“So where are we meeting them?” I ask once we’re in the truck.
The tips of his ears go red as he fumbles around his response.“I... um.”He drums his fingers on the steering wheel.“They might already be at our house.”
“They’re at our house?”I parrot his words back to him.
“Mmhmm.” He looks nervous—as he damn well should. I love him but I’m beyond tired of the coddling and overstepping. I may have gone through something traumatic, but the kid gloves have to freaking go.
Honestly, I don’t know how Nora handled it after her ordeal; she had to deal with Atlas and Ellis.
“Why?”My question cracks through the cab of the truck.
“Well, I thought getting together there would be low stakes. You know? Less pressure?”
“Ellis.”I sigh.“You know I love you, right?”I roll my head against the seatback to look at him.
“Yeah. And I love you too.”He flashes his eyes my way.“I feel abutcoming.”
“That’sbecause there is. Remember the aftermath of everything with Nora? How overbearing y’all were? How y’all babied her?”
“Yeah.” The clueless idiot smirks. “She hated it.”
“She definitely did. I do too.” I look at him expectantly. But somehow, it’s still not clicking.
“What do you mean?” He genuinely looks confused.
I groan his name. “You're a smart man. Intuitive. Emotionally aware. So, how on earth are you this oblivious?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“You're doing the same thing to me.”
“What?” he asks again, his brow furrows as he pulls his head back. “No, I'm not.”
“Sunshine, you really are.”
“I'm not.”He’sadamant. As much asI want to keep arguing, the driveway comes into view.
“This conversation isn't over,” I tell him.
“Looking forward to finishing it.”
Honestly, this mini fight is the closest I’ve gotten to our old dynamic.His sharp tongue is one of the things I miss the most.
Inside, Atlas and Nora are on the couch while James rolls around on the rug with Fefe.
“There's a sight for sore eyes.”Idrop to my knees in front of themto givethem bothsome loving.
“Bad and badder,” Ellis snorts, stopping just behind me.
“Hey,” Atlas grouses.
At the same time I say,“Fefe is a sweet angel baby, thank you very much.”
Ellis scoops her up into his arms. “Parents, of human and fur alike, are all delusional, aren’t they, Feefs?”
“Says the guy baby-talking a ferret,”Atlas adds, sounding all too amused.
“You look good,” Nora says, ignoring the chaos of the room.
