Page 8 of How We Loved

Natalie looks at me. “Do you need a ride home?”

Dalton lets out a sharp laugh. “Don’t you know she practically lives here?”

Natalie scrunches her nose. “You do?”

I chuckle. “No, I don’t live here.”

“Liar,” Dalton responds.

“Your dad allows you to sleep here?” Natalie questions like it’s the craziest thing she’s ever heard.

“Believe me, they’ve been like this for years. Nothing happens,” Dalton deadpans.

Ben throws one of the small pillows from the couch at him. “Yeah, just like nothing happens between you and me.”

Dalton drops his head back with an even louder laugh. “That’s different, and you know it.”

Ben blows him off, and I stand up to give them all a hug goodbye.

Once they’re all gone, Ben heads into the house to get ready for bed while I go to the bathroom here in the barn, where I have a toothbrush stored and some PJs to change into.

When he arrives back at the barn, I’m already curled on my side on the makeshift bed on the floor that I laid out for us.

I remember the first time I woke up in his arms. I had fallen asleep on the couch and didn’t even realize he had climbed in behind me. I guess I had gotten so used to sitting on his lap that it felt no different with him so close.

The next few times I stayed over, he’d fall asleep on the recliner next to me, but I’d wake up in his arms again. Over time, he just stopped going to the recliner and would go to sleep on the couch with me.

I swear, over the last few years, the boy has kept growing, so the couch is too small for the two of us, and we’ve moved to the floor, which is way more comfortable.

He curls in behind me, spooning my tiny body with his, and we fall asleep like we have thousands of times before.

CHAPTER THREE

Maya

I’m curled up on my bed with my little shih tzu-poodle, Ming, after I came home from Ben’s place. Normally, Ben and I just lie around on Saturday mornings, but the guys had a team breakfast this morning, so Ben dropped me off on his way there.

Now, I’m here, being lazy by myself, when a text alert goes off with a number I don’t have saved in my phone.

Are you awake?

I close the text messages, then go to my Phone app to see it’s the same number as the missed call last night from Trevor when he was making sure I had given him a real number. Excitement I haven’t felt in a long time washes over me at the thought of texting with a guy.

Over the last three years, I’ve talked with a few different guys, but it never really went anywhere—thanks to Ben, I’m sure. If I was being honest with myself, I was never totally into any of them, so I never really cared, but knowing I have a chance to talk to someone who doesn’t know Ben feels like I’ve opened a door I didn’t know existed.

I go back to my text messages and reply.

I am. Lying in bed, cuddling with my dog, Ming.

Then, I text you at the perfect time. I’ll be right over.

Ha! You’re not that good.

I laugh to myself as my cheeks flush at the thought of him lying next to me.

What are you doing today? Want to hang out?

What happened to the waiting-three-days rule?

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