Mason watched him go, then turned to me. “So, uh, heads-up. He’s picky about the kitchen.”
I exhaled. “That’s the least of my worries.”
Clearly, we had bigger issues than a kitchen.
He shrugged. “I’m just trying to help you survive.”
“Thanks, but I think I can manage.” I put the keys into the side pocket of my bag and picked it up.
Training I could handle. Sharing a house with Keaton was something else entirely.
4
Keaton
Rowan was moving in today.Mason had shared the news with Derek and Enzo the evening before when he and I had gotten home from the gym, while I got ready for my shift at the bar.
I told myself it didn’t matter that I’d be sharing a house with Rowan. He was just another guy renting a room, and I’d deal with it. But that was bullshit. He wasn’t some random fighter Devon had thrown in with us. He was the boy who used to be my safe place when my house fell into chaos, the guy I’d trusted with everything, and now the man about to be too close for me to ignore. His sudden reappearance had shaken me more than I cared to admit.
Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I forced myself to get up and head to the bathroom. When I’d had other roommates, the Jack-and-Jill setup had never bothered me, but the thought of sharing the space with my ex-best friend felt like my worst nightmare.
Once I was dressed, I pulled my shoulder-length hair into a bun and made my way to the kitchen. Passing the entryway, Isaw Derek standing at the front door, one hand braced on the frame. A brunette in a halter top and jeans stood in front of him, giggling at something he said.
He pushed his blond hair back with an inked hand. “Text me when you get home.”
“I will.” She beamed.
I laughed under my breath as I kept walking. He needed to stop giving out his number when he had no intention of calling his hookups again. Hell, I’d witnessed an almost identical scene just two days earlier with another woman.
A few seconds later, he joined me in the kitchen and lifted his chin in greeting. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” I repeated.
“You’re up early for a Saturday.”
Even though the bar always closed at two, it took longer to go through my closing routine on Friday and Saturday nights because the crowds were bigger and the bands had to pack up their shit too before I could leave.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I replied, opening the fridge and pulling out a carton of eggs.
“Nervous about the new roommate?” he teased.
Before I could tell him to fuck off, Enzo stepped through the sliding glass door from the backyard, fully dressed, his dark brown hair slicked back, a coffee cup in his hands. He was a couple of years older than me and always seemed to have his shit together. In the ring, he was ruthless, but outside, he was one of the nicest guys I’d ever met. Plus, he was the only other person in the house who cleaned up after himself.
Rinsing out his cup in the sink, he glanced over his shoulder and asked, “So when’s Rowan getting here?”
“Don’t know,” I grumbled, cracking a couple of eggs into a bowl to scramble them.
Mason burst into the room next, his hair sticking up in every direction, already full of energy. “Is he here yet?” He scanned the room as if Rowan might be hiding behind one of us.
“Jesus Christ,” I snapped and started beating the eggs with a fork forcefully. “He’ll get here when he gets here. Can we stop talking about him?”
He sat on a stool at the island. “So what’s the deal? You guys ex-besties? Mortal enemies? Did someone steal someone’s girl?”
“Drop it.” I leveled him with a glare.
He didn’t. “I’ve just never seen you this aggro about anyone. You’re usually pretty chill about things.”
“He’s got a point,” Derek agreed.
