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She smiles. “I’m an art student at the university and work part time at a community centre, teaching kids art.”
Lucy leans forward, intrigued. “What’s your favourite kind of art form?”
Hadley’s smile grows. “Painting. Even if you screw up, you can still make it into something beautiful. There are no rules and it’s very freeing.”
Ava pipes in. “And what do you wanna do when you finish school?”
“Hopefully run my own art centre for kids, and sell my own art, obviously.”
“You like kids?” I ask, curious because she does not look like the kind of person who does.
She beams, clearly understanding why I asked. “Yes, I love kids. There’s a little girl I work with every Thursday. She was a little shy at first, but I finally got her to smile and laugh, and now I can’t shut her up.”
“Is this centre just for kids?” Logan asks, and Conner snickers.
“I think you would blend in with the kids, so don’t worry about that.”
“Fuck you, dude. You know what, you’re no longer invited!” Logan exclaims, waving his hands and we are instantly confused.
“Invited to what?” Conner asks with a furrowed brow, and Logan’s look of hurt is quickly washed away by an excited smile.
The attention span on that boy.
“Well, my parents have a cabin in the country. It’s just a couple of hours' drive, and they said it’s ours for the weekend. Usually, it’s booked during the holiday season and the occasional couple looking for a getaway, but someone cancelled recently and they’re offering it to us for free.”
We all blink, still confused, when Conner asks, “How nice is this cabin?”
Logan only grins and raises his brow. “So are we in?” He turns to Hadley. “You can come too.”
She laughs. “Thanks.”
Looking at each of us, we each speak up.
“Mia and I will need to talk to Danny about getting time off,” Riley says for both of us.
“And we’ll need to get my parents to watch Charlie, unless he comes with us, but I don’t like bringing him to an unknown environment,” Conner explains, and Logan groans, running a hand through his hair.
“Come on, guys! It’s been so long since we’ve hung out. We’ve all been busy with jobs and babies and most of us haven’t even graduated yet! I miss having my friends around, and I think we all need a weekend away.”
He gives us all pleading looks and even though I know we all have a lot to think about and sort out, looking at Ava taking Conner’s hand in hers, I already know they're in. I look over to Riley and he shrugs, asking, “So what do you wanna do?”
I feel everyone’s eyes on me, like the decision to go is dependent on me, which I doubt is true, but I shift in my seat under everyone’s eyes, knowing that we will need to talk to Danny. But I also know Danny would be cool if we worked up until we left. Also, the growing tension and distance around the group that Logan sees is something I can see as well, so I understand his need to have us all together, missing everyone. I look back at a waiting Logan, sigh, then say, “Yes.”
Smiles of agreement meet me. I look around the table as arrangements are being made until a loud wailing cry signals the presence of a crying Charlie.
CHAPTER 38
MIA
It was a crazy few days of packing and begging Danny to let us have the time off, which he was happy to give, saying that I needed the time away and that Riley would benefit from relaxing every now and then.
I spent the few days packing and calling Ava to ask what she was bringing and what she was excited about. We were both excited about the beautiful lake Logan described to us, with a large dock for laying on to get some sun. We talked about how excited we are to have some girl time together, and she is equally excited to have some uninterrupted sexy time with Conner. Thinking about Riley, I wonder what this trip has in store for us and maybe by the end, I’ll have some clarity on what is going on with us.
We do everything a couple does except have sex and kiss. I roll my eyes at the reality of my situation as I look over at Riley, dressed in a pair of worn jeans and a dark grey shirt, his eyes focused on the road before us as we begin our drive towards the lake house and our much-needed trip.
Watching his large hands holding the steering wheel with such control, it's the same way he holds me when we sleep at night, gentle yet firm. Protective and secure. Anyone would think I was tossing and turning after what happened, but with Riley’s arms around me, I’ve never slept better because for the first time ever, I feel safe.
I sit there wondering if we will sleep together at the lake house, or if he'll be worried about what the others might say. I hope he won’t care and normally I would ask, but it’s something that we do not talk about. Each night, we just curl up in bed without a word to each other, sleep, and then wake up and continue our days, acting like this isn’t all I’m thinking about.
