Chapter 27

JUNE 19 – MONDAY 6:30 PM

T heo

I wasn't getting the smell of fast food out of my upholstery for months, if ever. I glanced in my rearview mirror at the pile precariously sitting on my backseat and cringed. Why did we need this much food? I was pretty sure Myles was making me bring this much as payback, but since today was the first time I'd heard from him since we ran from Canada, I would get what he requested.

Blake still hadn't spoken to me, and I'd purposely stayed away to give him time. Luckily, Ren had started messaging a handful of days ago, which was probably what sparked Myles to reach out.

Every single time Liam saw a new message from Ren on my phone, he bent me over. I loved his jealous streak, and it had always been fun and exciting, but he was venturing into over-the-top territory. I was good with that, but there was an edge to it that I couldn't quite figure out that I didn't like.

"What," Liam asked, and I turned my head to look at him in the passenger seat.

"I didn't say anything."

"The words didn't come out of your mouth, but you want to say something." I blinked, and he fixed me with a hard stare. He pointed to my finger resting on top of the steering wheel. "You always tap your left index finger when you want to say something and are trying to figure out how."

I stopped moving my finger and glared at it like it was purposely giving me away. "Is that so? And what else does my body tell you?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and showed off just how much muscle he'd put on. His arms had doubled in size since the end of school from hard workouts and helping Nash with the new business.

"You're nervous. I'm assuming it's because of Ren, but really, it could be because of seeing all three of them again. You're sucking up by bringing food in your car, which is clearly a peace offering since you don't usually allow food in your car. The semi-hard cock in your jeans tells me you're hoping that you can get Ren alone, and the fact that you've let me use you as a fuck toy all week screams just how much you want this to work. Although I'm impressed because I haven't been gentle, it also pisses me off."

As well as I knew Liam there were times when he still managed to shock me. I hated that he picked up on all of that. As long as he was around, there was no hiding any of what I was thinking or feeling. I didn't always want someone in my head analyzing every little thing.

"You've gotten much better at that." Annoyed, I gripped the steering wheel harder.

"Yeah, but it's because I know you," he said, and I couldn't tell if he was angry or sad by the statement. His voice had softened, but his face was set in hard, angry lines. I had a dozen questions and couldn't figure out which to ask, so I gave up for now. Every one of them would lead to a conversation that would need more time than the few minutes left of the drive.

"Are you going to tell me what you want to say?"

I shook my head. "It's best if we wait until we have more time." He was staring at me, but I refused to say anything. Did Liam change his mind? If that was the case, had he changed his mind about Ren, me, or both?

Silence never bothered me, but the dense tension mixed in was a cocktail that no one wanted to drink. We turned onto the driveway, and a few minutes later, we were getting out and grabbing all the bags and boxes.

Ren stepped out of the cabin, and the moment my eyes met hers, I smiled. She was a shot of tequila with a side of sunshine sparkle. Her face lit up, a blush spreading across her cheeks. All the images of our time together, as short as it was, came flooding back, and heat seared through my body.

She jogged down the stairs, and as much as I'd thought about this moment, I still wasn't prepared. As she got close, I held out my hand for her to shake. Ren looked at it, and we ended up in an embarrassing dance, going in for a hug and then holding out our hands until she laughed and grabbed me.

"Sorry, I wasn't sure you'd want to hug me," I said, holding her tight. Even as relief washed over me, I was very aware that Liam, Blake, and Myles were watching.

"I wasn't sure you wanted to see me again when you stayed away."

"Apparently, we are living the miscommunication trope." Ren pulled back and smiled. She looked over at Liam, who'd masked whatever he was feeling. Shaking off the strangeness, I yelled up to Myles. "You going to come help with the piles of food you had me bring or what?"

"Ya actually brought it?"

"Of course I did. You better not have cooked something else. I brought food in my car," I said, and he rolled his eyes.

"Naw, we didn't cook anythin' else," Myles said, walking down the stairs.

