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I sigh heavily. These idiots.
I slide as carefully as I can out of the bed, not wanting to disturb Casey. I’m hoping I can get the assholes to shut up before they wake him. Two nights in a row of good sleep would be perfect for the boy. He desperately needs the rest.
“And what about the damage you’re doing to him? Maybe this is what he wants, but it's not what he needs, Travis. We both know that.”
I yank the door open, finding two of my best friends standing punching distance apart, both with fists ready for a fight.
“It’s not up to us to decide what-”
“Hey-” I say just loud enough to break through their argument. They both snap their gazes over to me, bodies on high alert. I frown at them, trying to remember that I shouldn’t join this fight. Not if I want to keep Casey sleeping. “Hi. Hello. Message from the sleeping world - shut the fuck up.”
“Sorry,” they whisper in unison, looking like chastised children.
I rub my right eye where a headache is starting to form, sighing deeply. I thought I’d be done fixing their problems once the operation ended. I was really looking forward to that. “What’s the issue?”
“Nothing,” Maison lies. “Travis was just about to leave, weren’t you, Travis? He has a lead on Mica.”
Travis’s anger-level rises. I’ve spent far too much time with him not to notice it. But he clenches his jaw, takes a deep breath that flares his nostrils, and says, “Yeah. I’m leaving.”
I eye the two of them, then look over my shoulder at the sleeping boy waiting for me. I should ask about this new lead. I should offer my assistance. I should - at the very least - check with Travis to make sure his head is on straight before he sends himself off to a life-threatening mission. But these two are always going to put Carter first - even if it means fighting because they don’t agree on what putting him first means. Casey deserves that. Casey deserves to be my first.
Hell, he already is.
“Be safe,” I tell Travis, already stepping back into the room.
When I climb back into the bed, Casey turns in his sleep and wraps himself around me like a little octopus. I put an arm around him to hold him in place and sigh happily.
Yeah, this is where I’m meant to be.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Casey
Travis was barely home a day before disappearing again, something that hit Carter pretty hard. I let him hide out in his room instead of forcing him to emerge for some required social interaction. Nolan is in the kitchen when I wander that way, Maison seated on the countertop beside the oven and watching him like he’s the most fascinating thing in the world. I hide my smirk, aware that Nolan is completely oblivious to how Maison looks at him. When I hinted that he and Maison might have some chemistry the other night, Nolan had turned bright pink and then told me that would never happen because Nolan isn’t Maison’s type. He had seemed sad after that, so I hadn’t pressed him on what he meant. All I know is that for not being his type, Maison sure likes to watch him.
“Hey!” Nolan says when he sees me before I can sneak away to give them some alone time. Maison raises his chin, his eyes locking on me. They’re the exact same blue as Carter’s. It’s almost disconcerting. Especially when those eyes are currently overflowing with swirls of anxiety that match what I saw in Carter’s eyes this morning when I checked on him.
Tearing my gaze from Maison, I give Nolan a smile. “Hey. What are you making this time?”
“It’s just the marinade for the chicken we’ll be having tonight. It has to soak for a while.”
“It smells delicious.” I take a seat on a stool just as coffee appears out of nowhere. I look up, startled, and find that Maison is now standing right beside me. His hand is still on the mug. “Um. Thank you.”
“Is he okay?” he asks instead of a you’re welcome.
I don’t have to ask who he’s referring to. “He’ll be fine. He’s strong.”
“Just because he’s strong doesn’t mean I like that he has to be.”
I narrow my eyes, recalling the way I had yelled at him last night. I remember Jake’s promise that Maison would never hurt me, feeling brave again. “Maybe he wouldn’t have to be so strong if you just let him breathe.”
“I’m not the villain here, Casey.”
“Neither is Travis.”
We hold each other’s gazes for a long time before Nolan clears his throat loudly and says, “Oh, wow, look at the time. Maison, I think the laundry needs to be switched, yeah?”
Maison’s eyes linger on me for another second before tearing away to focus on Nolan. His entire body softens the moment he sees the young man. Even his lips curl toward a smile. “Yeah. I’ll go switch it. Don’t do the garlic yet though. You promised to show me how the fuck you mince it, remember?”
