Page 43 of Here In Your Arms

“Do you think she’ll like it?” I ask.

“For sure, how could she not? We’re here,” he says with a wink.

Not a minute later, the doorbell rings and I run for the door like an excited child. Or dog. Let’s go with child though, since I don’t bark. Kyle chuckles and follows me at a slower walk. Opening the door, I see Rory standing there with a case of beer, her hair piled on her head instead of her usual braid. She grins and holds up the drinks in offering.

“I come in peace,” she jokes.

“Hang on, I’m going to need to inspect this offering. Please come in, ma’am, formal inspections happen indoors,” I tell her.

She laughs and fully hands over the beer, stepping into the house and I close the door behind her. Raising her hands above her head, she looks at both of us, her eyes playful. Kyle and I look at each other, then back at her.

“Do I not get a frisk down?” she asks with a wink.

I lean in close to her ear and whisper, “Better not to tempt us now or we’ll miss the movie. Once we start frisking, it’s too hard to stop.”

She shivers a little at my words, and I place a kiss on the side of her neck before pulling away and wiggle my eyebrows at her. Laughing, she lowers her arms and walks over to Kyle to give him a hug. He opens his arms instantly and wraps her up close. I hear a soft sigh from her as I pull out a beer for each of us and smile to myself while I put the rest of the drinks in the fridge. Rory is so fucking cute, and she makes my heart so happy.

I return to the living room, beers in hand, ready to see what we’re watching for the night. Kyle and I have a few ideas selected, but the plan was to let Rory pick, even if it’s not from our list. The TV is on, but nothing is playing yet, and the two people who hold pieces of my heart are fussing with the blankets and pillows. Looks like Rory is also a blanket and pillow fiend. Good thing I put out extra. Setting the beers on the end table, I step back and watch the two of them argue and debate about where each pillow should go, and which blankets we should use.

“You two done nesting yet?” I ask them.

Kyle looks over at me. “Hey, you won’t be complaining when you’re warm and cozy in this nest.”

“Seriously, some appreciation would be nice here,” Rory adds on, smirking.

Walking over, I gently press on the two of them and they fall backwards on the couch, where I promptly put one hand on each side of them. They’re smushed together, with me caging them in, my body close with my arms spread out.

“I appreciate the shit out of the two of you,” I tell them softly. “But I’m not turning eighty before you’re done with this.”

Rory laughs, and Kyle surges up towards me. Tilting my head, I anticipate his kiss, but the tricky asshole heads for my neck and blows a huge raspberry. A very undignified yelp escapes from me and Rory just laughs harder. I point to my eyes, then turn and point my fingers at Kyle.

“You’re on my list now, love,” I tell him.

He chuckles before standing to grab his drink. Grabbing the remote, he pulls up our digital movie collection.

“Okay, sweetheart, we have a few suggestions, but you get the ultimate say in what we watch, even if it’s not on the list,” he tells her.

Wiping her eyes, she nods and sits up straight to see the selections. We’ve pulled a romcom, a thriller movie, an action movie, and a drama. She searches through the selection but doesn’t seem thrilled with anything. Fidgeting, she finally picks the action movie, but I can tell she’s not settled on it.

“What do you really want?” I ask before Kyle can select the movie.

“Oh, this is fine,” she says, waving me off.

“Nuh-uh, what are you in the mood for?” I insist.

She sighs a little and glances around the room, and I get the distinct impression that she’s used to letting other people pick for her. An irrational irritation bubbles up in me at this. Who the hell doesn’t let her pick her own? It’s possible she doesn’t want to pick, but there’s something telling me it’s not the case. We wait her out in the silence, and she cracks.

“I would love to watch a comedy; laughing with you guys is so fun,” she confesses, her eyes flicking between us and the ground.

Leaning in close, I crook a finger under her chin and gently tilt it up so she’s looking at me directly. “As you wish,” I tell her with a wink.

She giggles and I’m pretty sure I’m dead now. The list of sounds I want her to make is getting long.

“Have you watched Evolution?” Kyle asks.

“No, never heard of it,” Rory confesses.

“You two get loaded up with snacks. We’re watching Evolution!” Kyle insists.

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