I laughed against Ben’s chest. “Thanks, Kylie. You’re the best.”
“I know,” she singsonged. “Aren’t you lucky?”
At the moment, I felt like I was. After all, she was right. If she hadn’t attacked Ben at the Mountain Lions stadium, I wouldn’t have him. And that would have beenveryunlucky indeed.
By the following day, Katty was back to herself again. Her eyes were red and a little puffy, but if it bothered her, she didn’t show it. She was too busy chasing Jonah around his house.
The rest of us—minus Ben, who I’d shoved on a red-eye so he could join his team—were on Roman and Shira’s sectional, revved up for the championship.
As grateful as I was Ben had been willing to miss this for Katty and me, I had been utterly relieved when he got on that plane. He’d needed to be with us yesterday. Today, his team needed him more. Katty and I were fine. We had Barb and Kylie on standby, and Ben’s family had folded us in with them.It was comfortable being here, with Shira and baby Ruby right beside me, Roman to her right, and Nate and Adrian on my other side. Everyone was relaxed, Adrian’s feet kicked up on the coffee table, Shira and Roman snuggled together, Nate keeping an eagle eye on the two kids running in and out of the room.
On the screen, the Mountain Lions were driving hard down the field. Ben cut left, breaking through a tackle in a burst of pure muscle and momentum.
Roman sucked in a sharp breath. “There he goes,” he murmured to himself. “Look at him move.”
Ben vaulted over the line, the ball slamming down into the end zone, and the guys erupted.
“Yes!” Adrian half shouted. Immediately remembering the baby in the room, he clapped both hands over his mouth. Nate punched the air silently. Roman whispered a victory curse under his breath, and Shira laughed, bouncing tiny Ruby as if she had just cheered too.
“Attaboy, Benny,” Roman said, pride thick in his voice.
Across the room, Jonah skidded to a stop, eyes wide. “They score?” he asked, looking between the TV and the adults.
Katty barreled into him, grabbing his hand. “They’re winning, Jo-Jo, because they’re the best. Let’s watch my dad.”
They darted closer to the screen, standing still for all of five seconds before taking off again, their laughter weaving through the commentary like the best kind of background music.
I watched all of them. Cousins who’d been strangers not long ago but had quickly become best friends. Nate relaxed with a bottle of beer balanced on his thigh. Adrian, intensely focused on the screen, his elbows resting on his knees. Roman and Shira huddled together, regularly passing Ruby back and forth, playfully fighting over who got to hold her.
Something swelled in my chest so fast, it almost hurt.“This is what you’ve been missing,”a quiet voice inside me whispered. It was beginning to feel like mine.
Shira glanced down at me, brow furrowing. “Are you okay, Mazz?”
I nodded, swallowing around the lump in my throat. “Yeah. Just”—my gaze swept around the room again—“it’s a lot, in a good way.”
The smile she gave me was so tender and soft, I felt it deep.
Then I remembered she and Roman had gone to a sex club, and I cursed Ben for giving me that information. I’d never be able to look at her without blushing again and wondering…
“I had to get used to it too.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, sweet as could be. And I felt even worse for wondering what she’d gotten up to in that club.
“Are you an only child too?” I asked.
“Mmmhmm. I am. My house growing up was very, very quiet.” Something dark passed over her features, but Roman squeezed her hand, and she moved on, her smile returning. “Now, when things are too quiet around here, I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“Well, I’m glad both of us only-lonelies have been absorbed into this wild bunch.”
She laughed softly. “That’s a great way to describe us.”
During a commercial break, I hopped up to grab a drink. On my way, there was a knock on the front door. I glanced back. Shira and Roman were busy with Ruby, so I decided to leave them be and answer the door myself.
I swung it open, finding an older woman on their porch.
She startled at the sight of me, her hand flying to her chest. “Oh, hi. I’m not sure if I’m at the right address.”
“You might be. Who are you looking for?”
Something about her niggled at the back of my mind. Her frail frame was tucked inside a thick, puffy coat, completely wrong for June. The silk scarf wrapped around her head. The way she held herself like she was afraid of being blown over by a strong breeze. It was the eyes that finally did it, though. Wide, brown, familiar in a way that made my stomach drop…
