He stops in front of the guest room door and pushes it open quietly.
Peanut sits up on the bed, his ears on high alert. It seems he’s already made it his mission to protect the woman sprawled out beside him with a streak of pink paint covering her left cheek. My gaze roams down her body, finding more paint on her clothes. Her mouth is partially open, and she’s snoring lightly.
He closes the door, his gaze locking on mine.
“She painted Mila’s room?” I rub my temples, not sure why this surprises me. She literally ran into Janet’s trailer not knowing what she would find other than a kid who might need her help.
“Not only that, but she also put the furniture together and organized everything,” he says, walking back to the kitchen.“When Cole got here a few hours ago, she told him she hadn’t slept since she was over at the Inn.”
I fall into my chair, staring at the cut of meat on my plate. “Have you fuckers been eating all of my good steaks?” I ask, ignoring the loud thump of my own heartbeat.
Carson swallows the bite in his mouth. “You know it.”
Cub pats me on the back. “Eat and then you should get some shut eye too. I know you haven’t gotten any sleep either.”
“Hopefully Serenity wakes up soon. She hasn’t eaten anything since we got here.”
“I’ll make sure she eats,” I assure him.
“You going to be able to handle this by yourself?” Cub asks, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I can stay if you need me to.”
“Us too,” the twins both say in unison.
I cut into the steak in front of me. “No. I’ve got it.”
The three of them look at each other.
“What?” I ask, shoving a bite into my mouth.
Cub leans forward. “Don’t take offense to this, brother. You know you’re my best friend …”
I grip the knife in my hand and he pauses.
“I’m just saying that maybe you need someone around who is a little less …” He looks to the twins for backup.
“Harsh,” Carson finishes for him.
I ignore the way they’re looking at me and continue eating.
“I said not to take offense,” Cub teases lightly.
“I didn’t.”
“Okay, well then maybe one of us should stay.”
“No.”
“But you’ve never dealt with two ladies at one time,” he continues to argue.
“Not true.”
“Cub said ladies, not patch bunnies,” Carson says, and the three of them laugh. “Not the same thing, man.”
They’re right. I don’t really know how to deal with females other than an occasional hookup, but so far, I’ve been managing just fine. It was me who got Serenity to start working through whatever shit she’s been avoiding, and I got Mila home. Both are sleeping soundly in their beds, so I think I’m doing just fine.
“Dude, you’ve got a lot going on right now. You just lost your mom, and …”
Cub instantly snaps his mouth shut at the look on my face.