“So annoying," she mutters, shading in the picture.
“Oh I can be worse.”
Ryan lifts the tablet. “I found that movie you were talking about. The crazy Korean one.”
“The revenge one?”
He nods. “Yeah. Travis said it was too violent for me. Which means it’s probably amazing.”
I smirk. “Oh we’re definitely watching that later.”
Brooke turns around from the kitchen and gives me that look, the one that says she heard everything. She hangs up and walks toward me, winding her arms around my waist. Her cheek presses against my chest.
“You good?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
Her brows lift. “And?”
“It went well.”
Brooke watches my face like she’s waiting for it to crack. Then she exhales and slides her fingers into my back pockets.
“You didn’t punch the screen.”
“Not this time.”
She leans in and murmurs, “Proud of you.”
I rest my chin on the top of her head.
Travis comes through the front door. He stops just inside the living room, surveys the scene, kids on the floor, Brooke wrapped around me, “After the Storm” playing low from the speaker.
“So, this is what domestic bliss looks like, huh?”
Brooke doesn’t even turn around. “You should know. How many times has Naomi been at your place this week?”
Travis smirks. “Well what can I say, the whole almost dying for her really did the trick.”
Elise eyes him warily as he lowers himself onto the rug beside her and reaches for her bowl of pretzels.
“Touch it and die.”
“I literally almost died, you know. Took seven stab wounds to the torso for you guys.”
Elise rolls her eyes. “You’re gonna milk that forever, aren’t you?”
“Yup.” He grabs one anyway and pops it into his mouth. “Perks of martyrdom.”
Ryan tries to stifle a laugh. I just shake my head.
This house still has secrets. Trauma embedded deep in all of us. But the laughter drowns it out now.
And somehow, I believe we might actually be okay.
Chapter 79
Seth
