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If I'm getting a drink with anyone, it's going to be Gabby.
Grumbling to myself, I miss the hard body planted in my kitchen. "Oof!" I bounce off a large chest, rubbing my nose in annoyance.
"You okay?" Jude latches onto my shoulders when I go stumbling backward. The pain in my face keeps my mind off the fact that his hands are on me. For a moment. Then the heat of his wide palms seep into my bare shoulders, chasing away the chill of my air conditioning.
"Mhmm," I mumble, eyes closed, not wanting to give away just how good his touch feels.
I almost whimper at the loss of one of his hands until fingers trail up my neck and lift my chin gently. My eyes flutter open of their own accord taking in his scrunched-up nose and worried gaze. I admire the sharpness of his jaw and tender brown eyes. Sharing the same breath, my heartbeat travels to my throat.
"You aren't bleeding. You should be okay. Maybe ice, okay?" I'm lost in the way his lips move around each word, like he fucking owns the English language. "Rylee?"
"What? Oh, yeah. Ice. I'm fine."Jesus, I need to get laid.His lips kick up in a smirk, and I soak in his fuck me vibes like a bitch in heat.
"Mommy, I'm hungry!"
Ah, good, my little bucket of ice water to the rescue.
Tearing my gaze away from Jude shouldn't be as hard as it is, but I've been through worse—they wouldn’t know what to do with my past wounds. "Me too. Whatcha in the mood for?"
I swear I hear Jude murmur "You," but it's too quiet and gone before I can convince myself he actually said it.
Sitting on the counter with Gabby in front of her, I avoid the spark of interest in Pixie's gaze as she looks between her brother and me.
"Chicken nuggies!"
A huff of laughter draws my attention to Marcus leaning against the wall beside Jude. "There's a really yummy diner down the road that Jude, Leo, and I were going to. Want to come? I'm sure we would all love to have you three ladies join."
Jude's frown of confusion is wiped away when the guys lock eyes, but it was enough to tell me that Marcus pulled that out of his ass. Their chemistry has me really damn curious. They seem more... what's the word? Cozy. Intimate.
"Yeah!" Layla claps her hands and reaches her arms out to be let down from the counter. But it's not me or Gabby she's looking at. No, she's staring right at the surfer boy in my kitchen.
I watch with rapt attention as Jude swoops Bug off the counter, airplane noises making her squeal in the air. My heart pitters away in my chest at the sight, and my tummy swoops when his shirt lifts, showcasing golden skin that needs my tongue on it ASAP.
How complicated would it be if I slept with Gab's brother? I'll be gone soon, so what does it matter if I leave a little mess behind? Not like anyone will follow. Especially not Jude. He's a player through and through.
As soon as her feet touch the ground, she runs to me and tugs on my dress. "Please, Mommy? Can we go out to eat with my friends?"
Ah hell. There go my heartstrings.
"I don't know, Bug. We wouldn't want to intrude…" I trail off, eyes flicking to the three basically strangers in my home. My anxiety has been dormant since we all sat down to color outside. The only flare I've gotten is insecurity, but that's my problem.
"Please, oh please!" Bouncing now, I can't help but feel my happiness swell at how happy she is. I've been worried for so long that she would struggle to trust new people, but these three passed her tests with flying colors with chalk andDisneykaraoke.
If I'm being honest with myself, they wiggled past some of my barriers as well. When Marcus sat down on the cement and picked up a stick of chalk without any prompting, something inside of me softened toward the man who started drawing rainbows and Lucky Charms on my driveway. Some of my distrust for Jude faded when he followed my little girl onto the ground and taught her all the different ways she could make a smiley face.
"Alright, Gabby, do you want to ride with us?" I extend the offer, hoping that nobody will ask us to ride with them. If something goes wrong, Layla and I need a separate escape option.
"Sure!" She claps her hands much like Layla does when she's excited.
"Rylee? Can we invite Jackson?" Jude rubs the back of his neck, clearly uncertain of how I will respond.
"Um, sure."
What am I supposed to say when they were the ones who invited us out with them? This is going to be so weird.
Any trepidation clinging to my decision dims at the happiness radiating off Bug. I worry how she will respond to Jackson, but we will just sit on the opposite sides of the table.
In the ten minutes it takes Bug and me to get ready, I keep trying to convince myself that having friends is a good thing. That Layla socializing is a good thing. This is a good thing. It's just food.
