AllFreeNovel
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I nodded and found a way to get my feelings in check. “Yeah. I guess it was.”
“And you wanted to recreate it by making a fairy fort?” He took another flower—red this time—and twined it around the strand of lights.
“We were shopping all afternoon,” I said. I looked at the doorway and couldn’t see Savage or Waverly from my spot, but I pitched my voice lower anyway. “I could only afford brand new mattresses, but no frames to go with them. They won’t even be delivered until next week, so we’re sleeping on an air mattress.” I gripped a flower in my hand, the synthetic petals crimping in my palm.
“We went to the craft and fabric store to get all this.” I gestured to the blue toile fabric. “Waverly picked this out. And then we went to the thrift store to buy dishes and cookware. Found her a desk and a dresser, but my car isn’t big enough to get them here.”
“I’ll get one of the prospects to handle it,” Duke said, taking out his cell phone. “Which thrift store?”
“You don’t have to do this,” I said.
“Do what?” He looked up from his cell.
“Help. That’s not your job. I mean, Jesus, Duke, it feels like all I do is ask you for things.”
“You didn’t ask, I’m offering. Which store?”
I told him.
“Crow will take care of it, okay?” he said.
“Thanks.”
“You look sad.” He took a step forward and reached for me, but at the last minute he dropped his arms, as if he remembered we weren’t alone.
“I am sad,” I said quietly. “So fucking sad. Mom still hasn’t checked in. I called her once and left a voicemail, and I wouldn’t care that much if it were just me, but Waverly, you know? Doesn’t even get the courtesy of a goodbye or an explanation.”
“That would mean Angel thinks of other people aside from herself.” He hooked an arm around my shoulder in a friendly manner, and suddenly, I wanted to be able to press myself against him and let him hold me. But if I did that…it would mean I was admitting that things had changed between us. And right now, I couldn’t handle any more change.
My life was nothingbutchange, and the only thing that mattered was ensuring Waverly had some stability. I had to be her port in the storm.
“You still pissed at your sister for the shit she put you through?” Duke asked as we headed to the doorway. I hit the bedroom light.
“Pissed is the wrong word. Scared, I think. She’s at that age, Duke. It could go either way. And I’m just—maybe it’s wrong that I didn’t come down really hard on her. But she’s sorry, and we have bigger fish to fry.”
Duke and I entered the kitchen. Savage and Waverly were standing at the counter, eating pizza.
“We should’ve waited,” Waverly said with a mouthful of food. “But then we didn’t.”
I smirked. “Nice explanation.”
Duke dropped his arm from around me and I walked to Savage. He instantly hauled me against him and embraced me.
“Smells good,” I said. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Waverly muttered before diving back into her piece of pie that was halfway gone.
“Dude, chew,” Savage said to my sister, laughing and then taking a sip of his beer.
Duke went over to the fridge and pulled out two bottles. He took his keyring with the bottle opener on it and quickly flicked off the beer caps. He handed me one and I took a drink.
Savage flipped open a pizza box and the smell of pepperoni and cheese wafted to my nose.
I picked up a paper towel and then a pepperoni slice and handed them both to Duke. He set his beer down and took them from me. Then I took my own piece and dug in. It was perfect, especially after the day I’d had running all over town trying to put together a house with little to no financial resources.
“Just so you know,” Savage said as he swallowed a huge bite of pizza. “LP and I are okay.”
I frowned. “LP?” I looked at my sister. “What does LP stand for?”
