13. Drew
13
DREW
I stumbled out of the bedroom, fumbling with the buttons on my wrinkled shirt. West followed close behind, his curly hair even more disheveled than usual. I’d heard the stories of the Spencer brothers invading each other’s places. Hearing about it? Funny. Experiencing it? Not so much. They’d cut into my cuddling time with West, dammit.
We’d barely made it three steps down the hallway when I froze, my eyes widening at the unexpected scene before me.
“Holy crap.”
Lex, Emery, and Noah were on the couch while River and Adam sat on the floor around the coffee table. Which was piled high with…was that takeout from Lusitana?
What the actual hell?
“Uh, hey, guys,” I managed to croak out. “This is…unexpected.”
River’s face scrunched in a sheepish grimace. “Sorry for the intrusion, Drew. We, uh, thought you might want some company.”
I blinked rapidly. “Company. Right. Because nothing says ‘I need company’ like being holed up in my bedroom on a Saturday afternoon.”
West’s hand came to rest on the small of my back. I leaned into it, happy I could now do something as simple as that.
Adam cleared his throat. “We brought food,” he offered, gesturing to the spread on the table. “Thought you guys might be hungry after…you know.”
My cheeks flamed as they tried but failed to conceal their sniggers.
“That’s, uh, very thoughtful,” West said smoothly, saving me from having to formulate a coherent response. How was he so calm about this?
I took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “Well, since you’re all here…who wants a drink?”
River chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “Actually, we helped ourselves to your beer already. Hope you don’t mind. I used that spare key you gave me a few months back.”
I groaned, running a hand through my disheveled hair. “Right. The spare key. For emergencies. Like, say, if I was trapped under a fallen bookcase or something.”
“Hey, food cravings can be emergencies too,” River quipped, taking a swig of his beer. “Besides, keeping up with your nutritional requirements is important when you’re taking part in physical activities.”
Noah snorted and Adam’s face turned a very deep shade of red.
West squeezed my waist gently, his voice low and amused. “And they brought food.”
“True,” I conceded, leaning into him. “I suppose I can forgive the breaking and entering this time.”
West’s curiosity seemed to get the better of him as he addressed the group. “So, not that we don’t appreciate the company, but what brings you all here? Did we miss a memo?”
The energy in the room suddenly shifted, an almost palpable excitement radiating from our friends. Adam sat up straighter, a grin spreading across his face. “Actually, we got some good news for you.”
My heart skipped a beat. After the fire, I’d tried to avoid thinking about the building because it was too painful to remember that night. West missing. Knowing he was trapped. And then thinking about how much we could have lost. “What kind of good news?” I asked, hardly daring to hope.
Adam leaned forward, his eyes bright. “A few of the donors from the auction reached out to us when they couldn’t get hold of you and they’re upping their donation.”
I felt my knees go weak with relief, and West’s arm tightened around me. “Are you serious?” he asked.
The guys all nodded at the same time.
“That’s…that’s incredible news,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
“We thought you’d want to know right away,” Adam chimed in, his smile matching mine. “As soon as we heard about what happened, we wanted to check in, but we thought West might want some time to recover.”
I glanced at West, seeing my relief mirrored in his hazel eyes.
“You know what this means, baby?” he asked, leaning into me.
I nodded.
West glanced at the guys. “We were always uncertain about how to handle the older section of the building. I had a feeling it wasn’t up to code, which is why I went there that day. I was sorting through items and trying to come up with a plan.”
“You can knock down that part and rebuild it into something that works better for the Foundation,” Noah suggested.
“Like an events venue,” Lex said.
“Or a bookstore and coffee shop,” Emery continued. “Imagine going to a place that stocks your favorite authors’ books, and you can read and eat ice cream at the same time.” His face lit up as he described his idea. “We could take the kids from school on day trips.”
“An event venue? That could bring in some much-needed funds…” I said. “We could run a food bank too.”
“Exactly!” River exclaimed. “And you could use it for Foundation events. Win-win.”
I nodded, feeling a surge of warmth for my friends. Here they were, on a weekend night, to check in on us and show that they had our backs. “You guys are amazing, you know that?” I said, my voice softening. “I can’t believe you’ve put so much thought into this.”
“So,” he drawled, a mischievous glint in his eye, “speaking of caring… What’s the deal with you two, huh?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
I felt heat rush to my face. “What do you mean?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant and failing miserably. I glanced at West, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. His hazel eyes met mine, a soft smile playing on his lips. “Baby, we were in bed naked when they invaded. I think they know. They just want us to say it aloud.”
“Well,” I began, looking at the guys, unable to keep the grin off my face, “I guess you could say West and I are…officially together.”
West’s hand found mine, our fingers intertwining.
The room erupted in cheers and excited chatter. River pumped his fist in the air. “I knew it! Pay up, Noah!”
Noah groaned good-naturedly, pulling out his wallet. “Damn, I thought it’d take you guys at least another month, especially with how busy you’ve been since the fundraiser.”
“Oh my God, you were betting on us?” I laughed, shaking my head. “I don’t know whether to be flattered or offended.”
Adam raised his beer. “To Drew and West! It’s about time, you two.”
I laughed. “Says the pot to the kettle.”
River pulled Adam closer and kissed his hair. Adam sighed, leaning into his boyfriend’s touch, “Falling in love with your best friend will never not be a good idea.”
Drew raised his own glass. “I’ll toast to that.”
The celebration gradually wound down as our friends started gathering their things. River stood first. “Well, guys, it’s been a blast, but I think we should let the lovebirds have some privacy.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they have some…catching up to do,” Adam added with a wink.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face. “You’re telling me you’re not running home to catch up ?”
Adam’s face went red again as River said, “We do have a lot to catch up on. It’ll probably take us the rest of our lives.”
I felt exactly the same way.
When we closed the door behind our friends, the sudden quiet felt both strange and comforting. I turned to West, finding him already looking at me with that intense gaze that never failed to make my heart race.
“Alone at last,” he murmured, a mischievous glint in his eye. “You know, I seem to remember we were in the middle of something before we were so rudely interrupted.”
I arched an eyebrow, fighting to keep a straight face. “Oh really? I can’t seem to recall. Care to refresh my memory?”
West’s laugh was low and rich as he stepped closer, his hands finding my waist. “I’d be more than happy to, Mr. Carter. In fact, I think a thorough review might be in order. Shall we take this back to the bedroom?”
“Well, when you put it like that…” I grinned, already backing toward the hallway. “Race you there!”