He shakes his head. “No.”
“I texted her, but she isn’t texting me back.”
“Don’t go over there.”
“It’s my sister.” I cock my head to the side. “You don’t know how my sister can get.”
“Yeah, but are you going over there for your sister or for Lucy?”
Stanley, from the couch, with his mouth full, “Reeve. Is this the talk where Gianna finds out that you’re Camdenking the Hawthorne House rules?”
I turn to look at him. “This is actually the number one rule in my family’s rulebook, Stan.”
“Ohhhhh boy,” he laughs. “Don’t get me involved in that family drama. I am praying for you, bro. I am praying for the team. We don’t need you losing your head over this.”
“Eat your pizza.”
“Iameating my pizza.” He has a shit-eating grin on his face as he stares back at me. “Good luck, Reeve. Keep me updated.” This asshole hears everything that goes on in this house, so him saying this is a form of a joke.
Rowan gets home from the gym at six-thirty and starts cooking dinner. If nobody paid him, he wouldn’t be the house chef. He collects a few hundred dollars from each of us to cover his labor and fees. It’s the best few hundred I’ve spent a month on anything. He’s a damn good cook, and in this economy, I’d rather not go to the depths of hell, aka the grocery store, and see the cost of a head of broccoli. According to Rowan, we’re taking it up the ass from these stores. He makes steak with vegetables tonight, and me and the guys are at the table like a bunch of dogs waiting for feeding time.
I also keep checking my phone like I’m a girl in high school, waiting to hear from her crush. Blue puts out a palm, so I pass him the phone, and then he places it on the counter behind him.Fuck.I want to know what the hell is going on. My sister was pissed this morning, and this is killing me.
Stanley starts telling us something that Walsh did at practice. I shove two broccoli stalks in my mouth, and then a few pieces of steak.
“Christ, Reeve,” Rowan says, looking at my mouth. “Starving or what?”
Stanley says, “Look at him. He needs the fuel after all the best-friend-fucking he’s been doing.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Rowan looks over at me. “Whose best friend are you fucking?”
“His sister’s,” Stanley answers.
Rowan shakes his head. “That’s Camdenking the family law.”
“No, it’s not,” I snap. “I bet any of you fuckers would hump your sister’s best friend in a heartbeat.” I put a hand up and shush them. “I don’t want to fucking hear it from any of you fuckers, especially if you consider me a best friend. Now––” I shove my face with more steak. “I really like this girl.”
“La la la,” Stanley says as the head of the Hawthorne House rules policy enforcer. “I don’t want to take this up with HR.” He points at his head. “So, I’ll pretend I didn’t just hear that.”
Rowan asks, “You really like her or you really like fucking her?”
I lean back. “Both.”
“Then I don’t see what the problem is.”
Blue adds, “His sister’s a cockblock.”
Stanley laughs. “She’s blocking much more than his cock. He snuck her in here last night.”
Rowan turns to me. “You did?”
I run a hand through my hair and swallow my food.
“What about the draft?” Rowan asks.
Stanley adds, “That’s what I said. Draft should come first. You need to stay focused.”
