Page 48 of Dirty Dancer

“You won’t,” he said. “In fact, right now, we’re making a pact. Neither of us will take it for granted. If you think I’m slipping, I expect you to poke me.”

“Well, the same goes for you if you see me doing it.”

“Deal.”

The offer, and the agreement, helped. It helped tremendously. Liam was just climbing off his bike as I pulled into the garage. Kellan and Jasper were there and Mickey was right behind me. We were all arriving at the same time.

Laughter bubbled up through me as Jasper strode over to open my driver’s side door before I’d barely parked. He unsnapped my seatbelt and tugged me out for a hug.

“Called it,” he said. “I win. She’s mine.”

Liam snorted. “Five bucks on Hellspawn.”

“Ten,” Freddie called as he climbed out. “Boo-Boo has skills.”

“Hush,” I told them, but the warmth of having them there was like a balm for my soul. I never realized how much they insulated me until they were all around me. I dropped a kiss on Jasper’s lips before he passed me over to Kellan. Then it was a round of kisses, one from Kel, then Liam, and Mickey.

Vaughn, Rome, and Theo were inside with the stacks of pizza, garlic bread, and sticky cinnamon treats. Theo made a face when Rome and then Vaughn gave me kisses. Despite the PDAs, he hadn’t really asked me anything about it and I was fine with not explaining.

It just sounded like a wildly uncomfortable conversation to have. Probably better if the guys addressed it all around, though it wasn’t until I was settled with pizza on a plate in my lap that I realized that half of Theo’s face was blue, not bright blue but like he’d scrubbed a lot of it off but his skin was still stained blue, blue.

“Did you fall into the paint or something?”

Rome chuckled, the pure merriment a magical enough sound despite Theo’s grumbling.

“Translation,” Liam said. “Theo didn’t listen to Rome.”

“Not true,” Theo argued. “I did listen.”

“Not immediately,” Rome said. “Or you wouldn’t be blue.”

Laughter rippled around the room. Theo made a face, but he seemed more flushed from embarrassment than any real discomfort. The humor reflected in his eyes and he shot me a grin. “I paid attention after,” he said. “I promise.”

I wasn’t the only one who snuck a look toward Rome who only shrugged. Jasper eyed Liam who chuckled. “Translation, eventually.”

More laughter and I shook my head. “Will you listen to him in the future?”

It was Theo’s turn to lift his shoulders and Freddie piped in with, “Translation:theo-retically.”

I almost inhaled my pizza. Kellan had to pat my back when I choked on the cheese. Rome high-fived Freddie and even Theo grinned widely.

“Children,” Jasper said, wiping away an imaginary tear. “They do us proud.”

Freddie answered him with a single middle finger, but the air of mirth remained. I indulged in a soda in between bites of pizza as the conversation shifted from ribbing Theo to asking him about school.

Instead of arguing about classes or growing more sullen, he actually answered with some animation. We’d found a school that allowed him to do some classes remote while the hands-on subjects, including science and mechanics, required in-person classes.

“We’re starting our first engine rebuild next week,” he said, eyeing Kellan. “Are you still okay with me working on some of it at the shop? I’ll have to bring the three others on my team.” From his grimace, I wasn’t sure that Theo was okay with bringing them.

“Fine by me,” Kellan said. “You can’t be there during closing hours, and you need me or Jasper on site while you’re there.”

Rome cleared his throat and Kellan gave him a look.

“You sure?”

Rome shrugged.

“Okay, so when Rome is in town, then Rome can chaperone.”

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