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“Oh my God. You found him? I thought he would have made a run for it when they left the front door open.”
“Frankie told me how upset you were when you thought you’d lost him. She asked me to keep an eye out for him. He was there when I went back to your apartment with the police,” Matt explained. “Your bag of dandelions had spilled on the floor and he was having a field day, eating them.”
I walked over, lifting the lid of the enclosure, more excited about seeing my shell-covered bestie than the rails of new clothes.
“Hey, shell monster. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” He looked up at me and smiled before biting my finger.
“I missed you too. Sorry. I’ll do better, I promise.”
Tanner walked over, folding his arms around me and I swore Shelly hissed at him. Tanner and I burst out laughing.
“Guess he doesn’t like me, does he?”
“Don’t worry, he doesn’t like anyone but me… and even then, he only likes me if I have treats.”
“Hey, little dude, you have to give me a chance. I even got a tattoo of you to make you like me.”
“What?” I cried out.
Tanner looked at me innocently, with a twinkle in his eyes. “Well, I thought it might help win over the little monster… or his owner.” He turned over his wrist and showed me the tortoise tattoo that now sat amongst all his rock star ones and I couldn’t help but laugh again. “You’re incorrigible, Tan. But I think Shelly likes it. Don’t you, baby?” I tried to hide the emotion from my voice as I spoke, because I didn’t want to be the type of girl who cried over a tortoise tattoo.
I stood on my tiptoes and placed a kiss on Tanner’s cheek before I turned to find Matt. “Thanks, Matt. For everything, but most of all for bringing my shell baby back to me. How did you get him home?”
“In my jacket pocket. He loved it,” he said with a wink.
“Thank you all. For taking such good care of me. For making me feel like I’ve found my way home.”
Tanner
“I’vebookedusinhere for the next couple of weeks. It’s safer than you taking this drama back to Lori and Phil. I mean, maybe it’s time you all bought your own houses.” Addi announced loudly from the centre of the penthouse.
“But who will cook for us and do our washing if we move out?” Mav shouted through the open door of his suite.
“Gray will have to move out, anyway. His bed isn’t big enough for his thruple. And I’m not sure even Mum is cool enough to listen to him boning two people.” Frankie cackled.
“Shut up, sis. You’re just jealous because I’m getting it two ways and you’re not getting it at all.”
As we’re all ribbing Gray, the elevator to the elevator pinged and Thomas and Melissa stepped out, looking like the perfect power couple as always. Melissa smiled, warming the room to their arrival, but Thomas’ face remained fixed, not a hint of emotion visible.
“Where is she?” Thomas spat out, not even offering a hello before he dove into work. “Addi, can you get her?”
Addi nodded and returned minutes later with Emmy. Dressed in jean shorts and an oversized sweater, glasses pushed onto her nose, she was like a teenage boy’s dream. Who was I kidding? She was my dream. The things I wanted to do to her right now.
“Let’s sit.” Thomas pointed to the sofa and Melissa grabbed Emmy’s hand. She looked for me, but Melissa pulled her back, mouthingnoat her.
What the fuck?
Thomas started to talk, and I noticed Melissa pull Emmy in closer, suddenly making me feel like it was hard to breathe.
“The police report came back. They tested the semen they found on your sheets.” He glared at me. “It was Tanner’s.”
Everyone’s eyes flew to me.
“What the hell? That’s impossible,” Emmy cried. “Tanner hasn’t been there. No one has been there. I’ve not told anyone my new address except Quinn.”
Rage swelled inside me, as I wondered if my fucked up past meant everyone, including Emmy, would believe I’d done this. “Are you suggesting that I broke into Emmy’s apartment and came all over her sheets because I missed her? I was at the partywithEmmy when her apartment was broken into. What, did I fill a mug with my cum and pay someone to trash her place and tip it on her bed? Is that what the glaring looks are for?”
Emmy stood up and walked toward me. Without saying a word, she sat on my lap and ran her fingers down the side of my face, her eyes never leaving mine. “There is no way Tanner would hurt me. Whatever the explanation, Tanner hurting me is not it, Thomas.”
