I jump out of the truck as Dylan and his bandmates arrive.

“I win! I was here first,” Jett declares.

Fender shoves him. “Not a race.”

“Life is a race, dude. Get with the program.”

I groan. “You had to bring them with you?”

Indigo winks. “They’re fun.”

“You have a strange way of saying annoying.”

She nudges me toward the front door. “You go ahead and unlock your new place. I’ll deal with these hooligans.”

Since I don’t want to be any closer to Dylan than I have to be –liar! –I immediately agree. “Okay. I’m on the second floor. Apartment 203.”

I climb the stairs and unlock my door. I’m certain there’s a huge smile on my face.My place. My place. My place.

It’s taken me eleven years since high school graduation, but it’s finally happening. I have a place of my own. Harry wheezes.

“I didn’t forget about you, sweetie,” I murmur as I set the cage down. I open it up and gather him in my hands.

I sit on the sofa and cuddle him as the guys bring in my boxes.

Indigo collapses on the sofa next to me. “What ya got there?”

“This is Harry, the hedgehog.”

“Can I cuddle him?” She reaches for him but I scoot away.

“Harry doesn’t enjoy other people cuddling him.” It took weeks before I could even pet him after I rescued him.

“No shit. He bit my finger,” Jett grumbles.

“And you enjoyed it,” Gibson claims.

Jett smirks. “I always enjoy it a bit rough.”

Dylan punches his shoulder. “No sex talk in front of the ladies.”

I glare at him. Why does he think he’s my protector all of a sudden? Considering he doesn’t remember me, he can take his protector tendencies and shove them up his rear end.

“How did Harry come into your life?” Indigo asks.

“I found him on my driveway when I came home from work one night. He was injured. I rushed him to the vet and nursed him back to health.”

“Can I pet him?” Dylan asks.

What part of ‘he doesn’t enjoy other people cuddling him’ does he not understand?

“He’s scared of strangers.”

He frowns but steps away without pressing his point. Maybe he isn’t a complete idiot after all.

“Is anyone thirsty?” he asks the group.

I tuck my chin into my chest as embarrassment hits me. I should have something to offer the guys for helping me move in but I don’t. “I haven’t had a chance to get groceries yet.”