“She said that to me.”
“It’s true. We all like sports, and so does she, but we’re really into MMA. That’s Bray’s sport, and he’s good.”
Interested, she angled toward him. “I’ve never watched it, but it sounds fascinating.”
“Lucy could tell you all about it. She’s this awesome mix of knowledgeable sports fan, competitor, and homemaker.”
“I can see why you enjoy spending time with her.”
He’d given up leads to hang out with his friends. “Lucy adds something to the mix. Great female company with all the perks—minus anything sexual.” Smile going crooked, he admitted, “It’s something of a novel experience for me.”
Instead of laughing with him, she grew serious. “You said you don’t have siblings, but what about other female relatives? Like an aunt or cousin?”
No relatives at all. It’d be weirdly uncomfortable to admit that though, so he only shook his head. “None that I know of.”
“Well, sounds to me like your friends are the same as family, only better.”
“You think?” He didn’t know enough about real family to make the judgment. To his heart though, Marcus, Bray, and Knox were his brothers.
“Sure. All the fun and none of the baggage.”
Did Skye have a lot of baggage with her family? “We all get together for the televised fights, and Lucy always brings something to eat. Good stuff, like really filling finger food and homemade cookies.”
“Ah, so she won you over with food.”
Being honest, he said, “It was everything about her, really. She fit with us, you know? For a while, she and Marcus tried to pretend they were only friends.” A few memories had him grinning. “Right up until Marcus couldn’t take it. It was fun to watch them explode.”
“Explode?”
“Go all hot and heavy on each other. To tease him, we each pretended to get closer to her, too. Poor Lucy didn’t know what to think.” Remembering Lucy’s background, he sobered. “Shehad a rough start in life, but now she’s as happy as anyone can be.”
Not bothering to hide her fascination, Skye asked, “And Karen?”
“She had a super-creepy stalker.” Karen had always been private about her experience, so usually he wouldn’t have mentioned it. He was still surprised that she’d told Skye. “When she asked Bray for help, she found out that he’d do anything for her. He already loved her. All he’d needed was an opening to show it.”
Skye sighed dramatically. “They seem really happy now.”
“They are.” Marcus and Bray had the forever kind of marriages. He was glad for them—and he envied their contentment.
After a brief hesitation, she asked, “Did it change the dynamic of your group? Marcus and Bray getting married, I mean.”
“A little. Lucy was already a part of things, but she wasn’t a wife. I guess we treated her a little different after their marriage.” He thought about it and grinned. “Not much though.”
“Good. I don’t think she’d want any of you to change.”
“Probably not. Karen was a little more reserved, definitely quieter than the rest of us.” She was warming up to them though, little by little, letting down her guard. “We get together less often now, but it’s okay because sometimes there are six of us, and sometimes it’s just Knox and me.”
“Ford and Knox,” she mused aloud. “Makes me think of Fort Knox.”
“If you tell Knox that, he’ll probably have shirts made, just to irk me.”
When she laughed, he warned, “I’ll give you mine in front of him, thenyou’llhave to wear it.”
She pretended to wipe off her smile, but it remained, teasing those delectable lips of hers.
They had almost reached the shelter and so far, he’d done the majority of the talking. “What about you? What’s your job description?”
“I’m a merchandiser.”
