BEN TRIED TO shove Olivia back in the car while covering her eyes at the same time. It was a losing battle, since Olivia could bob and weave like a professional boxer. I covered my eyes instead, wishing my life away and willing the tears to stay in my body. The last thing Olivia needed right now was to see blood-red streaks down my cheeks. She’d never understand what was happening, and thanks to her DNA, we couldn’t compel her to forget.
Ben gave up on Olivia and tried his wife instead. “Trace, can you take Olivia and continue up to the house? I need a minute to talk to Hunter and Nika alone.”
Tracey had been watching us with an open mouth the entire time, but she snapped her jaw shut and looked back at her husband, then her daughter. “Olivia! Sit down and buckle up!” Olivia obeyed her mom, but she asked questions the entire time. “Why are they naked? Were they having sex? Isn’t Nika kind of young? I mean, don’t you have to be old and married? That’s what Ms. Wilson said, but I don’t know if I believe her. Johnny told me anybody can do it. Can anybody do it, Mom? Do you and Dad do it? Am I going to have a brother or sister soon?”
Tracey was bright red by the time she scooted over to the driver’s side and stomped on the gas.
When they were gone, Ben crossed his arms over his chest and glared at us. “Sex Ed was not a lesson I wanted to teach her about tonight.” He turned around so we could get dressed. “What were the two of you thinking?”
Hunter had a scowl on his face as he yanked his underwear back on. “We weren’t. It was the bond. It got kicked into overdrive.”
I frowned at the look on his face, the harsh way he was getting dressed. Yeah, it was embarrassing getting caught, but…up until then, it had been amazing. Feeling strange, I timidly tried to put my underwear back on. I couldn’t. They were ripped beyond the point that I could wear them, and the hooks for my bra were completely torn off. Hunter had been a little impatient there at the end. A fact that saddened me now. We’d been so close.
“Sorry, Uncle Ben,” I muttered, tossing aside my undergarments and slipping on my dress. There were slight tears and wrinkles in the fabric, and it was covered in grass and dirt, but at least it hid my nakedness for the time being. I could change once we got to the ranch. Great. How would I explain that to Dad? Oh well, Ben would probably tell him what happened anyway. Or Liv. She’d probably tell the entire house what had happened. Wonderful.
When I stood up, Ben risked a glance over his shoulder. Seeing we were dressed, he turned around. Hunter had his pants and shirt on, but he couldn’t button his shirt and it hung open. He was scowling at the ground where my ruined undergarments were resting. I picked them up so he’d stop staring. So far, Ben hadn’t noticed them, and I’d prefer it if it stayed that way.
Ben sighed and shook his head. Raking a hand through his blonde, highlighted hair, he told us, “I know it’s not your fault. I remember what it was like when Teren and Emma went through it.” He frowned, and a brief shudder went through him. “Anyway, we should probably get to the house. I’m assuming your parents are on their way?”
I nodded. Yeah, they were moving again, inching their way to the ranch at a moderate, human pace. Ben nodded and looked me over. Barefoot, rumpled, and covered in grass, I was sure I was quite a sight. With a smile and a shake of his head, he told me, “Happy Birthday, Nika. I’ll hug you a little later, if you don’t mind.”
I managed a weak laugh. “Thanks.”
As we trudged along to the house, Hunter’s mood darkened even more. I grabbed his hand, trying to lighten his emotions, but it didn’t help. Irritated, he muttered, “I shouldn’t have left Jake alone in there.”
I bit my cheek, but it wasn’t enough to bite back the comment I felt coming. “He’s not alone. He’s with Gabriel, Rory, Cleo, and my grandparents. You’re not his only bodyguard, you know.”
Hunter’s dark eyes swung down to me. “I know, but I still should have stayed close to him.” His eyes returned to the gravel beneath our feet; the glow of his eyes highlighted every pebble. “This bond is getting ridiculous. It’s distracting me from what I need to do.”
Stopping on the driveway, I glared at him. “So, I’m a distraction now? Being bonded to me is annoying you? Are you wishing you’d left me for dead?”
I knew he didn’t mean it like that, but his “duty” superseding me yet again was frustrating as hell. Plus I was doing the walk of shame barefoot and braless on my birthday! Holding my tongue was beyond me at this point. I jerked my hand away from his.
