Page 107 of These Pucking Boys

“Why are you being so sweet to me?”

Ryan’s brows scrunch together. “You don’t want me to be?”

“Of course I do, but... why? When we first met, I thought you were a one-night-stand kind of guy.”

He caresses my cheek, giving me goose bumps. “I thought I was too.”

I can’t help how my heart takes off at breakneck speed.

“But I like spending time with you. You are... easy.”

“What?”

His eyes widen, then he shakes his head. “No! I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I meant...” He rolls off me and stares at the ceiling. “God, I’m fucking it up already.”

“Did you mean it like the Lionel Richie song?”

He looks at me. “Well, sort of. I know that song is about a dude’s relief over a break-up, but the sentiment is the same, only caused by the opposite. Being with you is easy.”

My heart is fluttering, pumping giddiness through my body. “‘Easy’ is one of my favorite songs.”

A slow smile unfurls on his handsome face. “Mine too, even though it’s bittersweet. My dad used to play it on the guitar all the time. I think he secretly wished he could end his unhappy marriage and feel okay about it. He tried to teach me how to play, but I wasn’t very good at it.”

“Nonsense. I’m sure you could be very good.”

Ryan’s eyes seem to twinkle with amusement. “Once a teacher, always a teacher.”

“That’s right.” I grin.

He watches me for a moment, then rolls out of bed. I lean on my forearms to see what he’s up to. He retrieves an acoustic guitar from a mount in the corner of his room and returns to bed.

“You know how Lachy’s most treasured possession is his blankie? Well, this is mine. My dad’s old guitar. He gave it to me a month before he passed.” He stares affectionately at the instrument and then strums the cords.

I throw my legs off the bed and sit up next to him. “If you want, I could teach you.”

He whips his face to mine, then offers me the guitar. “I think I’d rather listen to you play.”

“What? Now?”

He nods. “Yeah. Any song you’d like.”

I take the guitar from his hands and adjust the strings. There are so many songs I could play for him, but now I have “Easy” on my mind. As I start the song, it’s a like a weight is lifted off my shoulders. My decade-long relationship has ended in the most spectacular way, and I feel as light as a feather. I never knew what I was missing until I met Ryan, Lachy, and Jake. My boys.

CHAPTER 45

JUNE

Ihonestly didn’t think I’d hear much from Lachy and Jake while they were away, but the influx of messages in the group chat kicks up a notch when I’m already at work. Class starts in fifteen minutes, so I have time to check them.

LACHY: Good morning, lass. Did you sleep well?

I slept like a baby.

RYAN: I can vouch for that ??

Oh my God. He’s so bad. But I can’t help smiling. He’s bad in the best possible way.

JAKE: Taking advantage of our absence, I see.

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