Banks, Logan, and April are going to hold down the fort at Inkfluence. They decided not to bring in a new artist while I’m away. Apparently, I’m not easily replaced, and I’m okay with that.
“Did you put your coffee maker in the trailer?” I call out to Ryan.
He stops and lifts an eyebrow. “You know, it was one of the first things I did this morning.”
“What about my little plant and Lucy?” I narrow my eyes, challenging him. He thought it was ridiculous to cart a garden gnome and a plant across the country, and I disagreed. Guess who won.
“Secured in a box in the backseat, as you requested,” he mutters, shaking his head.
“Just checking.” I wink. He rolls his eyes and goes back to what he was doing before I can harass him again.
“You never stop giving him a hard time, do you?” Claire laughs, leaning back on her hands.
“Absolutely not.” I grin, watching him bend over to pick up another bag. “It keeps him on his toes.”
My gaze lingers for a moment. His baseball cap shadows his eyes, but I can see the curve of his smile and a dimple I adore as he talks to Carson and Logan. He looks so relaxed and happy, and that familiar feeling of fluttering in my stomach hits again. The one that never really goes away. I can’t help but grin because he makes me happy too.I love that man.
“He asked me to move in with him when we get back,” I tell them, tracing the design on my sneaker with my finger.
“Really? What did you say?” Hannah asks, green eyes bright with interest.
“I didn’t say no.” I lift one shoulder in a small shrug. “Let’s see how we feel after weeks of sleeping in the same small space, bad gas station coffee, and bickering over where we stop. We may need to retreat to our own beds when we return.”
“Unlikely,” Claire says, tipping her sunglasses down to look at me. “We see the pair of you together.”
I drop my gaze to my hands for a second before looking back up at them. “Either way, I’m not worried. He’s it for me.” I let out a soft sigh, warmth spreading throughout my chest. “I am head over heels for that man.”
Hannah bumps my shoulder lightly with a knowing smirk. “Head over heels, huh?”
Meg twirls an auburn curl around her finger. “Make sure you take lots of pictures. I’m going to live vicariously through you while you’re away.”
“I remember the first time I went out west.” Claire sighs nostalgically as she continues to watch Ben. “I’m happy you’re going with Ryan. You’re going to have the best time.”
“Absolutely,” I agree, before taking a sip of my cold pop.
“Is Maggie stopping by before you leave?” Hannah asks, wrapping her arm around me and resting her head on my shoulder.
“No, we said goodbye last night when we went to her place for dinner. She is so excited for us. She sent us home with snacks for the road.”
“Of course she did.” She sits up with a smile. “I would expect nothing less.”
We all turn towards the street when we hear Riot’s truck pull up in front of my house. Well, technically it’s not my house for the summer. He is moving in temporarily while we are away. The timing worked perfectly. He needed a place to stay while he’s waiting to move into his own house.
He hops out, and Logan meets him at the tailgate.
“Got a lot to bring in?” he asks, leaning against the bed of the truck.
“Nope, I didn’t bring much.” He lifts two hockey bags out and tosses them on the ground. “Everything else is in storage.”
“That’s all you brought with you?” Claire asks, pushing to her feet and walking towards him.
“Yep,” he says, popping thep.
She nudges one of the bags with her foot. “Are you planning on wearing the same three things all summer?”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “Maybe. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
I silently watch their exchange. They have an easy back-and-forth between them, like friends who know everything about each other. But Claire has never noticed how he hangs on to her every word or how his eyes light up every time she laughs.
