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We spent a lot of time here as kids. In fact, this is the room that I first met the twins in. My mom and Linda had been friends since they were teens, and once we were old enough, they finally introduced us.
We were inseparable from that point forward.
Things changed in the last few years, but then again, Mom changed after the divorce. It was like she had been controlled so long by my father that she went out of her way to make sure she had nothing tying her down… including me.
“Are you okay?” Lake asked, his fingers curled around mine.
I looked up at him and tried to smile but it must have failed. His eyes were full of concern.
“We shouldn’t have come,” he cursed.
“It’s not that. I was actually thinking about Mom, not Everett this time.”
My grief had changed in the last few weeks. The more I let myself accept my feelings and faced them head on, the easier it was to think about him.
Some days would still be bad and I’d want to curl up in a ball and cry at the mere mention of his name. But tonight, it was bearable.
Maybe it was the puppy snuggled in my arms, fast asleep after a busy car ride, or maybe it was Lake by my side, but right now I felt like I could face the world.
I reached out and knocked twice on the door before pushing it open. Linda would get onto me if I waited for her to come answer. As she always said, I was family.
“Let me see the puppy!” Chad yelled out. I heard the pounding of footsteps as they both fought to get to the front door first. He hip-checked Linda before she jumped on his back, riding on him as he trudged forward. She slid off at the last minute and gracefully moved in front of him, winning their race.
I swear these two were like kids, and I'd forgotten how crazy they were.
“Oh Shaye, she’s beautiful,” Linda said, taking the puppy from me. Mia yawned and let out a little squeak, making her melt even more. Lake said my pleading face was dangerous but Mia had everyone fawning over her.
“Do you need to take her outside before dinner? Everything’s getting set up now,” Linda questioned as she finally looked back up at us.
“No, she was a good girl and went right before we came to the door,” I promised. “I’ll try to make sure she doesn’t have any accidents in the house.”
“Girl, we’ve always had dogs. You know it wouldn’t be the first or the last. Maybe we should have hit up that vendor fair today.”
“I’d like to say that you missed out, but I honestly have no idea what was there except for the puppies. I saw them first, and the rest was over.”
She chuckled at that and carried Mia towards the kitchen. She worked with a mom’s focus as she finished plating up the food with one hand, cuddling my pup in the other.
I couldn’t even be mad that she’d stolen my puppy because she was so adorable.
“When do the guys get here?” I asked Lake. He checked his phone and shrugged, but a knock on the door had him tucking it back in his pocket.
“I guess right now.”
“I’ve got it,” I said, jumping up and heading for the door. Since they weren’t coming in like we did, I pulled it open and gasped as Drew ran towards me, lifting me up in a hug and spinning me around. He planted a kiss on my lips before setting me down.
“That was the most adorable picture I’ve ever seen. Where’s my new baby?” He moved me aside and barreled past.
“She’s mine now!” Linda yelled from the front. Drew rolled his eyes and let out a laugh.
“Old woman, you better not try me,” he sang out as he hurried toward the kitchen. It seems that Linda just made everyone feel like family.
Micah put his finger under my chin, lifting my face and brushing a kiss across my lips. The fire I felt from such a simple kiss was insane, and I blinked a couple of times to clear my head as he backed away.
He quickly followed after Drew, and I heard Linda greet him just as warmly.
When I turned to Riven, he had a strange look on his face, and some of my happiness faltered at the thought of how hard this must be for him.
“Wait, where’s tall, dark, and gloomy?” Linda yelled out before I could say a word.
