Page 76 of Double Dare
“I don’t even know who that is. I don’t know how to block her.”
Hardin grabs the phone. He’s the only one of us with any tech sense. “She’s blocked.” He tosses my phone back and throws his cigarette out the window.
“She’ll talk to you once she vents to Lakes,” Kade says.
“What’s going on with you two?” Hardin asks. “Distract me.”
“Nothing new,” Kade lies. “I want Jed’s girlfriend. Same old.”
I shake my head when Hardin taunts me about losing my appeal.
Twenty minutes later, Laken comes inside with a smile and a piece of chocolate cake. Her mouth is half-full and there’s icing all over her fingers, but she swallows and clears her throat.
“She’s out front.”
Hardin hops up to go out front, but Laken catches him on his way out the bedroom door. “You love her?” Laken asks. “It’s okay if you don’t know.”
Hardin slows down long enough to look at Laken for a long moment. “I…yeah, I think I do.”
Lakes smiles at him. “Treat her that way.”
Hardin nods. “Thanks, Lake.” He closes the door behind him.
“Don’t ask. I won’t tell you,” she says to both of us before we can interrogate her. She sits between our legs on the bed, facing us as we lean on the headboard.
“She’s okay though?” I ask.
“She’s okay. Why’re you still in bed? Am I wearing you out?” She grins.
“Are we wearing you out? You never nap.”
“Please,” she scoffs. “Get me another piece of this cake and I’ll prove you both wrong.”
Kade laughs, reaching for her cake before I can warn him not to. Laken damn near stabs him with her fork. “Fuck. So touchy,” Kade mocks. “Why so tired then?”
“Am I not allowed to get tired?”
“Pregnant?” Kade grins.
“Is that the go-to when girls get tired? No. Not pregnant.”
“Something is on your mind then,” I say. “I know you.”
Laken leans forward, watching us both. “Something is on my mind.”
“The Gar stuff?” Kade asks.
“Yeah, but something else, too. I’m fine, and it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Tell us.”
“I will. But I’m still thinking and processing. Tomorrow? Give me a night to just unwind.”
I hate it. I’m not a patient person, and if something is making my girl tired and stressed, I want to know what it is so I can beat the shit out of it and make it go away. “Fine. Tomorrow.”
“I don’t like it, but fine,” Kade says.
“So touchy,” she mocks him right back. “I’m going to the Fjords with Gar tomorrow, and then I might have to check on Freya, so I might as well come here and get my editing done, too. Your parents have way better internet than we do. After that, we’ll go home and talk. Deal?”