Hunter stopped with me and Ben slowed, but kept walking to give us some privacy. “No…I didn’t mean it like that.” He cupped my cheeks. “You’re everything to me. You’re my number one priority, don’t ever think you’re not. It’s not the bond I dislike, it’s this obsessive…pull…that clouds my mind, makes me do rash, careless things, makes me…lose control.” He indicated the remains of my underwear in my hand. “I don’t like losing control.”
Hunter gave me a kiss on the cheek to take the sting out of his words, and we continued walking hand in hand. Ben looked back at us, saw we were following, and then turned back around. When the main home at the ranch came into view—the steepled points of the roof, the smooth, circular driveway with the massive fountain of a woman crying in the center of it—Hunter sighed.
“I don’t like you being here. As I’ve told Teren and Halina multiple times, this party is a bad idea. They seem to think it will be fine with how many of us there are tonight, and they assigned Rory and Cleo to watch Jake like a hawk, but still…this isn’t the time to let our guard down. Not with Jake free from his room, walking around like he’s one of us. He’s a loose cannon. There’s no telling what he’ll do given the right circumstances.” He looked back at me with a frown. “But we have to let him be free otherwise he’ll never accept us, and Teren thinks a birthday party is the perfect way to show him how normal we are. I don’t like it though. We’re stuck in a damn catch 22. Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. You and your brother shouldn’t be here tonight.”
We’d held hands again during our walk, and I squeezed his hard. I was still embarrassed, frustrated and sore, and the last thing I wanted to hear about was Jake the vampire hunter. An irritated huff escaped me. “Hunter, you’re seriously getting on my nerves. First, you want me at the ranch so our bond doesn’t kick in, and then you say I shouldn’t be here because Jake is too much of a threat. Which is it?” I glared up at his sullen face. “Because it can’t be both of those things.”
Frowning, he released my hand and ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know, Nika. I don’t have all the answers. I’m not perfect,” he muttered.
“Oh, I know that,” I retorted. “I’m going upstairs to change.” After that, I stormed off to the house at a fast walk that was nearly a jog. When I breezed by Ben, he glanced back at Hunter. I saw Ben give Hunter a sympathetic smile, and I nearly snapped at him too. I didn’t need to see male camaraderie right now either. I wished I could blur and get away from both of them fast, but I knew I couldn’t. Ben’s car was parked right outside the triple front doors, and I could hear Olivia in the entryway, asking where Julian was, and regaling Alanna with her story about coming across Hunter and I in our birthday suits.
I gritted my teeth and walked around to the back of the house. I didn’t feel like seeing anybody yet. Once I was sure I was away from prying eyes, I zoomed up to my room faster than light. In my frustration, I slammed the door shut. I knew Olivia wouldn’t hear me, but Hunter and the rest of my family would. Good…I wanted Hunter to know I was irritated with him.
I changed into fresh clothes—jeans and a T-shirt—then sat on my bed and waited for Julian and my parents to get here. Safety in numbers. I felt them in the driveway, so I cracked open my bedroom door. When I walked out into the hallway, just that brief step toward Hunter made the bond kick in. We weren’t nearly as far apart as we usually were, so the pull wasn’t nearly as strong, but it was enough to make me close my eyes and breathe heavier.
I tried walking to him at a human pace, but I couldn’t. When I got to the nearest set of stairs, I blurred down them. I heard Olivia ask Hunter, “What’s wrong with you?” and I knew he was feeling this too. I heard Hunter excuse himself, then felt his presence rushing toward me. We collided at the base of the staircase. Hunter shoved me against the wall, his lips on my neck. I hooked a leg around him and murmured, “I’m sorry. I know you’re just looking out for me.” I hadn’t meant to apologize, but the glorious relief of joining up with him brought it out of me.
Panting, Hunter pulled backed to stare into my eyes. “I’m sorry things are so complicated right now. It won’t always be like this, I promise. Someday we’ll be together, and nothing will be able to keep us apart.”
I cupped his cheek, wishing that day was today. “I can’t wait.”
“Me either.” Just as he lowered his lips to mine, someone behind Hunter coughed. We both directed our attention that way, and I saw Jake standing a few feet away, watching us with his arms crossed over his chest. He was alone, unsupervised. He raised a hand in greeting when he saw that we’d spotted him spying on us.
“The sooner we get rid of him, the better,” Hunter sighed under his breath. Hunter looked around for Rory and Cleo, but Jake’s human bodyguards were nowhere around.
Jake understood what Hunter was searching for and pointed toward the entryway. “Your minions are greeting the new arrivals. I was too, but I slipped out.” He crooked a grin. “Needed air.”
