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“Sorry, Ma,” Sem mutters, and then fist bumps his dad as he walks to the sink and wets a paper towel, handing it to me.
“I’m sorry. What’s this?” I ask, holding the paper towel in my hand. Smudges of dirt line it from Sem’s hands as I hold it between my two fingers.
“To clean the…” he motions to his face, and I raise an eyebrow at him.
“No, absolutely not. We’re getting the first aid kit, and we’re cleaning the shit out of that. I’m not patting it with this dirty paper towel. What is wrong with you? You’ll get an infection.”
His mom looks at me with a small smile, and I grin back. Then promptly let it fall as I point to a chair.
“Now, sit.”
Sem does as he’s told. After I patch him up and the rest of the guys are put back together, we move to the firepit outside, which Sem’s dad has started using the flamethrower.
Of course, that’s where they all get it. Apparently, the firebug apples don’t fall far from the pyro tree.
It’s much too hot to sit close to the flames, so we all drag the chairs farther away and lower ourselves into them. I try to sit in my own, but Sem just wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me into his lap.
At least I’m not the only one. Anne’s on Liam’s lap, fussing with his singed hair, and Caleb’s on Whit’s, looking blissed out. Luke’s all alone, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He’s just sipping on a beer, picking a little at the gauze that wraps around the burn on his wrist.
“So, you guys packed your gear?” Luke asks, and Sem and Caleb nod.
“What gear?” I ask, looking back at Sem.
“Climbing gear.”
“I’m sorry. You climb? Like mountains?”
“Yeah, tiny. You will too.”
Before I can protest, because I’ve never climbed a thing in my entire life, except for Sem of course, Luke asks, “And the guns?”
“Yeah, bro. Got them all. Dad even has extra guns packed for Whit and Maggie,” Sem replies, and Whit shakes his head as Caleb whispers something into his ear.
“He hates guns,” Sem says, and I lean back further into him, letting him wrap his arms around my waist and holding me tightly against him. “But you’ll try it, right? You said you would.”
“Yeah, as long as it’s nothing too dangerous. I don’t want to actually die by a gunshot wound.”
“Nah,” he says as he presses a kiss to my neck, and I sigh contentedly at the feeling of his lips against my skin.
“So, how long have you two been together?” Anne asks me, and my eyes swivel to her. Everyone’s looking at us now, and Sem grunts behind me.
“I’m not...I don’t know if we’ve discussed….” I begin, but Sem just presses a finger to my mouth, shutting me up.
“He’s mine.”
Anne watches us with amusement and then says, “I know that, Sem. We’ve all known that for months, but how long have you two been…together. I need all the details.”
My face burns as everyone watches us and I roll my lips between my teeth. Sem shifts beneath me.
“For a while.”
“Ah,” Anne says, and Sem’s mom smiles widely at us.
“Is it serious?” Del asks and then adds, “I’ve been dying for grandbabies….”
“Del,” Sem’s dad chastises, and she huffs in annoyance.
I peek over at Sem, who’s fiddling with the end of my shorts, and he surprises me by saying, “Maggie wants at least six kids.”
