Chapter Twenty-Two #2
Glaring at the asshole, I grumble, “You’re giving my mood whiplash.”
He shrugs. “I’m not even sorry. You wanted this conversation, and so I’m giving it to you in all of its realistic and blunt glory.
How do we know she will be okay entering a relationship with not only one man, but four, who all live together?
Who are as close as brothers, who have never shared a woman between them before, and possess streaks of jealousy a mile wide? ”
It’s Bax who answers, allowing me to simmer in my annoyance no thanks to the realist in the room. I was happy in my little delusions, damn it.
“Pretty sure she’ll be more open to it than we think,” he says, nodding at the girl as she nuzzles into Rayne like a cat, hugging his arm to her chest and tucking her feet between Bax’s legs.
Rayne’s lips twitch with a barely there smile, and I can’t help the grin that damn near splits my face, that giddiness coming back with all the force of a tidal wave I am more than happy to surf.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I smile at the others and declare, “We’ll just come right out and ask her. No point tiptoeing around it if we’re already in agreement, right? We ask her if she’s open to the idea and go from there.”
Everyone nods in agreement, and I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone or something, because this rarely happens between us. I can count on one hand the times the guys have been in complete agreement with me, and I won’t lie and say it doesn’t feel damn good that we all agree on this one thing.
“All right, cool,” I note, right before I jump right back into my original question. “So, what’s the plan here? How do we make sure Maddie doesn’t take those two weeks off without us?”
Rayne frowns at me. “Are you planning on keeping her here or going with her?”
My answer comes so quickly that he actually surprises me with a smile. “Whichever results in her being with us. If I have to take two weeks off to go traveling with her, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. How about you guys?”
“I can work from anywhere, so it’s a nonissue for me,” Ryan answers.
Bax smirks. “I could take time off. Benji and Dad have been nagging at me to take a vacation.”
And we all turn to Rayne, who eyes us all before huffing a barely there laugh and saying, “Tell me when and I’ll clear my calendar.”
“Fuck yes,” I blurt quietly, finally losing my air-fisting urge, punching the air like it owes me money and I’m here to collect.
The guys all laugh quietly, even Rayne flashing me an amused smile before looking away and focusing on the show Maddie picked, adjusting a little so Maddie is comfortable leaning against him.
“Okay, so we need to figure out how to convince her to stay here, or we need to start planning a group trip away to wherever the hell she wants to spend two weeks,” I declare, rubbing my hands together and biting my lip, already deep into the thinking process.
We could turn her apartment into a cozy trap, decked out with blankets and snacks and movie lineups.
Sabotage her two weeks by sharing the wrong weather predictions and hope she doesn’t check.
I could always search for her passport and hide it between the couch cushions. Or I could always-
“Given that I’ve already partially convinced her to go away, it might be easier to simply join her on her travels than resorting to whatever your brain is conjuring.
Pretty sure you’re one thought away from considering locking her in this apartment for the whole two weeks,” Ryan interjects, giving me a look that tells me he knows exactly where my head went.
I give him a look back, because fuck him and his mind-reading ways, and grumble, “It’s not like I wouldn’t feed or water her.”
Baxter laughs loudly, disturbing Maddie enough that her eyebrow puckers with a frown that smooths right out when she wriggles her way under Rayne’s arm. She’s out like a light a second later, Rayne’s wide eyes peering down at the sleeping beauty like he has no idea what to do.
Snorting, I whisper, “Relax your arm, bro. She’s not a snake, she won’t bite.”
It takes some Herculean effort, but he manages to relax his arm over her shoulder and around her back, freezing when she nuzzles deeper into him like she’s trying to crawl right into his skin. I’ve never been more envious of the bastard, either, because I’d love to trade places with him right now.
“So, how about we find somewhere to take her instead? If you’ve already planted the seed, then let’s plan it for her,” Bax suggests, and the sudden urge to kick his shin overwhelms me.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” I huff, slouching in my seat and throwing my arm over my face.
“Because you’re an idiot,” Rayne quips, gradually relaxing the longer Maddie sleeps against him.
I damn near smile at the sight, a very clear indication that this could work when not a single ounce of jealousy rears its ugly head. Only envy lingers, and that’s only because he’s sitting exactly where I want to be. Lucky bastard.
“Who’s going to take the lead on that plan, then?
” I wonder, the first yawn of the night sneaking up on me, my jaw stretching wide as my eyes water.
By the time I’m done and I can see again, I startle when I find three pairs of eyes watching me with varying degrees of “what the fuck?” and realize my blunder.
Morphing my face into one of understanding, I nod once and mutter, “It’s me. I’ll take the lead there. Anyone want to throw some vacation suggestions at me before I do a deep dive?”
“Nowhere snowy,” Baxter quickly replies, shuddering at the thought of going away to someplace cold and treacherous again.
And when I say again, he considers a trip to Aspen a risk to his life.
With how that man struggles to do anything remotely snow-sport-related, I really do worry for his mortality when there’s snow or ice involved.
I whip my cell out and start a new note on my trusty app that holds several important notes for me to look back on, only briefly glancing at the section I’ve made for Maddie’s food preferences.
Fingers tapping quickly, I write and talk at the same time. “Okay. No… Snow… Bax… Will… Die. Cool. Anything else?”
“Think we can stay away from Korea this one time?” Rayne requests quietly, and I nod easily, already a given that we’d stay away from his home country, even though the cause of him fleeing is currently serving a life sentence and won’t see the outside of his prison walls anytime soon.
I get why he doesn’t want to go home, so I waste no time writing it into the app.
“Skip… Korea… For… Rayne. Noted. Anything else?” I ask, turning my head to look at Ryan.
He drops his cell and looks up, thinking about it for a long moment before he says, “Nothing to avoid, but here are some requirements to consider when you’re looking.
Check the location, what kind of attractions or places we can take her to, because she’ll definitely want to take plenty of photos. Everything else will be a bonus.”
I’m typing away frantically at my phone, noting everything down, before tucking it away and declaring, “Oh yeah, this is gonna be one hell of a vacation.”
“That look scares me,” Bax points at my face, smiling through his concern.
I grin. “It should scare you. I’m about to become the most unbearable son of a bitch in our separate group chat. Brace yourselves for Travel Adviser Caiden Miller, because I’m about to go ham on vacation listings.”
The sweet sound of already exhausted groans fills my ears, and I sit back against the couch, already plotting and planning on where to take the sleepy little menace.