She cocks her head to the side at the look on my face and her eyes drop to my hands where I’m clutching at her book, and then they go comically wide. She lunges toward me and I automatically catch her in my lap, making sure to keep my other hand with her book as far away from us as my arm will reach.
“No, no, that’s mine! Give that back!”
Jules does me a solid and plucks it from my hand so I can wrangle her squirming body in place. I trap her reaching arms with one arm and grab her chin with my free hand, forcing her to meet my eyes as I smile.
“Hello, love. I missed you.”
Her cheeks are pink with a blush as she leans in and presses her forehead against mine.
“Missed you too, Tor.”
We stare into each other’s eyes for a moment as we reconnect after a few weeks apart but her head whips to the side when Julian laughs.
“Oooh, this was a good one. I took notes.”
Luna shoves off my lap and leans over, snatching her book from his hands as her face flames red.
“W-what?” She stutters out.
He smirks at her. “Elenor recommended it to me. I’ve been on a reverse harem binge ever since.”
Luna screeches, “Gi-gi!” and knocks the book against her forehead. She takes a deep breath, blows it out, and straightens her shoulders as her gaze drops to mine. “Tor, I’m glad you’re back. I need to go boil the eggs and make the potato salad for tomorrow.” And then she turns on one foot and practically runs from the room.
“What’s a reverse harem?” Gage asks.
I turn my head to meet Julian’s eyes and he shrugs a shoulder and lifts one eyebrow that looks a lot like a challenge. I almost choke as ideas fill my mind so I look away to Gage, clear my throat, and quickly change the subject.
“She doesn’t seem nervous. How many people are coming for the BBQ?”
He rubs at the scruff on his jaw. “Looks like twenty or so. She put the invite out on Facebook. Us, Elenor, Grandpa, plus some of the people she works with at the restaurant and some old school friends.” He sighs. “She is excited but she’s made and trashed so many homemade burgers that we might all end up only getting hot dogs. She keeps trying to replicate her mom’s recipe and so far, hasn’t got it right.”
Julian reaches for his phone again as he tells us, “I already bought a stack of steaks and chicken breasts to BBQ if we need them. They’re in the laundry room fridge.” He focuses on Reid and asks, “What was her last lyric to win?”
A wide smile spreads across Reid’s face. “When You Say Nothing AtAll by Alison Krauss.”
Jules nods slowly with a soft smile on his lips. Gage and I both look at each other and pull up our phones, needing to know what she said to him to get that reaction.
Chapter 30 - Gage
Luna’s buzzing around like a little bee, topping up drinks and food trays. I don’t think she’s settled in one place for more than a minute or two since the guests started arriving. This is a huge step for her, entertaining like this. It’s the first time the house has been filled with people since the funeral. She’s come so far in the last two years and I think she’s ready for more. At least I hope so. I know I’m ready for more. I want to tell her how I feel, how I want us to be more. I want to show her just how much love I can give her if she’s open to it.
Torrin, Julian, and Reid come over and sit on the built-in bench on the lower deck with me, and I watch as each one of them tracks her as she moves between guests. I look away from them as my fingers tighten on the beer bottle in my hand. There needs to be a conversation about that between all of us before I even think about approaching Luna for more. None of us has voiced our feelings for her to each other but I know there’s some there for them too. We need to clear the air about it. It makes me nervous because it's a conversation that could change thingsbetween all of us, but I’m willing to chance that if it means we can all start moving on.
“Thad! Wow, it’s great to see you again. Thanks so much for coming. What have you been up to?”
We all hear Luna ask from the upper deck above us. I crane my neck back and spot her chatting with two guys I don’t know. She has a few friends here from work and school. I frown when one of them leans in and wraps a hand around her waist and slides it dangerously close to me rearranging his face territory. I tense up, ready to stand and go up there when Jules calls out to her.
“Hey, Cin! Looks like we’re almost out of deviled eggs. Is there more inside?”
She looks over the railing at us in surprise and then glances at the food table with a frown before nodding and turning to the two guys. “Good to see you guys again. We’ll catch up later.” She dashes away and disappears into the house.
I let the tension ease from my shoulders, glancing over to Julian. My brows rise at the cold look he’s spearing the guy above us with. Before I can ask if he knows them, I catch part of their conversation.
“…popped her cherry on prom night. Not the best I’ve ever had, that’s for sure.”
“Damn, man, she’s hot. Nice! Did you guys date for a while?”
The guy she called Thad scoffs, “Nah, hit and quit it.”
