Riley chuckled and shook his head. “I’d do that for free. I’ll give you unlimited hugs any time you want, how’s that?”
“Well, I can’t give you unlimited chicken poppers because you’d put us out of business.”
“It’s fine. This is good for now.” Riley was done with the plate in less than a minute. He wiped his hands with a napkin and nodded toward Beau. “He’s really nice. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but damn, Lea. That right there is a keeper. You two are adorable together. I thought he would resemble Shea, but they don’t even look like they’re brothers. What’s up with that?”
“I know!” I cried. “But also, thank god for that because that would be weird.”
Riley laughed and slapped me on the back, making me stumble forward. “Yeah. Oh, whoops, sorry.”
Ouch. “It’s fine, I’m just surrounded by bodybuilders now, apparently. Have you seen Shea’s muscles? I think he wants to outdo you, Ri.”
“That’s okay. I don’t work out to look good.”
Riley got sick a lot as a kid, and as a result, he’d been underweight. But by high school, he’d bolstered his immune system, so he put all his energy into staying healthy and fit because he never wanted to feel like he did when he was little. I admired him for his discipline and tenacity, but god, I could never do the amount of physical activity he did on a daily basis. Just the thought was enough to exhaust me.
“I know,” I said. “But the result is stilltrès magnifique.” I leaned closer to Riley and said quietly, “I think our Shea is withholding pertinent information from his closest allies, so my goal tonight is to drag it out of him. You think I can do it?”
“If anyone of us can do it, it’s you.”
“Your vote of confidence is everything. Now watch me work my magic.” I patted Riley’s shoulder and sauntered over to Shea and Beau. “Hello, lovelies,” I said, draping myself around Beau. He leaned back against me, and a familiar warmth spread through my chest.
For once I was glad that Lyle had cheated on me. I was gladfor everything in my life that had led to this very moment. I’d go through all that suffering a million times over if it meant I ended up right here, in Beau’s arms.
Well,hewas inmyarms right now, but my point still stood.
I kissed the top of his head, then rubbed my cheek against his soft fuzz. As promised, Shea was giving us a weird look, but I saw the smile he tried to hide with his beer bottle. He took a long sip, then said, “I’m gonna stay with Riley for a bit. I’m sure you guys understand.”
My lips curled up because oh yes, we understood, and neither of us really wanted Shea staying at the apartment either. “Of course,” I said with a laugh. I rubbed my head against Beau’s and murmured in his ear, “Hey, sugar. You come here often?”
He laughed and leaned back into me. “Probably too much.”
“Wanna get out of here?”
He tilted his head back and kissed my jaw. “My place or yours?”
I pressed my lips to his. “Ours. Definitely ours.”
EPILOGUE
BEAU
TWO YEARS LATER
The hum of the air conditioner was loud enough to drown out the construction on the street, but I was starting to get a headache from staring at a screen all day.
I took my glasses off and rubbed the bridge of my nose. I still hadn’t gotten used to the feel of them on my face, but it was better than putting plastic directly onto my eyeballs. That freaked me out.
When my vision began to deteriorate six months back, I’d reluctantly let Lea take me to get glasses. He knew me well enough that he didn’t even try to suggest contacts, but he’d been very adamant about me doing something.
He said in no world was I going to look at a blurry vision of him in lingerie. He wasn’t having it.
My lips curved in a smile.
Speaking of Lea, where was he? He said he’d be right back and that was—I glanced at the clock.
That was an hour ago. Had he gone to see his family? Wewere in Crescent Lake for the week, spending July Fourth with his parents and siblings.
“Excuse me, teacher?”