Page 65 of Sparks Still Fly

“Oh, she sooooo did!” Bon is practically bouncing, which is hilarious and alarming.

“Oh, stop it, you two!” They high-five beneath the countertop as if I can’t see exactly what they’re doing. “I saw that!” I turn around to get myself a glass of water.

“We know,” they say together, breaking into a fit of giggles.

I take a large gulp of water and sit the glass down gently, looking at a random spot on the counter. “Yeah. I did.” I swallow, suddenly needing more water as I think of everything that happened before the hottest moment of my life took place on Owen’s couch.

The girls pick up on my change of tone and still, sitting on the counter stools in front of me. I can’t seem to find the words or the right way to start telling them what’s happened between us since I moved into his guesthouse.

“Has Owen told you how he feels, Mae?” Lainey reaches out to touch my hand, and the simple touch soothes me enough to take a deep breath and look up at her. I nod and watch as her eyes fill with tears. “Oh my God,” she whispers, bringing her other hand to her lips.

Charlie takes over, laying a hand on Bon’s shoulder as our friend lets a few tears slide down her cheeks. “So, you know why he went silent, but have you two talked about your situation?” I nod again, drinking some more of my water. Char cocks her head to the side taking me in, and I know she’s assessing whether I’m about to join Bon in crying or if I’m okay. Surprisingly, I feel all right.

Seeing that I’m not going to break down, she continues, “And does he know about what’s been going on with you?”

“Not completely. He knows I needed to get away for a while, but not that I’m questioning everything. I need to digest that a little more myself, I think. Everything is so… muddy. There’s no clear path ahead of me, and I’m not used to that. I’ve always had a plan and stuck to it.” I look between the two women in front of me, one who shares half of my DNA and the other who might as well have been another sister. Charlie sticks out her other hand toward me, and we sit there, the three of us holding on to one another for a moment in time not needing any words to communicate. The physical connection opens something up in me, and if there had been any weight left in my chest, it’s lifted now. Now that they know and understand what this means. “But I’m chasing my happy, Char. Like you said. I’m trying not to dwell on my plans, my goals, and whatever it is I thought I should be doing by now.”

“Are you ready to talk about what’s next for you two?” Bon’s green eyes search mine. She never pushes too hard, never tries too hard to force a conversation, but also always lets me know she’s there to listen, whenever that time may come.

“Not yet, but I’m...” I blow out a breath, trying to articulate the feelings floating in my chest. “We’re going to see how things go for now, and I’m going to take it day-by-day for once. No five-year plan or goals for right now other than just enjoying the time we have. As unconventional and crazy as our situation is, I still feel settled, peaceful, and... happy, I think.” Bonnie’s sniffles have me turning my hand over so I can give hers a squeeze. She lets out a wet laugh and looks at Charlie, who gives her a warm smile.

“It’s about time, sissy. You deserve this.” Even Char’s eyes are looking a little glassy. This level of emotion simply isn’t something I can handle at the moment, so I pry my hands away and clap them together.

“Now, let’s see if my husband has any good wine, shall we?” It’s meant to be playful, but the words my husband fall out of my mouth far more naturally than they should.

37/

holy motherfucking bats!

owen

“Spill the beans, James. What the actual fuck was that all about?” Raf walks ahead of us so he can turn around and walk backward, no doubt reading every minuscule change to my body language and facial expressions. It’s part of what makes him such a great head of security for Aegis. He can read people better than anyone else I know. He sticks his arms out, eyebrows raised to the sky, impatient as a toddler.

“I don’t fucking know.” I shrug, trying to play it off, even if I know it’s no use with him. He knows me far too well.

“Yes you do. You’re in love with your wife. And something most definitely happened because you were giving her the eyes, and you actually blushed at one point.” He stops talking to laugh and nearly trips on a bush. He recovers and proceeds to walk backward, clearly not learning his lesson. “Blushed! You!” He starts laughing again, and when I hear a chuckle out of Adam, I give him a glare. He has the good sense to stop laughing and gives me an apologetic shrug. This guy might be the nicest dude I’ve ever met. Next to Raf.

“Does she know, Owen?” The question comes quietly from Adam, walking beside me. I never even considered the fact that one day I might become friends with my sister’s future husband, but of all the people she could choose to get engaged to, she picked one I really like being friends with.

“Yes. She knows I’m in love with her. I mean, I said it without flat out saying it, but, yeah.” Raf jumps up in the air then sticks his hand up, waiting for a high-five. He doesn’t get it from me, so Adam takes pity on him and slaps his palm.

“I’m so happy right now! So you two are gonna stay married then, right? Oh, this is great. And she’s cool with Julia and everything? Are you gonna adopt her together?” My breathing speeds up at each question Raf shoots at me like a pitching machine, each one getting a little harder with a curveball thrown in at the end.

We arrive at the guesthouse, and Adam lays a hand on my shoulder. “You don’t need to answer any of those questions. Raf’s just excited, but he’s gonna tone it down a notch, right Raf?” Adam sends his version of a stern look toward our friend.

Rafael nods and pretends to zip his own mouth shut. We walk into the guesthouse quietly, and I take in the little things Maeve had left out when she booted it out of here.

There’s a blanket on the couch that’s still rumpled, and the book she got the other day sitting face down next to it with an empty plate on the coffee table. We walk further into the space, but if it was a bat in here, I doubt we’d see it in the light of day.

“Let’s just go straight for the attic and see if there’s anything up there.” I walk down the hall toward the room with the attic access, and the guys follow.

“Can I go up?” Of course, Raf wants to be the one to go. He’s always the first to offer help. I pull the ladder down and wave a hand forward, letting him know he can go ahead, and he does—with a huge smile on his face.

As he climbs, Adam turns to me. “You all right, Owen?”

“I’m good, man. There’s a lot going on, but I’m good.”

“I can hear you, shitheads. Owen, don’t you dare tell Adam anything before I get back down th—Holy motherfucking bats!” There’s a thud, then a high-pitched screech and the next thing I know, Raf nearly tumbles back down the ladder. He stands facing us, panting, then lets out a nervous laugh. “You’ve got a bat problem, my dude. There’s like a whole family of them just chilling up there.”

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