Since Harley was their kid, they probably wanted to relieve him of duty before he got put on the spot by every-freaking-body. Either that or Bax was just that hungry.
Knox stomped through the back door. “Sorry I’m late.”
“You aren’t late,” Irina said, coming right behind him. “You weren’t even invited.”
“I’m always invited,” Knox said, slinging his arm around her and pulling her against his side.
Tanner had seen them do that a million times before, but he’d never been jealous that he didn’t have someone to tug against his side. Never even wondered what that’d feel like—to just have someone who was automatically good with it.
Linx and Becca arrived next. Then Mach.
Then they all descended on the oven-baked, makeshift dinner like a pack of ravenous rock stars. Knox messed with his new smart watch in between slugs of his beer. Grumbling and cussing under his breath.
“You gonna do this shit, or do I need to get it going?” Bax finally asked Knox.
“This is my moment,” Knox said. “Don’t fuck it up. Gimme a second.”
“Your moment?” Tanner asked.
No one answered.
What the hell was going on here? “Is this the moment you tell me that Babushka put you all up to this? That she is the ringmaster of this little circus?”
“Uh…” Knox froze like he got caught with his pants down on stage pissing into a guitar case. He glanced around.
“Who told you?” Mach asked, a picture of fake innocence.
Hold up. Mach knew? He already knew about Sam the whole time Tanner spilled his guts about his inability to talk to her?
“I have a brain and two eyeballs. I put it together all by myself.” Normally, he’d be super stoked about that. But tonight he was weighed down by the fact his friends were all in this without him.
“We may have known about Sam for a little bit.” Irina made a whatcha-gonna-do expression.
“Babushka looped them in,” Mach said. “You’re right. And I’m sorry, man, can’t break a confidence. Hers or yours.”
“How long have you all been waiting for me to meet Sam?” he asked, serious as all hell.
Mach pulled his lips to the side. “Eh. It’s been a bit.”
Suddenly everything clarified. Like a cartoon character with a lightbulb over his head everything made sense.
“I’ve been set up,” Tanner said, jaw slack.
“You like her?” Mach asked, leveling Tanner with a stare.
Tanner nodded. “Yeah, ’course.”
“Then ignore the shit that went down behind the scenes to make it happen.” Mach winked. “You’re welcome.”
“You’re stealing my thunder,” Knox said, growling at Mach. “Stop talking.”
“Your thunder is taking too fucking long,” Mach countered.
“He’s having technical difficulties,” Irina said, trying to help him with the watch but not seeming to have much luck.
“I worked this whole thing out,” Knox grumbled at his phone. “I put it all on here so I can read it.”
“Ad lib,” Irina suggested.
