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12
Troubling Times
Amber
My head hurt.
“Make it stop,” I grumbled, pulling the covers over my head to drown out the sound of Tucker’s loud barks from outside my bedroom door.
Ryan chuckled. The ass chuckled at my expense. “Maybe you shouldn’t have drunk so much baby.”
“Maybe your parents shouldn’t have given us that puppy.” I turned on my side away from him and held my pounding head.
“I’ve got some Tylenol and water next to the bed. Did someone forget how bad a hangover is?” I peeled my eyes open and searched the counter for said Tylenol, finally spotting it. I reached for it and popped the pills into my mouth, chasing it down with the water before putting the glass back down, hiding back under the covers.
“Where are the kids?” I grumbled, not remembering everything that happened last night.
“Left them at Celine’s, and then, I brought you home and made love to you, sweet girl.” My cheeks flushed. Seventeen years later, and he still caused me to blush.
“Can’t say I remember the last bit,” I teased because I remembered everything that involved him – his hot touch and hushed whispers last night.
His phone rang, and the sound almost sent me catapulting out the bed. “Ryan!” I shrieked, holding my now ringing ears.
“What’s up?” Ryan answered. “Yeah, I’ll be over in five. Ames is just as bad.” He set the phone back on the counter, and I pulled the covers over my head.
I slowly pulled the blanket down just enough to uncover my eyes. “Just as bad as what?” I glared.
“Celine is doubled over, and the kids are running up and down the stairs, making a ton of noise.” I nodded.
“Make sure they know I’m sleeping and to take care of Tuck.” I fell back against the pillow and rolled over, hiding my face in the darkness of the covers, succumbing back to a dreamless sleep.
I spent most of the day in bed until I eventually crawled off the mattress after lunch and slipped into the shower so I could finally feel human again.
Ryan had taken care of the kids all day, kept them quiet, and even brought me a cup of coffee a few hours ago. But now, it was time to put my big girl pants on and be a mother.
The house was eerily silent when I stepped out of the room. I headed into the kitchen and almost passed out at the mess of dishes all over the counters. I saw the kids splashing around in the pool and sighed in relief. They had been taken care of.
So, I busied myself with cleaning the kitchen, and then, I called Celine.
“Hey, bitch,” she answered, her voice pained.
“I guess we had too much?” We both laughed softly. “Tell Ace to bring the kids over. Ryan is in the pool. We can sip on cappuccinos and bake cookies.”
“Alright, but you can bake those damn cookies all on your own.” She hung up, and the smile didn’t leave my lips.
We had a damn good friendship.
Celine came over, and the kids ran straight to the pool. She stayed in the kitchen with me, dark bags under her eyes, her hair up in a messy bun. I bet I looked just as tired. We weren’t as young as we used to be. A night like last night used to be part of my weekly routine, but now, it sure as hell had wiped me out.
“I’ll make the coffee while you start those cookies.”
I had already started mixing the dough for the chocolate chip cookies, but I didn’t tell her that. She moved around the kitchen quietly, making us each coffee, and then frothy milk, topping it off with cinnamon.
By the time she was done, I had slid the cookies into the oven, and I was sitting beside her on the couch, staring out at the lake.
“I want to move here permanently,” I admitted, taking a sip of the warm beverage.
“I think it would be good for all of us to get away from there. There’s so much heartache in that town.”
