Chapter 40
FORTY
Blakely
Somehow, I managed to open the door before they broke it down. And standing on my front porch was, well, everyone. Amanda walked in first, blond hair falling around her face and a welcoming smile. Reed and Josh were close behind, as were James and Ivy. Luke and Hazel, who immediately passed me baby Josie, were the last ones inside.
None of them stopped talking as they walked in and made themselves at home.
Stunned by their sudden arrival, I glanced around at my full living room and then to Devon, who was just as shocked, only he was hiding it better. Tato quickly made best friends with everyone, bouncing around their ankles and excitedly searching for the person most likely to give him attention.
I kicked the door closed with my foot and looked down at the baby in my hands. Josie was so sweet and tiny and was also, thankfully, dead asleep.
I hadn’t even noticed the dishes and bags in the guys’ hands until they started arranging food on my kitchen counter.
“We brought Italian,” James announced as he tugged the lid off a very large container of what looked like lasagna. “And we have a ton of veggie options for you.”
“Italian?” I asked, and it was Hazel who smiled up at me from the spot she’d slumped into on the couch.
“Yeah, it’s good comfort food, right?” And the simple comment was so sweet and considerate, it was the perfect acknowledgment. They knew what had happened earlier that day and were there for me. “And I brought the baby, and babies, especially when they’re sleeping on you, make everything better.”
She definitely wasn’t wrong. I settled down on the couch next to her while Ivy sat in the chair on her other side. There was something about holding a small, precious life in your hands that put everything in perspective. They smelled really good, too. Although I never wanted any of my own, I still loved babies.
I smiled over at my new friends as Amanda squeezed in between me and Hazel. “The men have it handled,” she said. She grazed a finger over Josie’s perfect little forehead while I peered around her into my kitchen, which was not meant to hold five large men. But they were making it work. Kind of.
“Oh, I love these barstools,” Ivy exclaimed.
And behind her, my old, rickety barstools had been replaced. The new ones were solid wood and stained black. The craftsmanship was impeccable, and my eyes found Devon’s, who was standing by the dining table staring back at me.
“Did you do that? Did you make those?”
His responding shrug was enough confirmation for me. His thoughtfulness and care would never cease to amaze me, and if it weren’t for the baby still cradled in my arms, I would’ve vaulted myself across the room and into his arms.
But I just smiled at him, and I had no doubt he knew the thoughts behind my eyes.
“Can I say something?” Amanda whispered into my ear, making me jump slightly. I raised my eyebrows in silent agreement, although I was nervous about what might come out of her mouth. The fact that she was whispering rather than letting the group at large hear was a good sign that I should have been hesitant. And by god, she did not disappoint. She dropped her voice even quieter and said, “That man is in love with you.”
My head whipped around. Amanda’s expression was unapologetic. At first, I was alarmed and anxious about that idea, but those feelings quickly came and went in a matter of moments. Replaced by hope that grew so large in my chest that I thought it might burst at any moment.
Because those words were still sitting precariously on the tip of my tongue. And I didn’t know how long I could hold them in.
The guys made us all plates, and eventually Josie woke up, obviously hungry, so Hazel took her back. I enjoyed the half hour I was able to snuggle her, though.
We all managed to fit in my small living area, mostly by taking up spots on the floor and the counters in the kitchen to accommodate everyone. Having them there, although slightly overwhelming at first, was a blessing. It made me feel a little less alone. I managed to matter-of-factly explain exactly what happened and the update to my case. They all quickly realized I didn’t want to say much more than that, so they didn’t push for more information. Not that I had much more information anyway. I’d found my phone and had a few missed calls from my mom and Detective Wilcrest. Only the detective had left a voicemail asking me to return his call when I was ready so we could discuss the details and the next steps.
Either way, my emotions were still too raw to go into much detail, especially with all their caring, concerned faces staring back at me.
The fact that they were there was enough.
“Slide it over here,” James demanded, readjusting his place in the chair so Ivy was propped on one of his legs in his lap. Amanda put together a scrapbook of some of our favorite college memories, and they were in the process of passing it around.
