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“You might want to slow down,” I tell the group. I’m talking to all of them.
“Party pooper.” Monroe sticks her tongue out at me as she wobbles on her stool. Legend, having caught his second wind, is there to wrap his arms around her. She plants a sloppy kiss on his cheek in thanks and takes the shot glass Forrest offers her.
“You sure you don’t want in, Ro?” Maddox laughs. “We have two Roes.” He bends over at the waist, holding his stomach. Everyone joins him. Well, everyone but me. They’re all toasted, and I could tell them the sky was black, and they’d think it was hilarious. I’m not laughing at the two Roes comment, but I am fighting a smile at this drunken group. It might be fun for me to be the only sober one. Boy, am I going to have some stories to tell?
“He’s not Ro. He’s Rome,” Emerson pipes up. “This is Roe.” She leans over to give her friend a one-armed hug, and teeters on her stool. I shoot to my feet, and I’m there in time to catch her before she falls. She peers up at me under long lashes. Her eyes are bloodshot, both from the alcohol and the chlorine in the pool. I can tell she wants to say something, but even in her drunken state, she realizes it’s not a good idea. Not with our friends and her brother within earshot.
“You good?” I ask her.
“Yeah. Yep. Yepper.” She bobs her head.
“You sure?” I ask, not bothering to hide my smile.
She reaches out and places her hands on my chest, patting lightly. “I’m good, big guy.”
Slowly, I step away from her, and her hands fall back to her sides. She blinks a few times and then focuses on the shot glass in front of her. She lifts it to her lips.
“Maybe you should skip this one,” I tell her.
“What? No, It’s In—Inde—it’s that day.” She laughs.
“It’s firecracker day,” Monroe offers helpfully.
“It’s more than that.” I know before I’m even finished, there is no point in arguing with them. Sober, they know exactly what Independence Day is. I know they’re trashed and not thinking properly. I don’t even know why I said it, other than to stand here next to her and keep talking.
“I can’t feel my tongue,” Lachlan says.
I glance over my shoulder and see him sprawled out on the couch. “Thank fuck we all agreed to stay here tonight,” I mutter under my breath. Forrest is the only one of us who has a home big enough to house us all comfortably. That’s why we always end up here. He bought this place as soon as he could afford to. He wanted Emerson to have a home where she felt like she had her own space and could live freely. Not one where she was hiding in a room the size of a crackerjack box from her parents, or staying locked in to avoid them.
The dull ache is back in my chest when I think about the life they both had growing up. I hate that for them.
I turn back to Emerson, pointing an index finger at her. “You stay there. I’m going to get Lachlan to bed.”
“Are you going to put me to bed too?” she asks.
I lean in close, placing my lips to her ear. “Behave.” Turning on my heel, I move toward Lachlan. “Come on, Lach.” I help him stand and lead him upstairs to one of the spare rooms.
Forrest’s house has four bedrooms, and a fully finished basement, so there are plenty of places for everyone. I get Lachlan settled in one of the twin beds in the spare bedroom, and head back downstairs. Maddox is slumped over the kitchen table, and I sigh. Maybe being the only sober one isn’t as amusing as I thought it would be.
One by one, I help the rest of the guys. Maddox ends upstairs with Lachlan in the second twin bed. They’re small, but better than trying to sleep on the couch. I guide Legend down to the basement and help Forrest to his first-floor master.
When I make it back to the kitchen, the girls are looking pretty haggard. “I need sleep,” Monroe mumbles.
“You sleeping with Em?” I ask her.
“No. My room.” She holds her hands up for me to pick her up, and I laugh. Bending, I toss her over my shoulder. She giggles as she bounces against my back on our way upstairs. I take her to the other room. The one she normally stays in. Part of me was hoping she would stay with Emerson for two reasons. It will keep me out of her room—not that I would take advantage of her drunken state—and two, I could stay in this room to listen for Emerson in case she needs something or gets sick. I should have taken Lachlan or Maddox to the basement. There’s another bed down there, but that’s too far away from her.
Looks like I’ll be sleeping on the couch downstairs.
I get Monroe in her bed, and turn to step out of the room.
“Roman,” she calls.
I stop and turn to look at her. The room is dark, but I can still make out her form lying in the bed. “Take care of her.”
Something about her request rocks me as if I’ve been sucker punched. Of course I’ll take care of her. I want to be the man to take care of her, but I fucking can’t be. At least not the way I wish I could, but tonight, I can make sure she’s okay. That’s what Monroe is trying to tell me, but her words they bring forward a longing so deep I know it will never disappear.
“Always.” I nod even though I’m sure she can’t see me, and leave the door cracked slightly open. I tell myself I’m only worried about taking care of Emerson, but they’re all my family. Even Monroe. She’s always been there, and she’s like a little sister to me. I’d do anything for any of them.
