that wild look in her eye, but I also like it when she is soft and quiet. I absolutely love it when she squeezes my hand so tight it’s impossible to mistake it for anything manufactured for the sake of our façade.
“Ree!” a tiny voice yells before a mop of blond curls comes bounding around the corner. I release Emery’s hand so she can crouch down to catch Milo before he crashes into her legs.
“Milo!” she shouts back with as much enthusiasm. She instantly wraps him in a big hug and I’m not sure the smile on my face can get any wider.
“Looks like he has a new favorite,” I say, turning to Eve, who’s taking everything in.
“He calls her Ree?” she asks, biting her bottom lip. “That’s…adorable.”
“Yeah,” I say, keeping my eyes trained on the whispered conversation between the two of them. Milo must hear Eve because his eyes glare at her, questioning the unknown presence.
“Hey, Mi,” I say, crouching down next to Emery. “This is Eve, Emery’s sister.”
He gives her a small smile and a wave before saying, “Hi, Eve.” And almost like he found a shiny new toy to play with, he grabs her hand and pulls her toward the thundering voices down the hallway. “Come see my toys!”
Eve gives us a panicked look, but it’s no use. Once Milo sinks his tiny claws into you, there’s no escaping. He’ll keep her captive until he’s shown her all of his monster truck collection.
“Should I go with them?” Emery asks, standing up straight.
“No, she’s in good hands,” I answer, watching them disappear. “I want to introduce you to everyone.”
Her throat contracts. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” she says, adding in a barely audible laugh.
“I usually get nervous before lying to a room full of innocent people, too,” I respond, hoping she’ll find the humor in my sarcasm.
“Not helping,” she groans, but I catch the way the corner of her lips threatens to give her away. “If all else fails, I’m saying you blackmailed me to be here.”
“No one would ever believe that.” I wink, tiling up one corner of my mouth. “They might believe that you blackmailed me.”
“I’m honestly surprised you can wear hats with a head that big,” she bites, crossing her arms.
“That was mean even for you, Bambi,” I say, planting a practiced frown on my face. “I expect an apology later, but for now let’s get this show on the road.”
I slide my arm around her waist like it’s second nature. She’s the perfect height to sink right into my side. It’s like everything about her was made for me. I was curious to see if other things fit just right, but too bad we weren’t supposed to touch when we were alone…yet.
Part of me wanted to convince Emery that the rule was complete shit. Why couldn’t we have fun behind closed doors? But contrary to her cute nickname for me, I’m not a complete idiot. I know that if my heart races this fast with our clothes on, then it would only get worse with them off.
The chatter quiets immediately when we enter the room, and I can feel my own nerves bubbling up.
