Page 53 of Dirty Secrets

Reid had lost a lot of muscle mass after his car accident, thanks to being off his feet so much while his body healed, so he’d been working hard to get back to where he’d been before the crash.

He’d overdone it a few times though and put himself backwards. His leg had been the worst, and that still ached when it was really cold or he overdid it.

At least he was smiling right now.

Logan dove at him to give Raven a chance, all three of them trying to overpower each other as I watched.

I could’ve jumped in too, but it was nice just standing back and watching them like this. Everyone had been so grumpy lately, so to see them all a little more carefree was refreshing and a bit of a relief.

Raven managed to escape, jumping off the bed and running towards me to try and run from the room, but I snagged her waist and tossed her over my shoulder, swatting her ass with a grin.

“Look what I caught.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“I’m on my own side,” I teased, taking pity on her and carrying her from the room as the other two continued to wrestle. “Why are you two awake so early?”

“I got up to pee, and he bombarded me,” she huffed as she stopped fighting me and let her body hang. “Did you two sleep at all?”

“Nope.”

“Did you wash your fucking hands?”

“Yes.” I lowered her a little, and she wrapped her legs around me, giving me a scowl. “Promise?”

“I’m a whore, but I’m not a dirty whore,” I joked. “What did you two do all night?”

“Slept like normal people.” Her arms banded around my neck, and it was a struggle not to just kiss her and see how she’d react.

As if knowing my thoughts, she wriggled to be put down, clearing her throat. “So, you want coffee?”

I almost fell on my ass as someone jumped on my back, Logan’s laughter reaching me. “You didn’t think you were getting out of fighting me, did you, bro?”

“Get off me, wench,” I huffed, making him cackle as I tried bucking him off.

“Yee haw!” Logan shouted, a grumpy looking Reid joining us.

“Dude, too loud. I’m heading to bed for a couple of hours. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day, so I need some sleep.”

Everyone went quiet at that, a cloud of emotion thickening in the room.

The anniversary of Josh’s death was a big deal to these guys, and it honestly explained both Reid and Raven’s moods lately. Logan had been friends with Josh, but they weren't as close as Raven and Reid had been to him.

Usually, Logan and I hung around out of respect, but the other two would end up alone to mourn in private together. This year would be no different, and I hated that I couldn’t take some of their pain away.

Logan jumped off me and helped Raven make coffee while Reid trudged to bed. I sat at the dining table, waiting for the other two to join me.

“You want to come make some cash today?” Logan asked, and I didn’t miss the way Raven glared at him.

“Doing what?” I asked, sipping the coffee Raven had given me.

“Washing cars and mowing lawns. Ashburn and Rawson have people that can afford to pay others to do shit for them,” Logan shrugged, the tension leaving Raven's face immediately once she knew it wasn’t some kind of dodgy bullshit.

“I’m down. Might keep me awake most of the day so I can just go to bed early tonight to avoid fucking up my sleep routine,” I nodded. “You coming, Rae? Or are your cramps too bad?”

“Cramps?” she asked before letting out a laugh. “Oh! Yeah, they’re a little bad today.”

Logan sighed, dropping an arm around her shoulders. “Stay home. We’ve got it.”