“Over my fucking dead body,” Shay muttered causing Ryleigh and her mom to gasp. He ignored them and cocked a brow at Griffin. “Put her down.”
His expression similar to a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Griffin set me on my feet but kept my back to his chest and his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. I wondered what he was up to, but my gaze was focused on Shay’s face. That was genuine fury, not the mock-anger he and Griffin normally shared when they played together.
“Shay?” Ryleigh drew his attention. “Are you okay? He’s just having innocent fun with Skye.” Her gaze shifted between Griffin and him. I was sure she was also trying to fathom Shay’s sudden annoyance.
He dragged a hand through his hair and nodded. “I’m fine.”
We all stood around in awkward silence for a bit until Dad broke the tension. “Let’s eat, boys,” he called as Griffin’s parents arrived with his brothers.
Ten minutes later, the stiffness between Shay and Griffin, dissolved like it were nothing. Although, it left me wondering what had happened to bring it about in the first place. I tried to act normal, even teasing Grady about his new hairstyle but I was only lying to myself that I was having fun. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t understand what was going on in my head, why Ryleigh, unlike Shay’s other girlfriends, affected me so much. Maybe because their connection seemed a lot more serious than the others he’d messed around with. Or maybe it was because they had a long relationship that spanned years since high school.
Feeling out of place, I wanted to text Laika and ask her where she was, but Dad, despite being an easy-going man, had a strict rule about using our phones during meals. If I did, he’d take it away for a week, longer with each misdemeanor.
As if he was privy to my internal suffering, Griffin seemed to notice I was taking strain watching Ryleigh being over-affectionate with Shay. He kept pulling me into the conversation, making me feel like part of their group.
“Shay and I have a pact,” Griffin was saying as I zoned into their discussion. They were talking about marriage and children. “I’ll name my first born after him and he’ll name his after me. That way we’ll stay friends forever.”
“Yeah, right.” Ryleigh laughed. “No way I’m naming my child after you,” she retorted, smirking at Griffin.
“And who says you’re going to be the mother of Shay’s first child,” he snorted.
On the verge of deciding this wasn’t a conversation for me, Griffin’s reply had me smiling and Ryleigh scowling.
“Because I plan to be his wife, right, Shay?” She rubbed her shoulder against his.
Was she the one he planned to marry? Was she the one he’d make little Shays with? I hated that twinge of jealousy stinging my insides. I didn’t understand it. Worse, I didn’t understand why I didn’t like Ryleigh. I willed answers from Shay. As if we shared some telepathic connection, instead of answering, he looked up from his drink, his eyes finding mine with a smile.
“Come on, dude, tell her we’re sticking to the pact,ifyou marry her.” Griffin tossed a cherry tomato at Shay, further annoying Ryleigh with his emphasis on the if.
She narrowed her eyes at him and sliding a hand under Shay’s chin, she jerked his face to her and kissed him square on the lips in front of everyone.
Not sure why it irritated me, I excused myself from the table. Confused by the roiling emotions in my stomach, I took a walk. I was peering into the various stalls when Shay came up beside me. Surprised, I stopped walking and expecting Ryleigh to follow, I looked behind him then met his gaze when I saw no one.
There was the usual softening to his features I hadn’t seen all night. “You’ve been very quiet, everything all right?”
“Yes,” I feigned disinterest as best as I could.
“Blue,” he scolded, seeing right through my act. When I said nothing, he took my hands in his and lowered to his haunches. “I’ll never let anything come between us if that’s what you’re worried about. You’re my one true love, you come first, you know that right?” He tapped a finger to my nose, in that familiar way, when he was being affectionate. “Always remember that among millions of clouds, there’s only one blue sky.”
Confused, I cocked my head to one side. “What does that mean?”
His soft laugh tickled my ears, weirdly spiking the tiny hairs at the back of my neck. “Every other girl is a cloud but there’s only one Skye.” He brushed a stray strand of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear.
Sweet warmth trickled through me, and my insides flamed like the fourth of July fireworks. By the time Griffin arrived with Ryleigh and the others in tow, my lips remained curled in a demented smile. Even when she guided Shay to the milk bottle knockdown, I was still beaming.
“Want to compete, dude?” Griffin asked Shay.
“Sure.”
Both men stepped up to the marker then Griffin looked at me. “What do you want me to win for you, baby girl?”
Smiling, I pointed to the large unicorn. “That one.”
“Consider it done.” He winked, picking up a ball.
We both looked at Shay and that frown he’d sported at the dinner table was back in place. Was he not happy that Griffin wanted to win something for me?
Unruffled, Griffin shrugged. “What, dude? If you win, you can get Ryleigh something.”