Hunter’s expression darkened. He looked about to zip off to collect Rory and Cleo, but just then they appeared. Rory’s face was bright red, and Cleo looked frantic. They froze when they saw Hunter. Hunter pointed at Jake. “Lose something?” he asked, venom in his voice.
Rory grabbed Jake and pinned his arms behind him. “There was a moment of chaos when the young girl spotted Julian, and he got away from us. It won’t happen again.”
Hunter raised an eyebrow in warning. “It better not. He could have done a lot worse than run in here. Everything I hold of value is under this roof. Try and keep that in mind.”
Rory and Cleo both nodded. Hunter indicated with his head for them to bring Jake back into the entryway, and the group of us went to meet up with everyone else. The room was packed when I got there, and I could easily see how Jake had managed to sneak away.
Julian was near the doors, trying to detach himself from Olivia, who had clamped onto his side like a barnacle. Christian was hugging his wife, Ashley. Christian was quite a few years older than Ashley, and in an ironic twist of fate, he had lost almost all of his hair while Ashley had gained hers. Grandma Linda was by Christian’s side, ready to hug her daughter when her husband was through with her. Halina was standing by Ben and Tracey. Tracey’s eyes were wide as Halina played with a long strand of her golden hair. Halina was laughing. I think she enjoyed making Tracey squirm. Intimidating people was a favorite pastime of hers, one she didn’t get to partake in much anymore.
Trey was looking around the home slack-jawed. It was an expression I remembered seeing on him the first time he came here. If it wasn’t already so late in the evening, I’d take him upstairs and show him the sauna, since he’d been so impressed with it before. “Whoa, dude…why don’t you live here all the time?”
Good question, Trey. For me at least anyway. Maybe curious to see how I was doing, Dad turned his head from where he was greeting Alanna and Grandpa Jack, and locked gazes with me. His pleasant smile leveled as he noticed my outfit. It was much plainer than the fancy dress I’d arrived in. I glanced at Hunter, but he’d changed his shirt, and from what I could tell, there weren’t any noticeable strands of grass in his hair. There wasn’t any physical evidence of our romp, but Dad knew, regardless.
I shifted my focus from him to Mom. Dad was partly to blame for the strength of the bond by keeping us apart. If he didn’t like it, then he should let us live together. Mom was hugging Imogen, while Starla was throwing her arms around Gabriel. Jacen was standing by Starla’s side, smiling up at his leader. Everyone important in my life was here. Everyone but Arianna. She was the only one missing, and her absence stung me as much as it stung my brother.
Hunter kept his eyes glued on Jake, but he didn’t seem to be doing much of anything other than watching. I was sure his mind was going a mile a minute with plans of escape though. Or maybe he was planning an attack. That seemed foolish to me. There were too many of us, he’d never make it out alive. Someone I loved would probably get hurt if that happened though, so I prayed Jake was a smart, life-loving man.
After everyone was greeted, and Olivia was detached from Julian’s body, we all headed outside, to the patio. There were pink and blue streamers around every piece of furniture, clumps of pastel balloons around the base of every flowerpot, and Happy Birthday confetti strewn about the tables, and the cement floor. Everyone’s shoes were covered with the shiny metallic lettering in no time. It was a gorgeous night, the moon was full and bright, and there was a breeze that warmed my chilly skin. Citronella candles kept the bugs at bay, while recessed lighting around the deck kept the glow of our vampire eyes at bay. Popular music that Julian and I liked was streaming through outdoor speakers shaped like rocks. Aside from the lack of my best friend, and Rory and Cleo physically keeping a hold of the family prisoner, it was a perfect party.
Grandpa Jack made burgers for anyone who might be hungry, while Imogen set out a pyramid of pink and blue cupcakes. There was sherbet punch available for the humans and a “special” drink available for the vampires. That one was left simmering in the kitchen, since not every human in attendance knew our little secret.
When the party was in full swing, Alanna and Grandma Linda brought out armfuls of presents. I groaned as I looked at them all. I had practically everything I wanted already; I really didn’t need anything else. Hunter’s expression turned guilty as he eyed the gifts being put on the table. “I…uh…with your conversion and Jake…I didn’t have time to shop. I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything for your birthday. Is there something special you’d like?”
