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“Why the rush? It’s not as though you’re going now.”
“I like to plan.”
“Yeah right.” I turn to Phoenix. “What about you? Are you really okay if Mara and me come with you?”
“I’ve just shared a wedding with one of my best friends so why wouldn’t I want my other best friend to come on honeymoon with me?” He grins wiggling his eyebrows.
“You’re both dicks,” I laugh. “We’ll go with you, but we’re not having separate rooms. Non negotiable.”
“Well, we sure as hell aren’t sharing a room with your hairy ass,” Phoenix jokes, laughing.
“Ha ha. Funny man!”
“Perhaps this isn’t such a good idea,” Reece frowns. “I’m not sure I can cope with you sharing a room with my sister.”
“Are you for real? We’re already sharing a house… Dick!”
“He has a point,” Phoenix comments. “She might be your sister, but she’s his girl so quit being so damn protective of her when you know he wouldn’t hurt her for anything.”
“I knew there was a reason why I loved you.” I grin wrapping my arm around Phoenix’s neck.
“Um, is there something you need to tell us?” Thalia asks.
How the hell they managed to creep up behind us, I don’t know. The damn jetty creeks like the bones on a ninety-year old man—my grandfather’s description, not mine.
Turning, I see Mara being held up between Callie and Thalia. Jumping to my feet, I wrap my arms around her waist. She releases her hold on the girls and wraps her arms around my neck just missing knocking me out with the arm in the plaster cast. That’s more inconvenient than the ankle.
“What are you doing struggling down here?”
“We finished eating and I wanted to be with you.” She looks uncertain. “I mean you don’t mind, right? Or do you?”
She starts removing her arms from around me, which won’t do and I’m being an idiot for not replying. It’s just that hearing that she has struggled down here between the girls because she wants to be with me fills me with joy, but at the same time I don’t want her hurting
because of me.
Tightening my hold on her, I bend my head and kiss her sweet spot on her neck, which always makes her shiver. And she does again. “I love that you want to be with me, and don’t think for one minute that I’m mad with you for interrupting when I’m with the guys. They’re my best friends and probably always will be, but you’re the girl I love and you will always come first. You got me?”
She nods her head and probably hoping I don’t notice, buries her tear stained face in my neck. I do all I can to comfort her and carry on holding her close, when Reece has to go and interrupt.
“So you’re telling me that we don’t come first anymore?”
Turning, but keeping my hands on Mara, I reply, “That’s about right.” I grin.
Reece tries to hold his frown, but it slips and ends up a shit-eating grin.
“I promise to try and stop being a dick where my sister is concerned, but you ever hurt her then all bets are off.”
“I hear you.”
I’ve no intention of ever hurting my girl. We’re bound to have arguments now and again, but I can’t ever imagine doing something to hurt her. There is one thing that I’m going to be doing, which will probably hurt the guys though so I decide now while it’s quiet to tell them about the changes I’m making to my life.
“Let’s sit back down, I need to tell you all something.”
Through the dark, I feel them watching me as they do what I ask.
I help Mara get to the floor before I sit behind her and pull her back against my chest to wrap my arms around her stomach.
“Mara and I have been talking about living arrangements and college.” Now or never. “We’ve decided to live here, as in this house and Mara is going to finish her studying here and I’m going back to concentrate on architectural design.”