"I'll take some in," Ren said. She opened the car door and grabbed a handful of bags. "You really did bring enough for an army." She walked into the cabin, and Myles looked over his shoulder to the door before holding out his hand to me.

"We good," I asked, shaking his hand.

Myles looked at me, Liam, and finally, Blake. "Snowflake gets what she wants. If that means yer added to this…." He pointed to Blake and himself. "Whatever ya want to call it, then aye, but there is one fuckin' rule," Myles growled and got right up in my face, his hand tightening on mine. "If ya try to steal her from me, yer gonna see a side of me that ya won't like. That goes for either of ya," he said, looking at Liam. "I might just be a tad unhinged where my Snowflake is concerned, so keep that in mind, and the rest is up to her. Aye?"

"You don't have to worry about that with me," Liam said cooly.

"Yes, I understand and wouldn't have tried to steal her, as you put it anyway. Not my style, and you're all my family."

Myles released me and stepped back, his hand clamping onto my shoulder as he smiled. "Good, I'm glad we got that out of the way."

"Is everything okay here?"

We looked at Ren, who seemed like she was ready to jump between us.

"Aye, Snowflake, just catching the guys up on a few things," Myles said. She didn't look like she believed him, but we all turned at the sound of a vehicle pulling in. Nash parked behind me and hopped out, casually strolling toward the cabin.

"What the fuck are you all staring at," Nash asked. I'd never known him to stroll. He marched, stomped, ran, or walked with purpose, but strolling or sauntering was not in his vocabulary.

"Just admirin' yer sexy face." Myles smirked.

"Funny." Nash narrowed his eyes into a dark glare and glanced between all of us as if trying to find the answer in the silence.

"Stop glowering at everyone. This is supposed to be a fun night," Ren scolded and held out bags of food for Nash to carry.

"What the hell is this?"

"Your dinner that Myles ordered and Theo and Liam were nice enough to pick up. The least you can do is help carry it inside."

"You're really getting on my last nerve, Princess," Nash said but took the bags.

"You apparently have many last nerves since I get on one every day." Ren smiled sweetly at him, which only had him glaring harder at her back as she walked into the cabin as if she owned it, bags in either hand.

"What the fuck," Nash complained. I had to admit that seeing Nash set on his heels was worth whatever the admission price.

"Fuck, I love her," Myles said.

I grabbed my stuff from the car and followed everyone inside. We'd never used this place to hang out like this before, and it felt peculiar. The norm was to have a meeting, kill people, or handle narcotics. The cabin even smelled different, fresh, and clean. There wasn't a single thing out of place, and I knew this had to be Ren's doing. We weren't dirty, but we didn't set out napkins in little holders or have candles burning that made the place smell like someone was baking apple pie. We definitely didn't have throws laid out or the electric fireplace going. It was the middle of summer. Why was the fireplace even on? The thing was, it felt…cozy, lived in, loved. It was precisely the way that Ren affected those around her.

I watched as Ren dabbed some wing sauce on Blake's nose, and he wrapped his arm around her, dipping her back and kissing her in retaliation. When he righted them, she had some of the sauce on her cheek, and Blake kissed it off. I'd never been envious of my brother before, but I was now, and I didn't like this new burning in my gut. Liam caught my eye from across the kitchen, and I'd never seen his face so dark or his eyes so hard. He stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, the muscle in his jaw twitching, and if we were alone, I knew what he would do.

Knowing Liam would follow, I walked out the back door to the deck and took a deep breath. A moment later, he pushed his way out the door, and even though he walked softly, never making a sound, it felt like a predator was storming toward me.

"What's wrong," I asked, leaning my hip against the railing.

He stepped in close, but I took a step back from him and shook my head. Liam, close to me, derailed my thoughts, and I would forget why I came out here.

"Nothing's wrong other than my boyfriend wanting someone else." Liam's voice was low and harsh, but it was the word boyfriend that had my brain screeching to a halt.

"Boyfriend? I thought you didn't like or want anything to do with labels?" Liam looked away.

"Do you not want to be?"

