Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Annie

Suzie wasn't wrong. Ethan and Cole are pissed off . Not only did I put their sister in danger, but I mortally offended their honor or something because I didn't allow them to look after me and hid from them like a toddler playing hide and seek.

Okay, all kidding aside, I do feel like shit for hurting their feelings, for fighting with Suzie and for causing Cole to get into trouble after I ran away.

"I still can't believe Peter tried to punch Cole!" I say to Suzie as the two of us work together to clear up the breakfast dishes after everyone had their fill and the men excused themselves. Lorcan tried to tell me to leave it, but I so steadfastly ignored him he eventually shrugged and exited the room with the rest, leaving me and Suzie alone.

"I know. I haven't seen him since we've broken up, and haven't heard a single word from him in all the time since then, so really, what the fuck was he thinking?" she mused as she took one plate from the drying rack .

"Did he have anything to say for himself?" I ask, keeping a careful eye on her face. When we first moved in together, she was still pretty beat-up over her breakup with her college sweetheart. He'd cheated on her with one of her sorority sisters.

"I didn't give him a chance, to be honest. He saw me and Cole arguing over where we saw you last, and he pushed in between the two of us." She continues to tell her story as she dries and packs away the dishes, and even though she sounds like she isn't bothered by what she's saying, I can see her eyes filled with unshed tears and my poor friend's shoulders are slumped with dejection. "He pushed in between us and got straight into Cole's face. There was shouting from me, from him and shoving from Cole and then punches flying and we were thrown out of the club."

"That's insane, Suze. I'm so sorry I made it worse by hiding from you guys."

She shrugs in response before resting her hip against the kitchen counter. "Why did you hide, Annie?"

Biting my bottom lip, I focus back on my task so I can get all the words out without having to look at my best friend.

"I am so tired of feeling like this. Like there's this huge part of me missing and the rest of me is all broken into tiny pieces. For one night, I just wanted to forget."

All of a sudden, I'm surrounded by a blonde monkey, practically climbing into my embrace.

"Bloody hell, Annie. Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?" Suzie whispers as she clutches at me, willfully forcing all her care into me. She's squished in between me and the sink, but somehow she makes it work.

I can't answer her, because if I do, I know I'll let go and start crying again, and I'm pretty sure if I do that now, I won't have the energy to get out of the funk that will put me in. So instead, I wrap my arms around her and hug her back. "Nothing is that bad with my best friend around," I respond instead.

She sighs, her entire body shifting with the fierceness of the movement. "What the hell are we gonna do with you, Annie?"

I push my fingers into her sides, and she bursts out in giggles and quickly runs to get away from me. "You're gonna keep me, feed me and never ever leave me, right?"

She smiles in response and pops herself onto the counter we've been using to eat at. "Sure. I'm also going to stop helping you with the dishes because you're an asshole."

Her grin, the laughter shared between two friends, and the cuddle she offered me, all reassure me that things between us are okay again, but I can't help but freak out over the new secret I'm keeping from my friend.

I should tell her what happened. If I tell her I kissed her dad she'll probably be a little confused, maybe even mad, but she'll get over it. But if she finds out from someone else instead, she'll never forgive me. No matter how hard I try, I can't get the words out. I'm still surprised that Montgomery walking in on us making out hasn't had a bigger reaction. Her dads sattogether during breakfast and shared casual yet sweet interactions. The very relaxed way the two men moved around each other was something very special to see.

At least my one thoughtless moment hasn't screwed with them, too.

"So you're sure I can't just stay here while you guys go have a family vacation?" I ask Suzie while wiping down the last of the counters.

The blonde brat bursts out laughing before jumping down from the counter. "Not a chance, hot stuff. You're going skiing with me. We'll seduce some really attractive ski instructors, break their hearts, then come home and finally get stuck in the studio."

Rolling my eyes, I swat her with the kitchen towel before tucking my arm around her. I allow her to lead me out of the kitchen, not paying attention to which direction we're going, determined to just be in the moment with my friend.

"I'm sure," she whispers, "we can even find some time in there to build some snowmen, have a snowball fight, and that kind of stuff." She waggles her eyebrows at me suggestively like I wouldn't know what she's talking about without it, even though she's been one hundred percent supportive of me indulging my inner child from time to time. She's a freaking ham, but I love her anyway.

When Jackson originally introduced me to these new things, I was hesitant to share them with Suzie. But seeing as we pretty much lived on top of each other, it was too hard to hide anything, and the closer we got, the more I didn't want to hide it from her anyway.

Suzie was as confused as I was at first. But the more time passed, the more intrigued she became by the idea that even as adults, it was okay to indulge our inner children, and not put ourselves into the restrictive boxes forced on us by society. I loved that about her, and I loved being able to share all the parts of myself with her.

"That sounds perfect, Suze. But you're going to have to lend me a few outfits because I might have packed for winter, but I certainly didn't pack for a trip to Aspen. "

The crazy girl next to me lets out her evil-genius giggle before bouncing up and down. "Oh, I have you covered! Come, let's go pack."