As Marcus stood, he asked, “Have you named him yet?”
Lucy accepted her husband’s hand and was tugged to her feet.
“We considered Unicorn,” Laylee said.“But we settled on River instead, since I found him in a creek that’s actually a branch of the river.I know it might sound like a morbid reminder, but to me he’s a gift.I’m going to love him so much.”
Knox bent to kiss her cheek.“Of course we are.”
We.Oh, how she loved that he kept saying that.Was it his reminder to her that she wasn’t alone?Or was he staking his claim to the cat?With Knox, it could be either—or maybe both.
She smiled up at him and corrected, “We’regoing to love him.And protect him.He deserves that much after what he’s gone through.”
With a nod, Knox went to the door.“In case River decides he needs to use the bathroom, I’m going to bring in his box and litter.”
“His dishes and food too, please,” Laylee said.
“I’ll lend a hand.”As Marcus headed to the door to join Knox, he looked back at Laylee and teased, “Cute outfit.”
Laylee looked down at herself and laughed.“I’m a mess.”
“Oh, please.”Lucy smiled as she helped Laylee unwrap the picnic table cover.“You always look great, no matter what—even when you’ve been doused in a creek and you’re wearing a tablecloth.Seriously, it’s almost unfair, and if I didn’t already like you so much, I’d dislike you just on principle.”
“You’re so talented in the kitchen, I could say the same about you.”They both laughed.“I love how you all pull together.You’re the nicest group of people I’ve ever known.”
Lucy tipped her head.“You’re part of the group.You know that, right?”
Was she?The idea made her smile.“You mean because my sister married Ford, I get to be an honorary member?Sweet.Thanks.”
Snorting, Lucy said, “No.Well, maybe.We all liked you right off.But I meant since you and Knox are together now.”
Without thinking it through, Laylee asked, “What if that doesn’t last?”
Lucy’s brows shot up.“You aren’t serious about him?”
“I am!”She looked behind her when the door opened, then caught Lucy’s arm and said, “I need to change.Mind coming with me?”
“Sure.”Lucy trailed along, sounding and looking amused.“I never used to do the girl thing, you know?I was all about the guys, and goofy as they can be, Marcus, Knox, Ford, and Bray never invited me along when they were changing clothes.”
Laylee got Lucy in the bedroom and closed the door before saying, “I bet it was fun being one of the guys.”
“Definitely.Still is.”Curious, Lucy looked around.“This is nice.”
Seeing it through a friend’s eyes, Laylee took in the décor and all the clutter.“Thanks.This is the room I moved into when I was staying with Skye—before I bought the house from her, I mean.The colors and style are all her choices, and my sis is really good at this homemaker stuff.”
“Agreed, but I see your touch everywhere, too.”
“The messy clothes?Jewelry everywhere?”Laylee grinned.“Skye had already dubbed this roomLaylee’s Lair, so when I officially moved in, I saw no reason to change things.The room Skye used is a little bigger, but this room is … me.”
Lucy sat on the side of the bed while Laylee looked through her closet.“You sure have a lot of clothes and shoes.”
“I know, right?Sometimes I think it’s ridiculous, but what can I say?I love fashion and color.”
“I wasn’t criticizing.Actually, I’m impressed.I wouldn’t know what to do with all those choices.That’s part of why I’m like one of the guys.Give me some jeans, T-shirts, and sweatshirts, maybe a few pairs of shorts, and I’m good to go.Working in a custom print shop means I don’t ever need to dress up.”
“You dressed up for Skye’s wedding.”
“Karen helped me out.”She grinned.“I just followed her lead.”
Laylee chose jeans and an oversized T-shirt.“So now I’ll follow yours.Jeans and T-shirt it is.”
