Page 103 of Daydream

My phone vibrates in my pocket, which is the only thing that can drag my attention away from Aurora potentially stealing Joy’s affection from me.

HALLE

UPSTAIRS!

NOW!

“Don’t lose her,” I say to Aurora as I head toward the stairs.

When I push the code into my bedroom and see her standing in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips, I think maybe I’ve misread the signs. “Am I taking my pants off or what? Because you sounded horny, but you look mad, so I’m confused.”

“Look at my neck!” she yells, pulling the collar of her sweatshirt to the side. There’s a reddish-purple mark on her neck that I don’t remember seeing before. “You gave me a hickey!”

I shake my head. “That doesn’t sound like something I’d do.”

She pulls the sweatshirt down farther so I can see the same marks on the top of her breasts. “I haven’t been letting anyone else put their mouth near my chest, so I’m pretty confident when I blame you. Gigi just spotted the one on my neck and now I’m never going to hear the end of it.”

“That doesn’t quite sound like proof, though, does it,” I say, trying not to show the weird kind of pride I’m feeling. I like knowing her enough to know how to joke with her. “Do you have your makeup bag with you?”

“I tried concealer, and it didn’t work,” she says with a huff.

I kind of like it when she’s feisty, too.

“That’s because you need to color correct it first. Do you have any stuff for that? I don’t really want to have to find the Halloween face paint.” She nods, her pout still making me want to kiss her. After searching her bag, she produces a color corrector palette and a sponge. I pull her collar away and brush her hair back with my hand. “It’s just color theory, Cap.”

“Do not be sexy about art right now. I’m mad at you.”

“Do you want to give me one so we’re even? I don’t mind. You can leave them all over me.” She’s trying not to laugh. “You’re cute when you’re pouty.”

“Just hurry up before one of the guys launches Joy’s online cat career.”

I dab quicker, the colors immediately changing like I knew they would. “So to be clear, I’m not taking off my pants?”

AS FAR ASNEWYEAR’SEves go, I think this has been one of my favorites.

It’s taking a lot to control my jealousy as Joy trots between each person, looking for attention. Halle has kissed my cheek occasionally, promising me that she can tell she still likes me best. When Joy eventually grows tired of Mattie and Bobby trying to take her photograph with her paw on a puck, Halle picks her up off the floor and she settles on our overlapped knees.

With only five minutes until midnight, it’s nice to know whom I’ll be kissing, even if that person has fallen asleep on my shoulder. I’m still really worried she’s sick and she’s going to be too stubborn to admit it.

Everyone is talking about the point of New Year’s resolutions. Poppy goes first. “I want to start journaling. I feel like I learn so much and I can never remember it.”

“I want to start Pilates,” Emilia says.

Russ takes a swig of his beer, a defeated air to him when he speaks. “I want to fix my relationship with Ethan.”

“I want to make my relationship with my dad worse,” Aurora says, lightening the mood. “And read the books on my TBR.”

Mattie clears his throat and looks only at Aurora when he speaks. “My resolution is to get VIP passes and access to the Fenrir paddock at the Nashville Grand Prix.”

Bobby nods. “That’s also my resolution.”

Kris joins them. “Mine, too.”

Cami goes next. “Mine is to be more toxic and make more men unhappy.”

Kris shakes his head as he sighs. “We’d be so good together if you only gave me a chance.”

She tilts her beer toward him and winks. “Keep dreaming.”

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