As I eyed a pink and white polka-dotted oblong box, I instantly thought of something he could give me that no one else could. It was something I really wanted too, and he didn’t even have to shop for it. He had it with him everywhere he went. Turning to Hunter, I slung my arms around his waist. “As it turns out, there is something I want from you.”
Hunter’s eyes briefly flashed to Jake sitting on a bench with Rory and Cleo. “Oh? And what’s that? Because if this is about earlier, I don’t think—”
I cut him off before he could finish that thought. “No, it’s not. It’s something else.”
I looked around the backyard, hoping no one was paying us too close attention. Starla and Jacen had already vanished. Trey was trying to convince Julian to talk “Teren and Emma” into going into the hot tub with them, because he wanted to see Emma in a bathing suit. Julian was trying not to gag, while my dad was trying not to laugh. Halina and Gabriel were having an argument, while Imogen, Alanna, and my mom were in the kitchen having refreshments. The rest of the guests were human and couldn’t hear Hunter and me talking. And of them, only Jake was paying attention to us.
Leaning up to Hunter’s ear, I whispered, “I want your blood. I want to share with you again.”
When I pulled away to look at his face, I saw the conflict there—the desire, the uncertainty. “Nika, I don’t…”
I cupped his cheek. “You wanted to know what I want, and that’s it. If we can’t…go all the way yet, and I really don’t understand why we can’t, then at least we can share that intimacy.” He still seemed unsure, so I leaned up and kissed him. “Please,” I murmured between our lips, “I want you so much.”
Hunter’s hand on my waist slipped just a bit lower to rest on my hip. As tightly pressed against him as I was, I could feel him stirring, hardening. He wanted me there was no denying that, it was just a matter of him giving into it. I was just about to kiss him again, maybe lower my fangs and let them graze his neck, when a young voice broke through my moment. “Are you going to get naked again?”
I looked down at Olivia. “It’s rude to interrupt people when they’re talking, Liv.”
She cringed. “Sorry. Dad gets after me all the time for that. I was just wondering if I needed to cover my eyes or something. You know, if you guys were going to roll around without your clothes on again.”
Olivia wasn’t being nearly as quiet as I’d been, and I saw Dad’s head snap my way as he heard her. I swallowed. Great. So much for keeping that little piece of information from him. Looking around, I saw that Julian had heard too. His eyes were much too wide and much too amused.
Before I could answer Liv’s question, or drain her dry for squealing on me, she asked another string of questions—all centered around Jake, Rory, and Cleo. “Who are those three? Do they live here with your Grandpa? Why are they always touching? Are they all married? Can you marry more than one person? I didn’t think so, but my friend Mary says a lot of people around here have more than one spouse. Is that true?”
I had a headache just listening to her. Julian was laughing at this point, and Ben finally caught on to the fact that his daughter was intruding on personal boundaries again. With my hands raised, I stepped away from her. And into Jake. He’d stood from the bench, and I’d backed right into him. Rory and Cleo immediately jerked him away from me as I spun around in surprise. Jake gave me a disarming smile. “Didn’t mean to spook you, just stretching my legs.”
Hunter was in front of me in a flash. “Not a problem,” he evenly said.
Jake narrowed his eyes at Hunter. I had a feeling that even though this entire idea had been Dad’s to begin with, Hunter was number one on Jake’s hit list. Jake glanced at me, his face twisted in disgust. “Isn’t she a little young for you? For the life you’ve given her? She’s just a child…might as well turn the chatty one next.”
Sensing that inappropriate things were going to be mentioned, Ben hurried Olivia into the house. Before she vanished, I heard her ask, “What does he mean by turn? Do you think I’m chatty?”
Hunter glanced at Trey, but he wasn’t paying attention to us. A swarm of gnats around one of the torches had him mesmerized. Ashley was distracting Christian by showing him a flower garden along the side of the house. Nobody not in the loop was listening. “I did it to save her life,” Hunter said. “My only other choice was to let her die.”
Jake snorted. “In case you hadn’t noticed, vampire, she is dead.”
I lifted my chin. “My body, not my soul.”
Jake narrowed his eyes. “That’s debatable. You are keeping me prisoner after all.”
Dad stepped up to our group. “You’re a guest, not a prisoner.”
Jake snapped his eyes to Dad’s. “Guests get to leave, and they aren’t manhandled every second of every day.” He lifted his arms for emphasis. I could see the bruises beginning to form from where Rory and Cleo had been clutching him all night. Dad saw it too. To them, he said, “Let him go.” The pair were reluctant, but they eventually dropped Jake. He rubbed his arms. “Thanks. I guess I’ll be on my way then.”
