“Why do you get to curse, but I don’t?” I question, trying and failing to find the outrage I should feel at his double standard.
“Because I’m too old to stop, and you’re too young to start,” he says, like that should make complete sense. “Come on, let me show you off to my brothers.”
Dropping his fingers from my face, he tows me toward the front door, pausing when he glances down and notices I’m not wearing shoes. “Hold up, amore mio. You need shoes.”
“I don’t actually know where they are,” I admit.
“I took them off you when I carried you upstairs yesterday.” He laughs.
“Oh, I’ll go and get them,” I say, tugging at his hold on my hand.
“No. I’ll fetch them. You stay put.” Releasing me, he turns and bounds up the stairs, coming back seconds later carrying my cheap flip-flops.
“I could have got them,” I say, holding my hand out for the shoes.
“But why would you, when I said I’d get them?” he says, ignoring my hands and instead tucking the shoes under his arm.
Palming my hips, he lifts me off my feet, then sits me down halfway up the stairs, sliding my shoes onto my feet, before he lifts me up again and places me back on my feet beside him.
I gasp, staring from him to my feet, then back again. What the hell was that?
“Come on. We’ll start with Buck and James and work our way around. But we’ll have to give Knight and Octy a call before we head over there. Octy works till late at the tattoo studio, and they don’t love unexpected visitors,” Warrick says, pulling me out of the front door and across the street to the first house in the circle of homes.
“Hey, Warrick,” a big man greets as he opens the door.
“Hey, Chief, I wanted to introduce you and James to Verity,” Warrick says proudly.
“Hey, Verity, come on in,” the man says, smiling warmly at me as he pushes the door open and steps back.
To be honest, when I had my own place, I never had guests or ever went to anyone else’s place. Apart from Warrick’s and Cora’s homes, this is the first house I’ve visited since I was a kid. Back then, I went on a handful of playdates with other children until I realized that we never stayed anywhere long enough for me to actually maintain friendships.
Unlike Warrick’s house, this place is decorated with pictures, photos, and personal belongings. The layout is similar to Warrick’s with an open kitchen, dining, and living space, but this house feels a little cluttered and incredibly homely.
“James, Warrick and Verity are here,” Buck calls up the stairs.
Turning, I wait for a guy to appear, but instead it’s a stunningly beautiful blonde woman who descends the stairs. If Barbie was a real-life person and not a doll, I imagine this woman is what she’d look like. She’s perfect, even her pregnantstomach is perfectly round, and she’s literally glowing, with radiant skin, hair, and clothes that make her look like a model.
“Hey, Warrick,” she says, smiling widely at the man at my side, as she steps off the stairs and makes a beeline for the guy who opened the door for us.
She curls into his side the moment she’s close to him.
“Amore mio, this is my boss, Buck, and his wife, James. Guys, this is Verity, she moved in with me yesterday,” Warrick says proudly.
“Hi,” I say lamely, gripping Warrick’s hand tightly as I lift the other one and wave like an idiot at them.
James’s eyes widen as her smile stretches into a grin. “Oh my goodness, Verity, it’s so great to meet you,” she gushes, stepping away from her husband and throwing her arms around me.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” I reply, frozen inside of her embrace, overwhelmed by her reaction to me.
“Give her some space to breathe,” Buck says, chuckling as he pulls James back into his chest the moment she lets me go. “It’s nice to meet you, Verity. We were wondering when Warrick would meet someone. Do you live in Rockhead Peak?”
“No, I just got to town a couple of months ago. I’ve been volunteering with the ranger service up on the trails and…wild camping,” I say, making my homelessness and joblessness sound like a choice, not a sad reality.
“This town is a freaky place, and somehow everyone who is meant to end up here finds their way eventually,” James says. “It’s a beautiful day; we should go and sit out in the yard. Do you guys want beers, or we have water or soda?” she offers.
“A beer?—”
“Would be great for me, Verity will take a water,” Warrick says, talking over me.
