Page 56 of Buckle Up, Buttercup

Petra smiles down at me, wrapping her hands around Hadrian’s long horns and yanking on them like they’re joysticks. “Only if Auntie Bluebell and Uncle Jasper can come! Can you? Can you come?!”

Hadrian stares at me, then lets out a laugh. “I am not fully equipped to be a brother slash father, so please do come with us.” He elbows Jasper in the side. “You too. You’re on uncle duty.”

Jasper shoves his hand in a bag of chips, retrieving a huge handful, which he promptly shoves in his mouth. “Only if you feed me. Long as there’s food, I’m good.”

I share a quick smile with Hadrian, but one thing is clear to me after spending this morning together—I’m in love with my best friend. It’s not easy, and it’s not gonna get any easier because hiding him sucks. The doubts in my mind aren’t about him; they’re just about the things that keep popping up between us. But I’m not sure that even matters anymore. I don’t think I could deny Hadrian Alkazar if my life depended on it.

* * *

“How’s Hadrian holding up with this whole sister thing?” Mom whispers to me as she hands me a bag of shredded cheese to top the giant tray of macaroni with. She glances out the window where my brothers are playing skyball with Petra in the back yard. Unfortunately for them, she’s picked it up quickly and appears to be kicking their asses on account of her having wings and them being entirely human.

Until Jace touches the ground, and a vine snakes up fast, wrapping around Petra’s ankle. She squeals and laughs, dropping the ball. Jack snatches it up and sprints out of view.

I sigh. “We haven’t had much chance to talk about it where she couldn’t hear, but I think he’s still pretty shell-shocked. I mean…you know his folks well. Did you have any idea?”

Mom’s eyes go wide as she purses her lips and shakes her head. “Honestly? We were all close before we had kids but once we had the twins, our priorities shifted. Theirs never really did, I don’t think. It’s not that surprising they didn’t take the time to bring her here.”

I suck at my teeth as I watch Petra barrel past the window, shrieking with Jack running after her, pumping his arms.

“They’re kind of adorable, aren’t they?” I muse as Petra spins and knocks Jack to the ground.

“Damn, that athletic gene runs in the family,” Mama says, parting the blinds to get a better look. “She bounced right off his head like Hay used to do when he was a little nugget. You remember that?”

Oh boy do I. Because even at eight years old, I loved watching Hadrian play. Maybe it’s the athleticism of a gargoyle in comparison to a human. I don’t know. I just knew he was important to me then just like he is now.

“Is Hadrian coming tonight?” Mom grabs the bag of cheese from me and starts doing it herself.

I shrug. “Not sure what time practice ends. I just told him if he was late, I’d take Petra back to my place until he’s done.”

“Well,” Mama says, “I know you’ll be real helpful to him, not that you’ve got much free time.”

“I sure don’t,” I mutter, snatching the cheese bag back to finish it myself.

She wraps an arm around my waist and presses her head to mine.

Forty-five minutes later, the boys are still outside with Petra, but the giant tray of mac and cheese bubbles happily in the oven. I put the finishing touches on a huge salad and head into our tall dining room to put it on the table. When I turn around, Petra’s there with a smile and salad tongs in one hand.

She hands them to me. “Your mom said I should bring these in. Can I do anything else to help? I didn’t realize you had already cooked, and I’m sorry I didn’t come help you do it.”

I shake my head. “Not a big deal, honey. I’m just glad you were having fun with the guys. They’re awesome, right?”

Her dark lashes flutter against high purple cheekbones. “Do you think my brother will be here soon?”

I fiddle with one of the napkins. “You missing him?”

She nips at the edge of her finger and nods. “Yeah, I mean…I’ve been hearing stories about Hadrian for a while, you know? I feel like I know him even though he doesn’t know anything about me.”

Rubbing her shoulder, I offer what I hope is a comforting smile. “You’ve got plenty of time to learn all those special things about him too. And now that you’re across the hall, you can visit me anytime, and I can tell you some really funny stories about your brother. We grew up together, you know.”

Petra’s eyes fall to my chest, and she smiles. “I can hear your heartbeat; it gets fast sometimes like the humans we lived with in the jungle. Do you mind if I touch it?”

I’ve met enough gargoyle children to be familiar with this compunction, and I don’t want her to feel shunned, so I nod. “Yeah. Go ahead and thanks for asking.”

She slides her tail up around my neck, the tip snaking just under the neckline of my tee. When she rests her spade over my heart, I smile at her. For a long moment, she stares at my chest. It stretches into a full minute and then two.

Moving slowly, she pulls her tail out of my neckline and curls it around her neck, then hangs on to it like a bath towel. “That was cool, I see why Hadrian likes that sound. I can tell he does, I mean.”

My blood freezes. I hope she doesn’t mean…