Page 89 of Piece Us Together
“Good.” Maison looks at Nolan, his eyebrows moving as he asks a silent question. Nolan shrugs, then nods. They both look at me. “You can’t ask questions either. If something…strangehappens, or if there’s a comment made, or—or anything, really. Just ignore it, alright?”
More secrets.
I don’t know if I feel better or worse that I’m just one of many for them.
“Alright.”
A young man with his hair pulled into a messy half-bun opens the door. He has the fattest cat I’ve ever seen in his arms. The orange monstrosity glares at me as the man openly sizes me up. “You must be Hunter.”
“Yes?”
The man arches an eyebrow at me. It’s rare that I feel myself bristling beneath another man’s gaze, but he manages it effortlessly. I get the strongest impression that this man is very dangerous and that I do not, under any circumstances, want to become his enemy.
“You don’t know if you’re Hunter?” he asks.
“Yes. I am. I’m Hunter. I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“I…” I pause, frowning.Christ, what is this guy’s secret? Is he willing to teach me? Does it work on Maison?“I don’t know. It felt like I should?”
He smirks. “Good. Come in. Welcome to the land of crazy.”
I laugh.
Then a turtle goes by on what I fucking swear is a skateboard, a cat chasing after it.
If you see anything strange, don’t comment.
This is not what I had in mind.
Grumpy cat still in his arms, the young man—who I’m realizing never graced me with the privilege of his name—leads me through a house that looks even larger on the inside than the outside. It’s all open and airy, sunlight spilling in. I see two cats before we turn a corner and walk into a huge kitchen. Nolan, Maison, Carter, and another young man with darker skin and a wild set of curly hair are in there.
Nolan is currently lecturing Carter and the other man on the difference between fresh herbs and spices versus the jarred stuff.
Maison is perched on the counter, a beer in one hand as he watches the live show. There’s something about him that has my hackles rising. It’s not one thing that I can put my finger on. His lips are curved in a smile. His posture is relaxed. He’s dressed in dark jeans and a light gray cable-knit sweater that makes the blue of his eyes nearly insane in their brightness.
But he looks—he looksheavy. Weighed down. He looks like the man from the pub. The man from the alley. The man who asked me not to let him ruin things. The man who believes he ruins everything he touches.
He looks like he needs me, and I’m not allowed to go to him.
“Hey, Carter, your friend showed.”
Every gaze in the room snaps to me. Since I’m still looking at Maison, I get the opportunity to watch the weight of the world lift for a single moment as his eyes meet mine, before it comes crashing back down on him, possibly heavier than the first time around. He drops his chin, fingers starting to pick at the label of his beer.
“Hunter!” Carter wipes his hands on a dish towel and moves closer to me. “I’m glad you came. Trav!”
Travis pops up around the corner where I can hear a football game playing. He looks at Carter first, doing that thing he always does where he scans the man’s whole body as if he needs to check that he’s still there and fine. Then he looks at me and grins. “Man, hey, I’m glad you made it.”
I force a smile. “I’m just thankful for the invite. I brought wine.”
“Oh perfect!” Carter takes the bottle from me as more people filter into the kitchen. Despite the large size of the room, it quickly starts to feel crowded.How many people are they hiding in this place? And how many more cats?There’sanotherone on top of the fridge.
“Hunter, this is my huge-ass family,” Travis says as he gestures around the room, his eyes scanning all of the faces with sheer pride. I get the feeling this is a found family. I also get the feeling the finding wasn’t an easy road. A family that has decided to let me be included in their holiday dinner. I’m both honored and intimidated. Especially when I can feel the weight of both Maison’s and Nolan’s gazes on me. “Guys, this is Hunter.”
I let my eyes drift across the room as I smile for real this time. “It’s nice to meet you all. Thank you for having me.”
“We’ve met, actually.” I look over to find a man standing to the right of Travis, looking at me with an amused smirk. There’s something familiar about him. It clicks when he adds, “Sorry about the whole gun thing last time.”