Page 135 of Double Dare
“And?”
“Aunt Candice left, and Uncle Gage didn’t even go with her,” he laughs. “She didn't want to pressure us, but said it’s all good to go back now. What’re you thinking?”
“We should probably go see everyone else and make sure Mom and Dad are good. Plus, Laken said she wants to go back. She’s going there after Gar.” The coffee maker beeps, so I spin to pour a mug for both of us. “She doesn’t want to let this get in the way of family stuff.”
Kade takes the coffee I offer him. “Kinda love that about her. She always comes back stronger.”
“Always,” I agree. Then my smirk is back. “We did it. Fuck, we did it.”
Kade grins, remembering last night. “Fucking right we did.”
We clink our mugs together like a pair of losers and don’t talk about it again.
Laken is happily drunk in the middle of a girl cluster I want no part of. Surrounded by Gen, Freya, Maddyn, Nina, Mom and a few of my aunts, she laughs freely, like the events of yesterday never even happened. That’s what I love about her; her ability to brush things off and move on because she values her own mindset and energy. Just like when she left me for two months but didn’t let the hurt of it stop her from having a wild trip across Alaska with Gar and finishing on the podium of an enduro race. Laken can just keep on keeping on, and it’s a rare skill that gives me something to live up to.
“I can’t even believe she came,” Rydan says after coming up from the basement with a few more bottles of whiskey.
We look where he’s looking. Maddyn. She’s here, at our family reunion, hanging with the girls. Is she here for Rydan or did that girls’ night just gain her a few new friends?
“How long you been keeping her a secret?” Bo smacks Ry.
“I ran into her at Ben’s coffee place, and I dunno, just couldn’t stay away.” Rydan shrugs. “Still don’t believe it’s real.” Because he’s a romantic and has real feelings, she better not hurt him.
“What the actual fuck is happening to all of us?” Bo laughs. “Weren’t we like…fucking anything that walked by not too long ago?”
“Speak for yourself, asshole. I’m still the biggest player in Seward,” Zahn scoffs, brushing his shoulders.
“Don’t cut me out of this competition,” Bass comes in like the cocky bastard he is. “My hook-up game is still strong.”
“Mine’s stronger,” Kolt insists.
“Yeah, because you rely on Bass to pick up for you,” Rydan taunts Kolt.
“I got you, man.” Bass bumps knuckles with his twin. “We double-team that shit for the win.”
“Nothing wrong with a little double Dare.” Kade grins. “Worked out pretty well for me.”
“Lucky fuck,” Zahn mutters. “She still called me beautiful.”
He’s never going to let that go. “We’re still having a bachelor party for you, right?” I ask Bo.
“Hell yeah. No strippers and shit, though. I want something with adrenaline. Something real fucking stupid.”
Can’t say no to that.
Gar appears through the crowd, and I watch him weave through all my family members to get to us. Well, to be fair, we all watch him, eyes glued to whatever part of him we can see. He might be on my shit list, but he’s still nice to look at. Half of us stare because he’s a sexy prick, and the other half of us stare because we’re confused as to why he’s such a sexy prick.
“You make shit right with Laken?” Kade asks him as soon as he gets to the island where we’re standing.
Gar sighs and holds out a phone. “She really did have a second phone. I’m sorry…I’m just sorry. I already apologized my ass off to Lakes. Now I just need to figure out what to do about Amber.”
There’s a moment of tension, but it’s mostly just to bust his balls. He made a big mistake, but I guess it could have happened to any of us. He thought someone loved him, and it fucking sucks to see his confidence crushed.
“Sit down, Gar.” Bass pulls a stool out for him. “We’ll figure something out.”
He blows out a relieved breath.
I watch from across the room as it sinks in with Laken. Her eyes go wide and she looks at me, completely ignoring Kade, to make sure I’m certain about this.