Cash: I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.
Jax: I’m up.
Ryker: You recorded Axel’s foreplay?
Axel: It was not foreplay.
Tessa: Well, you gotta give us something then. Why did she kick your ass?
Axel: She did not kick my ass. Did you watch the part where I knocked her down?
Jax: That argument doesn’t paint you in the best light, Papa Axe.
Maddox: GIF *It hurts, but I love it.*
The GIF is the part where I’m slamming Axel to the ground.
Me: GIF *Woman up.*
I glance at Mercy with faux judgment. “You too?”
She throws a don’t-blame-me palm in the air. “It’s the only way to survive this family. You gotta roll with it.”
“That’s the truth,” Tessa tacks on.
I’ve never experienced anything like what they seem to have here, so I can’t relate. But as I resume reading the texts, instead of embarrassment, a twinge of envy spears me.
Cash: GIF *Still wrestling with the age gap, old man?*
Jax: GIF *Don’t call me sweetheart.*
Tessa: GIF *Employee relations gone wrong.*
Maddox: We know a little something about that, don’t we, baby?
Ryker: GIF *When tap out starts sounding like a safe word.*
Axel: I’m blocking you all.
Stifling a chuckle, I hand Mercy her phone and pull out the new one Bernard issued me when I got hired. “Did he block you?”
Tessa swallows a bite of her wrap and reaches for her tea. “He blocked the chat. Not the first time. We just create new ones and add him to them.”
Their mayhem is endearing. And enticing.
“Mind if I have some fun with that?” I ask.
A borderline evil grin coasts up Tessa’s cheeks. “I knew you’d be perfect.”
Mercy sends me the video. I create my own GIF and send my first text to Axel. He ensured his contact information was already logged.
Me: Good news for you.
His dots gallop on the screen, and his response appears almost immediately, lighter than how we left things.
Axel: You are rarely the bearer of good news. You have my attention.
Me: Well, isn’t that what every woman wants?
