Page 72 of Reclaim Me

Crossing my arms, I lift a brow. “Me? What about me?”

“You’re a nervous wreck, which is understandable since it’s your first time having Rae and Riley over, but you can’t keep projecting all of that energy onto me.” He points at his chest with a hooked thumb to drive home his point. “I’m good.”

I despise being called out so plainly, but I still find myself laughing. “You’re right. I am nervous about Rae and Riley coming over, but that doesn’t mean my concern for you isn’t real.”

“Of course it’s real, but you gotta limit it a little bit.” He holds his hand up, using his index finger and thumb to indicate the amount of worry I’m allowed to have for him. “I mean, you’re giving me advice about packing hygiene products like I’m a little kid or something when what you’re really worried about is me falling off the wagon as soon as I’m out of your sight.”

He’s right. Damn. I hate that I can’t even hide the fact that he’s spot-on with his assessment of my current state of mind. I hang my head in defeat. “I guess you’re right.”

Taurin moves over to the door and claps me on the shoulder. Brown eyes that used to be bloodshot and shifty are bright with humor and appreciation. “It’s important to know when you’ve been bested,” he tells me, smirking because he’s finally gotten the opportunity to use my own catchphrase against me.

“Shut up.” I laugh, shrugging him off. “Is Alyssa almost here?”

He pulls his phone out of his pocket. “She’s been downstairs for like ten minutes. I told her to give us a minute so you could get all your big feelings out.”

When I reach for him, intending to put his smart ass in a playful headlock, he dodges me with ease, ducking under my arm and dashing down the stairs leaving me no choice but to follow. We agreed that I’d get to meet Liz and Winston, Alyssa’s best friend and her boyfriend, before they hit the road, but Taurin still groans in exasperation when I follow him out to the Jeep Wrangler, idling in the yard.

“Don’t freak them out, okay?” He tosses the request over his shoulder before catching Alyssa in his arms.

“Hey, Hunter,” she says, grinning at me. “Thanks for letting Taurin come with us.”

In truth, I couldn’t have stopped him from going even if I wanted to. Despite the respect he has for me and the responsibility I feel towards him, I don’t have any actual authority over him.

“No problem, Alyssa,” I grunt in surprise when she moves from Taurin’s arms to mine, pulling me into an unexpected hug that’s over just as quickly as it began.

“You packed so light, T,” she says, teasing him as they walk around the back of the Jeep.

I noticed how little he’d put in his bag, too, but I didn’t say anything. Didn’t want to make him feel like I cared about him leaving his stuff behind because I don’t. As far as I’m concerned, the room he’s been sleeping in since his first night here is his, and it’ll be his for as long as he wants it to.

“Yeah, well, it’s just a weekend, and I knew you and Liz would have the trunk full,” Taurin says, making the girl in the backseat with teal curls and a septum piercing giggle into her hand.

“We didn’t pack that much, T,” she says. Taurin shoots her a doubtful look as he opens the trunk, and they all share a laugh when several bags come tumbling out, falling at his feet.

I’m about to offer my help when the back doors fly open, and Liz and Winston, a lanky, dark-skinned kid with deep waves and a friendly smile, hop out and help set everything back to rights. Once they’re done, and the trunk has been squeezed closed, Taurin sighs and looks at me. I’ve been quiet this whole time, just trying to get a feel for their group dynamic, so no introductions have been made yet. I figured I’d leave that to him.

“Uh, Liz, Win, this is Hunter. Hunter, this is Liz, Alyssa’s best friend, and Winston, her boyfriend.”

We exchange greetings, and I’m impressed when they both opt to shake my hand. Taurin’s relief is palpable when I smile at them both, and I laugh because he clearly thinks I’m some sort of monster.

“Okay, well, I guess we should be heading out,” he says, slipping his hand into Alyssa’s.

“Not so fast. You still need to—” My sentence dies a quiet death on my lips as I watch another car pull up into the yard, officially marking the collision of my two worlds.

Rae said she was going to arrive around five o’clock, but it’s not even four yet, which means she must have headed over right after picking Riley up from school. My heart starts to pound, and all the nerves and anxiety Taurin accused me of projecting onto him rush to the surface and distract me from finishing my thought.

“Still need to what?” Taurin asks, a teasing smile on his lips. He’s never seen me and Rae together, but he’s compared the way I look when I talk about her to the way he feels when he speaks about Alyssa. I respect what the two of them have, I really do, but I never miss an opportunity to tell him that what they have could never even come close to what I had with Rae or what I want to have with her again.

“Share your location with me,” I tell him, my eyes still on Rae. She’s parked her car next to my truck and is already out, holding Riley’s hand as they make their way over to me.

“Daddy!” Riley shouts, dropping Rae’s hand and running over to me. I crouch down just in time to scoop her up and into the air, spinning her around in a circle that makes her giggle and scream for me to stop. “You’re making me dizzy,” she says, still laughing as her eyes focus on Taurin, Alyssa, and the rest of their crew.

“Who are you?” she asks them as I set her back down on her feet.

“Riley.” Rae’s voice is all gentle admonishment as she walks up beside me, letting the warmth of her body and the scent of pears and vanilla mixed with a bit of coconut take over my nostrils. “Don’t be rude.”

Taurin steps forward first, splitting a smile between Riley and Rae. “It’s okay,” he tells Rae. “I have a little brother her age, so I’m used to the straightforwardness.” Then he turns to Riley and offers her his hand. “I’m Taurin, and you must be Riley. Your dad has told me so much about you.”

Riley glances at me for confirmation or permission to engage, and I nod, supplying both. She takes Taurin’s hand, holding it with just the tips of her fingers, which makes Alyssa and Liz laugh.

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