Page 72 of Mad Love

Bowie

This is payback in the purest form. I didn’t know you as a nine-year-old, but this just feels so fitting.

Penn

You guys are supposed to have my back.

Henley

I haven’t been able to text back because I’ve been laughing so hard.

I’ve got your back, man. And correction, Rhodes. He was fifteen with the armpit hair, nineteen when he first kissed with tongue.

Penn

I was a late bloomer!!!

Weston is laughing so hard, he’s crying. I crack up too, and Caleb thinks we’re laughing at him, so he joins in.

“What is so funny?” Felicity comes up behind us and puts her arms around me and Weston. We hug and she takes Caleb out of my arms, squeezing him.

“Penn,” he says.

“Ah. That explains it,” she says, laughing.

“He’s tutoring a kid through that foundation Mom’s a part of and the kid is already making him work hard for it,” Weston says.

“He needs to work hard for something,” Felicity says, grinning. “I’m so excited you’re here! The kids are hunting for Easter eggs right now, but I thought Caleb might like to see the bunnies.”

“Yes!” I squeal. “He’ll love them.”

“And he can get his picture taken with the Easter bunny,” Felicity adds.

“Cannot wait.”

Weston gets a funny look on his face.

“What?” I ask.

“I’m fucking terrified of the Easter bunny,” he whispers.

Felicity hears him and cracks up. “He’s not lying. The one time our family went to Disney World, I tried to get West to go stand in line with me to get pictures with the characters, and he always ran away crying.” She manages to kick the back of Weston’s leg when we’re walking and his leg buckles.

I cackle. I’ve seen her do this multiple times now and it never gets old.

“I did not run away crying,” Weston argues. “I just wanted to stand in line for something else.”

“Mm-hmm, as you sniffled behind Mom and watched me get my picture taken with Minnie Mouse.”

“Whatever,” he huffs.

He looks at me and grins, rolling his eyes.

I meet a ton of people when we get to the side of the lodge where all the activity is taking place. Sutton’s brothers and sister are there and their spouses, and everyone is so lovely, both in how nice they are and in how attractive they are. I’m surrounded by beautiful people and if I weren’t distracted with seeing howcute Caleb is with the bunnies, I’d be a little starstruck by everyone. Sutton’s sister Scarlett and his sister-in-law Marlow probably talk to me the most, but they’re all wonderful. Marlow has a little girl named Dakota who falls in love with Caleb and she stays with us while we play with the bunnies.

When Weston and I stand in line to get pictures with the Easter bunny, Weston gets fidgety.

“Are you seriously nervous?” I ask.