Page 49

“I got this. You go help Knox set up.”

He pops a kiss on my mouth before following behind Knox. I take my casserole dish full of Rice Krispies treats inside to find Farrah. Finn and London are on the floor, using the coffee table to craft their paper pumpkins. Finn is patiently explaining how to bend the strips of orange paper to create a sphere. His Woody costume is just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

I leave them to their craft, heading to the kitchen where I can hear Farrah messing around.

“Why in all the world do you have to cause issues today?” she mutters. Her dark hair is braided back, and the red hat on her head makes her Jessie costume clear.

Setting my dish down on the counter, I move closer to see her messing with the ice maker. Definitely not the day for it to break down.

“What’s wrong with it?”

Farrah jumps a mile. “Shit on a stick.”

I bite my lip and give her a chagrined smile. “Sorry. I figured you heard my shoes.”

Farrah breathes out a laugh. “No, I was too busy fighting with this stupid machine to hear anything else.”

“You know what’s wrong with it?”

“Other than it’s out for vengeance because I made it work overtime? No.”

I snort. “Damn things will bite us in the ass one day.”

Farrah grins at me. “That’s the truth, no matter how irrational it sounds.”

“What can I do to help?”

With a look around, Farrah directs me to organize the food and utensils into her travel bag. We’ll likely spend most of the night down at the bonfire even though it’ll be a little chilly.

We get everything packed to carry to the pit and round up the kiddos with their crafts. Holt, Gia, and the girls are already standing by the fire, and Gwen and Willa pull in as we’re making our way down the hill. We’re only missing Emmett and his kiddos.

Grayson asked me to do some digging as to why Gwen and Emmett have some tension between them, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to Gwen about it yet. Gia was just as confused by the idea when I asked her if she had any insights. She didn’t think they’d interacted much, and now she’s just as invested in the mystery. I should probably feel bad about getting Gia involved, but if anyone is capable of ferreting out the info, it’s her.

“Are Holt’s brothers coming out too?” I ask Farrah as we watch the kids race to meet their friends. It’s the perfect chilly night for a bonfire.

“A few of them, although which ones, I couldn’t tell you. Knox never seems to care about the details. I’ll ask him how one of the guys is doing after he gets home from hanging out with them, and he’ll say, ‘They’re fine.’ Not a shred of information to be had.”

I groan. “I know. For as talkative as Grayson is, he doesn’t ever get a single detail from anyone. He’ll tell me one of his buddies broke up with his girlfriend, and I’ll be like, oh, what happened? And he’ll say, I don’t know. They broke up.”

“I don’t even get that much information. Thankfully, you guys keep me informed on what’s going on in your lives. Knox never tells me anything.”

“Are you bitchin’ about me?” Knox suddenly shoves his face between Farrah and me, scaring the bejeezus out of us.

“Yes, you never have any details to share with me. I always have to find out what’s going on in town from someone else,” Farrah grouses, not caring one iota that Knox heard her complaining about him.

“That’s ’cause gossipin’ should be illegal.”

Farrah rolls her eyes before she kisses Knox on the cheek. “Grumpy Bear.”

Their relationship makes me so happy. Growing up with Gray and Holt, I spent a little time with Knox too, but he was never as social as they were. I didn’t get to know him as well as I knew the other two boys, but from what I do know about his past, he deserves every ounce of happiness that Farrah brings him.

I also know that he worships the ground Farrah walks on, which she deserves after the hell her ex put her through.

Grayson is dancing with Luddy as music blares through a speaker on the table. Her little Cinderella dress sparkles in the firelight. They couldn’t be cuter together.

Holt and Gia are dressed as Pam and Jim from The Office, while their two girls, Lauren and Leah, are dressed as Lilo and Stitch. Leah’s whole face has been painted blue tonight. Let’s hope her skin doesn’t get stained, although she might find that hilarious when she goes to school on Monday.

Gwen and Willa help me set the food on the table outside, while Farrah fills the coolers with a multitude of drinks. All that’s missing is Emmett’s famous s’mores basket. He usually brings several different marshmallow flavors and candy bars to go on the graham crackers. London has told me all about her experiments with the candies. Some of her combinations have made me question her taste buds, but she seems to enjoy every creation she makes.