“Fine,” I said, taping another box shut. “I won’t pry.”
He side-eyed me, suspicious. “You won’t?”
“Nope, but if he hurts you, I’m going full catcher-mode and knocking him on his ass.”
He smiled. “If he hurts me, I’ll let you.”
I turned back to my boxes, giving him the illusion of privacy. We all had our in-between spaces, the moments before things became real enough to share. He’d tell me when he was ready.
I was a pro at patiently waiting.
Besides, I had enough knots in my own head to untangle.
We carried the last of the boxes down to my truck just as the sun finished setting. My breath puffed in the air as I hefted the final load into the bed and slid it into place.
Thank fuck for all those hours of playingTetris.
Diaz pulled me into a quick, fierce hug, clapping a hand between my shoulder blades. “Alright, Benito. Don’t be a stranger.”
“You act like I’m dying,” I quipped into his shoulder.
“Feels like it,” he said, pulling back. “If I see you start drinking seasonal lattes, I’m staging an intervention.”
I snorted. “Shut the fuck up. We both know you love a pumpkin spice latte as much as I do.”
“And per our roommate agreement, that’s a secret that stays between us.” He jerked his chin toward the driver’s side. “Now, get out of here before I chain you to the radiator and refuse to let you leave.”
“Damn, Diaz. Who knew you were such a kinky bastard?”
Bella
Ten Weeks to Opening Day
“Harder.” Matty grunted. “Put your back into it, old man.”
Rather than dignify him with a response, Soren braced his feet and helped maneuver Bennett’s massive bed frame through the front door, the wood scraping over the entryway rug as rain misted behind them.
“That’s what she said,” June muttered into her hot chocolate.
Clarke’s head snapped up so fast, her blonde ponytail nearly slapped her in the face. “Excuse you. As theshein this scenario, that is not whatshewould say.”
“And what wouldshesay?” Nessa teased, hugging her leopard-print throw blanket tighter around herself.
“No comment.” Clarke’s eyes lit up from behind her mug. “But please, let the record show that my man can throw me over his shoulder, push me up against a wall, and I will thank him every damn time.Loudly.”
I took a long, steady sip of my slutty hot chocolate as the girls dissolved into laughter.
Moving day should’ve come with a warning label.
CAUTION: Prolonged exposure to muscled men lifting furniture may result in overheating. Hydrate responsibly.
The guys had shown up before nine, all grim determination and gratuitous biceps, ready to haul Bennett’s life out of his truck and into the townhouse next door.
Well, except for Diaz. Apparently, Bennett’s former roommate wasn’t a morning person. It had taken three cups of coffee and two cinnamon rolls to de-zombify him.
Meanwhile, the girls and I had committed ourselves to the far more demanding task of “supervising,” which in actuality involved very little supervision and far too much sarcastic commentary.
Clarke had arrived first, sweeping in like a pastel hurricane with a pastry box from Jo’s bakery, Would Smell as Sweet, balanced on one arm and a steaming pot of cocoa in the other. Nessa and I had supplied the blankets, and June, in typical June fashion, had brought along a bottle of peppermint schnapps big enough to stun a small elk.