It was filled with pictures and mementos from parties we’d attended, movies we saw, or any other stupid thing we got up to back then.
James set the book on his lap and flipped the page, only to bust out laughing at whatever he saw. I was sitting on one of my new, incredible barstools that did not feel like it was going to break beneath me with a piece of garlic bread in my hand. Devon stood in front of me, leaning against the seat of the barstool and between my legs—the perfect position for me to rest my chin on his shoulder and watch our friends.
All night Devon had found me in every moment. Again, it wasn’t a big space, but he was always watching out for me and checking in in the smallest ways. It was everything I didn’t know I needed.
I peered over James’s shoulder and around Ivy to see the photo he’d pointed to. It was classic college bullshit. Reed had passed out first, so we’d decided to draw on his face and put a tutu on him from Amanda’s closet.
I couldn’t tell you what year it had been, but below it was another from the same Halloween. Reed was glaring at Josh, who had dressed up as him, while Amanda and I were in the background in our matching Charlie’s Angels costumes.
I tried to tamp down any thought about who had been the third angel. Luckily, she wasn’t pictured.
James peered at his girlfriend and said, “Do you know who was almost always the instigator of shit like that?”
“Who?” Ivy asked, and I was already shaking my head when James glanced back at me.
“I wasn’t always the instigator,” I argued, and everyone began laughing. “Reed and Josh were also to blame most of the time.”
From across the room, Josh started arguing, just to be quickly cut off by Amanda, who reached over from her spot on Reed’s lap and smacked him on the arm. “You were both menaces. Don’t try to deny it.”
“There were witnesses,” Luke quipped, his sleeping daughter tucked against his chest. “There is no denying it. ”
I laughed quietly to myself and finished off my garlic bread as the group argued about who between the two guys was the worst influence.
Devon glanced back at me with a small smile tugging at his lips. “You got out of that one,” he whispered.
“I did, but between the three of us, I was definitely the one who instigated the least. Dumb and dumber over there were far worse.”
He hummed in agreement, and his eyes dropped to my lips. I saw the quiet desire in his dilated pupils and leaned forward. One quick brush of our mouths was all I had in mind, but I should have known better.
Unsated desire still wound through me like a dull ache. What we’d started before my house was overrun by our friends was at the back of my mind. And even the small brush of our lips was enough to stoke it back to life.
The angle was a little weird with his head tilted back, but I don’t think either of us really cared. My hand around his waist tightened in his T-shirt while his hand gripped my thigh.
Realizing it had suddenly gone quiet, Devon and I simultaneously pulled back and glanced around the room. Every eye was on us. Devon straightened and cleared his throat, a flush burning across his cheeks.
“Damn, okay then,” Amanda said, pretending to fan herself with her hand.
I rolled my eyes as Reed kissed her cheek. Conversation picked back up, but I was more focused on the quiet man in front of me. I propped my chin back on his shoulder and ran a finger over his cheek.
“What’s that smile for?” he asked, and I hadn’t realized I’d been smiling until he pointed it out.
“I just think it’s sweet how you blush when we’re in public.” I ran my nose along the shell of his ear and smiled again when he shivered. “But when we’re alone, you say the filthiest things.”
His grip on my thigh tightened, and he readjusted on the barstool. He turned back toward me and lowered his voice so only I could hear him.
“Beautiful girl, you haven’t heard anything yet.”
My mouth suddenly went dry, and I swear I could feel my heartbeat between my thighs. It was my turn to readjust in my seat, and with a cursory glance around the room, I confirmed no one else had heard.
“Is that a promise?” I asked quietly.
Devon made a sound of agreement deep in his throat. “Absolutely.” My eyes roamed the side of his face when he continued. “But you’ve got to stop looking at me like that right now.”
“Like what?”
He peered at me out of the corner of his eyes and ran his thumb over the exposed skin just above my knee on the inside of my thigh.
“Like you want to ask me to ‘prove it’ right here in front of all our friends.”
He wasn’t wrong, and I wasn’t surprised my expression was that transparent. All I wanted to do was make him prove it , but there were too many people in my house for that. So, instead, I dragged my nose down his neck and kissed the last bit of skin above his shirt.