Hunter put a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t leave yet. I’m sorry, but this is the only way.”
Jake clenched his jaw. “I can’t stay. I have…” he snapped his mouth shut, and bit back whatever he’d been going to say. Instead, he locked eyes with Hunter and murmured, “Like I said, prisoner. And if it’s all right with my warden, I’d like to go back to my room.”
Hunter glanced at Dad, who nodded once. To Rory, Hunter said, “Take him back.”
While Rory led him away, Jake smirked and told Hunter, “Better give her what she wants, demon…since you made her.”
I ground my teeth to stop the angry retort from escaping my lips. The only comeback I had was shut up, and that really wasn’t impressive enough to say. While I fumed, Trey came up and slung a hand over my shoulder. “What’s going on, Little A? And who’s the grumpy dude the blockhead’s taking away? He drunk or something?”
Looking over my shoulder, I shrugged away from Trey’s affection. “Yeah…or something.”
Trey nodded. Clearly not liking Trey being so friendly with me, Hunter pulled me into his side. He had a sneer on his face, and I almost thought a possessive growl was going to escape his lips. That confrontation with Jake had put him on edge. Really, the entire evening had. Trey frowned at Hunter. He still didn’t much care for my boyfriend, since Hunter had broken my heart not too long ago. There had been good reason for the pain, and we were past it now, but I would never be able to convince Trey to forgive Hunter unless I compelled him to do it, and I didn’t want to use my powers that way.
Ignoring Hunter, Trey said, “So, Nika…what is it you want that only demon-boy here can give you?”
I cringed that he’d heard that, and was positive Hunter had a new nickname now. My dad crossed his arms over his chest. “I think this party is just about over.”
Alanna and Imogen insisted we open our presents before we left, so Dad wasn’t able to get us out of there as quickly as he would have liked. Forty-five minutes later though, we were all packed up and ready to go. Hunter held the rear passenger’s side door open for me. “Well, that could have gone worse,” he said, his deep voice completely serious.
“My dad called the party quits early, pretty much because of you and me.” I glanced to the front door, where Dad was saying goodbye to his mom. “And I’m pretty sure I’m going to get a lecture about how I’m too young for a relationship as intense as ours, and I need to learn to control the bond better.”
Hunter leaned on the door, resting his chin on his arms. “Jake could have tried to escape, or he could have attempted to fight his way out of the house, or he could have taken a hostage. All things considered, I think the party went well.”
I smiled at him. At least he seemed to be in a better mood than before. Of course, that could be because I was finally leaving and he didn’t have to worry about my safety. I struggled to keep my grin. “I suppose.”
Hunter sighed as he watched me. Reaching out, he brushed a finger down my cheek. “I’m sorry your party wasn’t what you wanted it to be.” He looked around the parking lot. My parents were still in the house, and Julian and Trey were walking across the cobblestone toward us. In a low voice that would have been inaudible to a human, he told me, “I’ll consider giving you what you asked for your present.”
I was so surprised by that, my fangs almost released. “You will?”
He nodded, then leaned over the open door to kiss me. “Yeah.” Pulling back, he frowned. “It seems unfair though. It would be a gift for me too.”
My giddiness nearly overwhelmed me. I wanted to share that intimacy with him again so badly. While I struggled to control my excitement, I noticed the hollowness of his features. I ran my hand along his stubbled jaw. “You’re tired. You should rest.”
The seductiveness of his smile inflamed my dead heart. “I will…later.” I knew he wouldn’t. I knew he’d stay up all night and probably all day doing his “duty,” and I also knew there was nothing I could do or say to stop him. Hunter just needed to do this. For me. For our nest, because family was just as important to him as it was to my dad…as it was to me. It was a pity Hunter couldn’t have children anymore. He would have been an excellent father.
As Hunter and I were sappily staring into each other’s eyes, Mom and Ashley walked out to the car arm in arm. “Are you sure you won’t reconsider staying at the house? We could have breakfast together? And it’s not like we don’t have animals too. Spike may not move much anymore, but still…”
Ashley laughed at my mom’s attempt to persuade her. “No, we’re going to stay here, Em.”
I looked over to see Mom glance back at the house with a frown on her lips. “I don’t like it, Ash. Not with…not with our guest here.” I looked up at Hunter, and I knew he agreed with my mom’s concern. Ashley didn’t. “He’s fine. He’s being watched around the clock. He won’t do anything to me or Christian. And besides, maybe I can talk to him? Give him an inside scoop on what vampires are really like.”
