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I’m sure Ari and the others know her drink of choice, too, just as I know what they like. Sure, I’ve known them for most of my life, but that doesn’t make a difference, right?
Yeah, it’s normal to notice things like that.
What’snotnormal is the ghostly color she turned when Ari announced the room changes, since the others got sick on the last half of the drive.
It’s not like she has to share with anyone. She just got moved from the one downstairs she was originally going to stay in to the one upstairs where us boys are, and only so the baby would have less chance of getting sick. Instead of still sleeping close to the sick girls and Brady.
Yeah, that puts her right next to me and Chase, but so what?
Maybe she’s just worried the baby will wake us up?
Chase sleeps like the dead, when he sleeps at all, so I doubt he’ll even notice. He’ll stick to the living room, watching ESPN like he does back at the dorms, only going to his room to sleep.
Me? I’ll be waiting, okay,hoping, to hear that little cry that tells me they’re up. I want to hold him, and I need a minute alone with her.
Might have to yell at her, I don’t know yet, but she’s going to talk to me.
She needs to tell me we’re on the same page.
That she didn’t change her mind.
Shit.
What if she did change her mind?
Wrapping my arms around Ari,I lift and spin her in the air. “How’d you like that, baby sister?” I shout, the hype real and thetwo beers I had while waiting for Noah to get here warming me up. “Your man just won his team the game!”
“And not one but two touchdowns!” Brady, who says he sweat out his sickness, screams into the air, turning to a group of random strangers walking into the pub, wearing jerseys. “Hey. Number nineteen is my girl’s man. You see him out there?”
The women giggle and walk off, but Brady isn’t deterred, telling everyone in the vicinity Noah Riley is a badass and entirely spoken for.
Noah drops his eyes to the floor at the praise, quickly stepping up and demanding his woman back. The second Ari’s on her feet, he’s got her wrapped in his arms, and I turn away when he bends down to whisper something in her ear.
Love the guy…but she’s still my sister.
As I swing around to face the others—we’re cooped up in the back corner of the only restaurant in walking distance to both the stadium and the rental—a frown pulls at my forehead.
Payton passes Deaton off to Chase, heading toward Brady when he calls her name, and I reach Chase just as the other two curl around the corner.
His eyes pop up, and he leans back slightly, not realizing I was so close as the smile he had pointed at my little man fades. “What’s up?” His brow furrows.
“Give him to me.” I reach out, but Chase doesn’t pass him over right away, so I take a step closer.
Chase shakes his head, as if just realizing what I said. “Yeah, man. I was going to order some more wings or something anyway.”
He passes him over, but Deaton’s still between us when Payton reappears.
She steps up, taking him from both our hands. “Thanks,” she mumbles, sliding between our chests to get to the others,but I gently wrap my hand around her upper arm, halting her movement.
Her eyes snap my way, pleading and flicking to Chase for the briefest of moments. “I’m going to go sit by Ari and Noah. He wanted to hold him, so…”
I want to hold him.
I miss him. Can’t you see that?
My fingers twitch against her soft skin, and it takes ample effort to let go, but I do. I step back, my jaw clenched so fucking tight I might need a dentist after this shit.
It’s fine.
