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“Whoa there, baby girl. Come on, come sit down,” Trey says, wrapping his arms around me and guiding me to a barstool.
“Think he saw the article?” I joke, my voice shaky. Both boys laugh but the tension is still there. My hands are trembling, and I flatten them against my thighs to try to get control of myself.
“You okay, Emmy?” Tucker asks and I offer him the best smile I can. “That’s not very convincing.” His response earns a shrug from me. I can’t find it in me to care right now.
“I think you should take the rest of the night off, Em.”
I’m about to protest when Moe chimes in, “I agree.”
“Moe, I need to work or I’m never going to be able to pay my bills.”
“You need money?” He pulls a large wad of cash out of his pocket and begins thumbing through the bills.
“Ugh, stop! Fine, I’ll go home.”
“Not by yourself, I’ll call Nix,” Tucker commands and I groan.
“He’s gotta work, too, guys. I can go home by myself.”
“Are you fuckin’ insane? Right after he just showed up here and said he was coming for you?” Tucker barks.
“He’s got a point,” Trey says. I glower at my brothers but they do have a point.
“Fine. Tucker, you take me. Storm and Chance can stay with me.”
He nods. “Let’s go.”
* * * *
I scream when I walk into the apartment and find Nix sitting there reading. I was so lost in my head that I didn’t even notice his truck outside or the fact that the door was unlocked.
“Oh, you’re home,” I sigh, pressing my hand against my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.
He grins and quirks an eyebrow at me before saying, “Home, huh?”
“Uh, yeah.” I scowl as I try to figure out exactly what he’s up to. Maybe if I wasn’t so frazzled by Ryan’s little visit to the bar twenty minutes ago, I would be able to catch on quicker.
“Have you decided something and not told me?” His grin grows as my scowl becomes more severe. I honestly have no idea what he’s trying to get at here.
“Huh?”
“You know, like us moving in together.”
Oh.
OH! God, that was the furthest thing from my mind tonight. All I can seem to think about are the threats Ryan spewed at me. “Um, no, I haven’t.”
“I think you have.”
“What?”
“Well, you said, ‘you’re home,’ so whether you realize it or not, I think you’ve come to a decision.”
“I think you’re reading too much into it.” Even though I know that I’m taking my stress out on him, I can’t seem to stop. The fear and anger are just bubbling out of me. He frowns and watches me closely for a moment.
“Hey, what’s wrong? I was just teasing.”
I lean my forehead against the wall and sigh. “I know. I’m sorry.”