"Don't turn this around on me. I'm the one who asked you out, if you remember, and what did you say to me?" Liam didn't answer while his hands gripped the railing like he was trying to kill it. "I don't understand what is happening here. I never said I wanted to end things with you, but you're acting like that's what is going on." Studying the side of his face was hopeless because he gave nothing away. "I want you to be part of this, you know that. And even if you don't want to, my feelings for you haven't and won't change. I've given you all the freedom to choose if you want to keep things just the two of us or become involved. You said you wanted to try the three of us, so I don't appreciate you glaring at me like you're going to kill me."

He sucked in a deep breath, head hanging, but when he didn't say anything, I gave up and headed for the door. Liam snagged my arm. "How do you feel about me," he asked.

"What do you mean? You know how I feel." I cocked a brow at him and looked at his hand clamped onto my arm. "Just tell me what it is you want, Liam. Have you changed your mind and don't want Ren involved with us? I've never known you not to say what you're thinking, so I'm very confused."

The tension was rolling off his body, the shadows making his eyes seem like dark chocolate. I shuddered with their intensity, burning in them, and forced myself not to give away what he was doing to me.

"I…." He stopped as the door opened, and Ren stepped outside.

"Sorry to interrupt. I was just coming to see if I should make you a plate. We are also voting on what game to play," Ren said as she looked between us. "Are you two okay?" Liam let go of my arm and walked inside without saying a word. "What was that about," Ren questioned, her voice hushed as she watched him go.

"I honestly don't know. But I have the game issue covered," I said.

I grabbed her hand before she could run inside. Tipping her chin up, I soaked in the glimmer that radiated off her.

"Are you still good with what we talked about?" Ren nodded. Brushing my lips against hers, I breathed in the sweet scent of her skin before nipping at her ear. "Good, because I'm really looking forward to it. God, I want to get you alone," I whispered. Taking advantage of her distracted state, I kissed her just long enough that she sighed and melted into me. My eyes roamed over her face, admiring my handy work. Ren's cheeks were the perfect cherry color as she nibbled on her lip. "Do you want to go for dinner and a ride with me soon? You must be sick of these four walls, and you do make the most adorable backpack."

"Yeah, I would. Nash is driving me mad with his training sessions, and I kinda miss the freedom of being on the bike with you." She gave me a shy smile.

I released her before I took things too far and pulled open the door. "Bitten with the bug, the next thing I know, you'll want me to teach you to race."

"Not a chance," Ren said as we walked inside. "I'm quite happy being on the back," she said. I forced myself not to say that I wanted to put her on her back.

Liam was already eating, but he nodded to the extra plate of food on the table, letting me know it was for me. He wasn't usually insecure, so he really needed to tell me what was going on because I was starting to worry that the hammer of an ultimatum was coming.

Grabbing the bag I brought in, I walked over and held it out to Blake. He slowly took it. The bruising on his face from our fight was gone, and his lip was healed, leaving behind a thin white line.

"You brought me a gift?"

"Sort of."

He pulled it open, and I'd never been so relieved to see my brother smile. Well, other than after him almost dying, that still took the top spot on the relief chart. Blake pulled out the Canadian version of Trivial Pursuit, and Ren laughed. When we raced away from Ren's home, we couldn't take anything but the go bags with us. Blake had been excited to play the game or rather excited to watch Ren and I go head-to-head on our knowledge.

"The showdown begins," Blake said, and I gripped his shoulder.

"Only if you'll be my partner."

"What? I'm terrible at games like this." I tightened my hold until the humor left his eyes. "You're serious?"

"I am. I'm sorry about hurting you. It was never my intention," I said. I rarely apologized for anything, so to do this in front of the group was making me sweat, but it would mean more to Blake.

Blake stood and gripped me in a hug as the weight that had been sitting on my chest since we fought lifted.

"I'm sorry, too," he whispered, and just like that, we were okay again.

There were so few things in this life that meant anything, but the love and bond of family and friends that were as close as blood was all any of us had at the end of the day.

"Alright, enough of the hugging. I'm starving," I said, making Blake laugh.