Page 49 of Tulips and Lost Time

Not only did Abigail Rosa marry up.

But she married one of the baddest dudes around.

“Pretty sure that’s called karma,” he snickers. “He screwed you over. Now Spence?—”

“Screws her. Yep, I got it. Mitch learned his lesson and never works a shift now without complaining about it.”

His shoulders bounce, and under the dim lighting, his eyes shadow and almost look bruised and dangerous. But his lips curl into a smirk, playful and taunting. “So we know you and Kari end up together. We even know you screw, at least once. Considering the crotch trophy you’re currently snuggling. So you went to that farewell dinner and claimed her as yours?”

I scoff and look down at my crotch trophy. “I went to dinner. But I achieved nothing positive while there.”

13

LUC

FAREWELLS FUCKING SUCK

“Ithink someone should make a toast.” Alex is already three beers in to his evening and half a pizza down. So while I do my utmost fucking best to sit in the corner of Marc’s kitchen and take up as little room as possible, X is out here, standing on the coffee table Marc carved by hand from a single tree stump. “Kari.” He lifts his beer and grins, foolish as he always gets after a couple of drinks. “You became my little sister way back in…” He blinks once. Twice. “Shit. Forever ago. Long time. And though I already had a sister, I was happy to make room for another one.”

“Aw shucks,” Britt drawls. “So glad you had that room in your heart, X.”

“Shush!” He smacks a silencing finger to his lips. Though he smiles for his actual, biological sister and winks. “Brat was enough for us. And we didn’t even know we’d need more kids in our family. But then you and Marc came along. You slipped in and just… became part of the family.”

Kari’s eyes mist. Her cheeks warm. She’s embarrassed, and yet, completely enamored by the love Alex pours her way.

“I’m really sad about how things happened,” he continues. “About the things that hurt your family and led you to ours. But I’m thrilled I got to have you in my life. And I assure you, I’m driving over to the city five nights a week to make sure you’re behaving yourself.”

“She’s gonna be fine.” Jess jumps up from her chair, extending a long flute of soda water. Since drinking, in front of the older brothers, isn’t gonna go down well.

Even though, deep down, we know the girls enjoy a sneaky beverage here and there.

“Kari is our trailblazer,” Britt announces, long black hair dangling from a high ponytail and tickling the middle of her back. “She’s always been ahead of the rest of us. The bravest. The smartest. The nicest.” She looks at Kari and smiles, though it’s shaky. “I’m counting down the seconds from now until the rest of us get to join you next year. You take this year to be a badass. We’ll do our best to turn up to class and get our diploma. Then it’s on.”

“Or!” Marc declares, drawing everyone’s eyes. “Kari can study remotely for this year. Stay here. Be with us.” He presses his hands together, pleading. “Wait for the others, so you can be with your squad and not all alone in the fucking city with no one to have your back.”

“I have my own back.” Finally, Kari speaks up. Her voice trembles, but her shoulders broaden. They hold the weight of the world and show no weakness. “I will take care of myself, and in the moments that I feel like I need home, I’ll come back here.” She meets Marcus’ eyes. “I know where you live. I know how to get here. And I know it would only take a phone call to have you in your truck and coming to me.” She looks at Alex. “Get off the table before you fall. I’m not a nurse yet.” Then to the cluster of girls in the middle. “Jess. Britt. Laine. I love you all, and I’m excited for you to join me. But in the meantime, I’m going to enjoy being alone. I’m going to thrill in my independence because this will be the only year in my entire life I get to just… be. Alone. I had my family, and then I had your family.”

She casts a glance at the rest of us. Angelo. Scotch. Oz. Then she stops on me and narrows her gaze. “I’m immensely appreciative of the family Marc and I were swallowed into when we needed somewhere to call home. It was never a them and us situation. There was never a moment I felt excluded or other.” She drags her eyes to Scotch and smiles. “You guys were already a family. Completely and totally whole without us. But when these kids turned up on your doorstep with nothing to their names except a fluffy blanket and a metric ton of trauma, you didn’t hesitate to step up and welcome us in.”

“You were too cute,” Scotch smirks. “Too little to send to the forest.” Then he peers Marc’s way. “And we needed a fourth member for the band.”

“Which has still not been named,” Marc chuckles. “I mean… not officially. Not really.”

“We love you,” Scotch finishes. “You were never other in my eyes. And even though you’re leaving, you’re still ours. You’ll always have a home with me. With Oz.”

Oz nods.

“With Alex.”

Alex grins.

“With Luc.”

I gulp.

Because Kari’s blazing eyes swing back to mine.

“Is there anything you’d like to say, Luca?” She lifts a challenging brow the way an archer prepares his bow. “Alex has spoken. Marc. Britt and Jess. Scotch, too.” She flattens her lips and takes a step closer. Then another. “Anything you’d like to declare in front of all our favorite people?”

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