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“Because you wanted a family night out.” Ellis wiped the tears from his eyes and swiped a hand through his black hair.
“Are we a family?” Hilton asked quietly, almost too faint for me to hear. He sounded unsure, like he wasn’t positive if Ellis was making a joke or not, but he wanted it to be true, and my heart ached. They both had become like little brothers to me, and I was glad that Hilton so clearly wanted to be part of our troop.
“Of course we are,” Judah answered before I could. He winked at Hilton. “You’re both pains in the asses, but you’re our pains in the asses. We’ll take care of you for as long as you need us.”
If I wasn’t so in love with Judah already, I might’ve fallen hard right then and there. I took care of people when I could—it was my love language—and now he was doing the very thing I adored. He’d taken Ellis under his wing, and he was doing the same for Hilton.
“What he said,” I whispered, ignoring how choked up my voice sounded. I stuck my fingers into the holes of my ball and headed back toward the lane. I threw the ball down the slick aisle, but it went straight into the gutter halfway down, earning me zero points. I groaned. “I’m bad at this. Bloody hell.”
My shoulders slumped and I pouted as I made my way back over to Judah, who rose to give me a hug.
“Nice try, Puffin.” He petted down my spine, and I leaned farther into his warmth.
“I’m shockin’ at this damned game.” I laid a gentle kiss on his neck and let him lead me back to the seats.
“I’ll help you next time,” Judah said, patting me on the thigh.
“Why do I have a feeling that’s going to get sexual?” Ellis nudged Hilton, and they both laughed again, but Hilton seemed distracted. He frowned down at the table between us.
“You okay there, H?” I asked, slipping into a nickname I’d given him quite recently. Every time I said Hilton, I was reminded of the hotel chain. I knew a lot about expectations by now, and by calling him H, I wanted to give him the chance to be who he wanted to be. Free from his surname and what came with that.
He brushed his hair from his face and glanced up quickly, giving me a small smile. His gaze flitted from me to Judah and back again. “I would like to be part of your family, too. I have my own, and my brother sorta tries when he isn’t busy being the world’s biggest dickhead, but I really enjoy being with you both, and Ellis, too.” He gave Ellis a smile. “I guess I feel welcome and like one of you, and you aren’t disappointed in me. So, what I’m saying is, I’m glad to be here. With you all.” Tears filled his eyes and his bottom lip wobbled.
I stood before I realized what I was doing and got to him in two big strides. I hauled him to his feet and dragged him into my chest for a hug, and he gripped his arms around me tightly. He sobbed, and I let him, because the truth was, I didn’t know what he’d been through. Hilton didn’t share a lot with us, and when the time came, I’d be ready to listen, but for now I knew he needed comfort. Pressure did crazy things to people my age, let alone someone as young as Hilton. He had his whole life ahead of him, and if I could make it easier, I would.
“We got you, kid. You’re right, you are one of us. And we have your back, okay?” I petted his head, and he sighed happily.
“Aye,” he whispered teasingly, tilting his head to grin up at me.
“You hear this wee lad, Jude? He’s mockin’ my brogue,” I said, deepening my accent to make a show of it.
Hilton laughed, and so did Judah and Ellis.
“What a bawbag.” Judah sounded very New York, and the Scottish slang did nothing to stop that.
“Now you, too? What’s the world comin’ to?” I shook my head, then winked at Hilton as I stepped away from him. I massaged his shoulder. “You’ll do good, H. We believe in you.”
“He’ll kick ass at whatever he does,” Ellis added, jumping to his feet and hugging Hilton from behind. “He’s our superstar.”
Hilton leaned back against him and sighed happily. “You guys are the best.”
“Now come on, superstar. It’s your turn.” I pointed at the TV with our scores on it, and being that I was the first to go, I was the only one who had points so far—a measly one.
Hilton, as it turned out, was better at bowling than he’d told us. On the first go, he managed to get a strike.
I threw my hands up in the air. “What is this? You’re all pullin’ my leg. You just want to see me fail miserably.”
Judah tugged me against his side and kissed my cheek. “Aw, my sweetheart. I’ll put my balls in your gutter if you want. I mean, in the gutter.” He played with the bracelet on my wrist, fingers dancing over the shells in a gentle manner that made my heart gallop, and I gave him a soft smile and leaned in to kiss his cheek.
“Gross!” Ellis’s nose scrunched up, but he laughed again anyway.
Hilton wagged his finger at Judah. “If you’re gonna use sexual innuendos with Tav, at least use the right ones. Like this.” He picked up his bowling ball that had just come through the ball return. “Oh, honey, watch me put my fingers in the... holes.”
I groaned. “That was terrible, H. Absolutely bloody shockin’.”
Hilton bowed dramatically before he replaced the ball on the rack with the others and danced his way back to his seat beside Ellis.
Ellis nudged him, and they fell into a fit of laughter. They were both menaces.