Mom stopped in her tracks. “No, you stay away from him.”
While I watched Mom and Ashley, Julian shoved Trey into the middle of the car. I wasn’t sure if Julian was paying attention to the conversation or not, but Dad was. He came up to them and put a hand on Mom’s shoulder. “Em, it’s important that we’re as normal with him as we can be. He needs to see us as people. Avoiding him won’t help anything, and Ashley’s right, he’s being watched. She’ll be as safe as can be.”
Mom lifted an eyebrow at him. “And that’s why we’re running back home with the children?”
Dad looked my way, a frown on his face. “No, that has nothing to do with Jake.”
I hastily dropped my eyes, but continued listening. Dad was telling Mom, “Tonight was a good start, but I think he needs to see more of us being a family. I thought we’d come back up this weekend? We could all hang out together? Do some work around the ranch? I know Dad could use the help.”
Julian snapped his head toward our parents. “No, I don’t want to do that.”
I blinked and looked at my brother. I guess he was paying attention. For a moment, I thought he just didn’t want to help out around the ranch, but then I remembered the secret party. He must still want it to happen, so he could have one more chance with Arianna.
Trey also looked over at Julian. “Don’t wanna do what? Sit by the window? Cause I already called the hump. Sorry.” Trey smiled and looked back at me still standing in the open door. I knew exactly why Trey had called the middle seat. So did Hunter. The scowl on his face would have given Trey goose bumps…if he’d noticed.
Dad glanced at Julian, then back to Mom and Ashley. “We can talk about it later. I think there are a few other things we need to discuss first.”
I sighed, gave Hunter one last kiss, and then slunk into the car beside Trey. I knew that most of the things Dad wanted to discuss involved me. If he only knew about Julian’s school-wide party on Saturday, maybe he would share the scolding. I wasn’t about to tell on my brother though.
Trey scooted toward me when I sat down. Hunter opened the door wider and leaned into the car. “If you want to live to see tomorrow, you’ll keep your distance from my girlfriend.” I immediately frowned at Hunter. Threatening Trey wasn’t necessary. Hunter glanced my way, but he didn’t appear apologetic in the slightest.
Trey inched toward Julian. “Whatever, dude. I was just settling my butt cheeks.” Hunter grudgingly closed the door on us. As my parents got into the front seat, Trey looked around for Starla. “So, your mom just up and left you at the party? On your birthday?” Mom and Dad exchanged a glance as they sat down. Sometimes Starla wasn’t the most maternal person. Or reliable. If there was something she’d rather be doing than pretending to be our mom, more often than not, she’d do it.
Julian scratched the side of his neck. “Uh, well, I don’t…I’m sure she had a reason.”
Shaking his head, Trey let out an annoyed grunt. “Yeah, I’m sure. And I thought my parents were dicks.” He nodded up at my actual parents. “Cool of you guys to stick around. How are you related again?”
Dad cocked his head as he started the car. “It’s…complicated.”
Trey nodded, already tuning him out. “Yeah…” He raised his fingers at Hunter as we started to pull away. Hunter clenched his jaw, and an annoyed growl vibrated through the car. Being human, Trey didn’t hear it.
“Knock it off, Trey,” I muttered. Dad started down the driveway and I watched Hunter getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. As his shape receded, the ache in my chest grew. I knew it would be a thousand times worse by the time we got home.
Trey scoffed and laid his head back on the seat. “Dude needs to chill. It’s not like we’re anything but friends anyway.” Lifting his head, he asked, “Speaking of friendship, want to tell me—the best friend of your twin brother and therefore vicariously the best friend of you—why you left school?” He leaned into my side with his eyebrows raised. When my bare arm touched his, he added, “And why are you so freaking cold?” To my parents, he said, “Can you guys turn the heat up? She’s a popsicle back here.”
With an amused smile on his face, Dad did as Trey asked. As the car filled with warmth, I sighed and wondered what to tell Trey that wouldn’t hurt his feelings. All I could come up with was, “I missed my family, so I wanted to go back to homeschooling.” Locking gazes with my dad in the rearview mirror, I added, for his benefit, “The ranch is where I belong.”
Dad averted his eyes, and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. I knew I was pushing it, so I clamped my mouth shut and didn’t say anything else.