I didn’t take the college track like my older sister, and it was all it took for my parents to not care enough to call anymore.
Small things, I guess.
London clears her throat and shifts on her feet. Laws strides in behind Carlie, who is now planting wine in my fridge.
“Hey London,” Laws says, squatting and holding his arms out to Petal. “Hello precious girl.”
London’s face brightens and she smiles watching Lawson make a fuss over the dog. These two are going to get on like a house on fire.
Pun absolutely intended.
“London, red or white?” Carlie asks, holding two glasses up.
“Um, white?”
Carlie smiles at her and pours two glasses of white wine before padding to the sofa and plucking up the remote. “God, what is this crap?” She flicks through the channels until a rerun of some sitcom with old women in it comes on.
“Oh,The Golden Girls.” London sinks to the sofa with her wine glass, tucking her legs underneath her. “Ilovethis show.”
Carlie holds her glass out. “To the women who came before us.”
“Absolutely.” London taps her glass to Carlie’s, and I take a seat at the kitchen counter.
“Those two will be there for hours if Carlie has her way. How you doin’, bud?” Laws cracks a beer and slides it over the counter to me.
He opens one for himself while I try to find the words to explain the last few days.
Chaotic.
Blissful. My gaze drifts to London, sipping, chatting, laughing.
Heart wrenching . . .
She slaps a hand over her mouth, and my face moves with a half smile that tips one side of my mouth.
Incredible, something that feels like it’s the start of?—
“Earth to Milo.” Lawson’s hand is waving in front of my face. “Damn, that was quick.”
The shit-eating grin plastered over my best friend’s face has my gut flipping.
Slow, we were supposed to take thisslow.
“Yeah, nah. Just taking one day at a time. Literally, in our line of work.”
“I saw the meth lab fire on the news. That’s so sad.”
He has no idea how much.
“Bud, let’s talk about something less morbid. Petal seems to be loving her new daddy.” Laws raises his beer, the chuckle he’s stifling bobs his Adam’s apple before he takes a swig.
We both know he’s not talking about the pup.
London may be twelve years younger than me, but it hardly matters. At least, not to me. Not that Laws will let me live it down.
God, I can only imagine what Dex and Griff would say. Take this shit and run with it, that’s what.
“Did you have a chance to ask London about Serenity House?” Laws asks, sitting on the stool beside me.
