Page 89 of These Pucking Boys: Part Two

CHAPTER 37

JUNE

It took a while for the boys to relax after my accident. If it had been just a case of bad luck, they might have gotten over it sooner. But the fact it was caused because someone was following me made them super worried, which I hated. I’m tired of being the catastrophe queen and causing problems wherever I go. But mercifully, I didn’t notice anyone following me after that. It was probably just a paparazzo wanting more photos of me.

My car, on the other hand, didn’t survive the accident. It would cost more to fix it than it was worth. Even if it had survived, the boys decided I needed a safer car. They gave me a brand-new luxury SUV that they had to guilt me into accepting. It would give them peace of mind, and since I was already feeling bad for giving them so much headache, I couldn’t say no. They know exactly how to convince me.

Katrina—bless her heart—helped me with the Halloween costumes. I planned to sew them all on my own, but I also started writing my screenplay. It was poor planning on my part, but I couldn’t ignore the muse. Katrina noticed how excited I was about my writing, so in exchange for letting her read mywork in progress, she worked on Jake’s and Ryan’s costumes, and I worked on my own and Lachy’s.

The boys did offer to buy the costumes, but I shot their offer down fast. Katrina and I have a tradition of making costumes from scratch, and if there’s someone more stubborn than me, it’s Katrina. I also realized I couldn’t miss spending Halloween with my best friend. Wendy’s party isn’t until later at night, which made doing both possible.

I didn’t buy Jake a birthday gift like I promised I wouldn’t, but I made sure his cake was the best fucking cake in the world. He couldn’t escape the “Happy Birthday” song or blowing out the candles—not without disappointing Katrina’s kids anyway.

Going trick-or-treating with Jake, Lachy, Ryan, and Katrina’s family was a blast, and Katrina’s kids loved showing off their new famous friends. Now comes the part of the evening that I’m less excited about—Wendy’s party.

Standing next to Jake’s car, I run my hands over my dress, trying to smooth invisible lines. “How do I look?”

“As gorgeous as before, Peaches.” Ryan hugs me in his Cowardly Lion suit. It’s like being hugged by a giant teddy bear.

“Hey, hands off my girlfriend, kitty cat.” Jake playfully drags Ryan away from me.

I drove, because the boys got carried away and accepted too many adult treats during the trick-or-treat walk through Katrina’s neighborhood. Now they’re acting goofy and careless.

“I need to pee.” Jake walks toward the bushes hugging the front wall of Malcolm and Wendy’s house.

“I’m sure there are plenty of bathrooms inside,” I point out.

“Can’t wait, Junebug.”

I laugh, thinking about how Wendy would react if she knew Jake was watering her plants. “Oh my God. You’re so bad.”

“How aren’t you melting inside yer costume, Ryan?” Lachy stretches his collar. “I’m boiling in mine.”

“You probably shouldn’t have drunk so many Fireball shots.” Ryan smirks.

Lachy grimaces. “I definitely shouldn’t have. I can’t feel my tongue.”

“Come on. You’re exaggerating.” I shake my head, glancing at the two-story residence that looks like a veritable haunted house, with Hollywood-worthy props, lights, and even a fog machine to make everything super eerie.

I’m certain we’re among the last people to arrive. There’s no one outside, but plenty of cars parked in front, and the music from the house is so loud I can hear it. Either the neighbors don’t care, or Wendy invited them all so they wouldn’t complain. Maya has already texted me a few times, asking where we are. I just said we were on our way, but that was almost two hours ago.

“Let’s put that to the test, lass.” Lachy wraps an arm around my waist suddenly, pulling me to him.

The next thing I know, he’s kissing me with the fire of seven suns. My head spins, my body getting caught in a fever dream. Instead of pushing Lachy away, I melt into him, surrendering to his unexpected and dangerous love attack.

“Look, Jakey. The Scarecrow is getting it on with Dorothy,” Ryan says too loudly.

I push Lachy back and glare at Ryan. “Shhh. Someone could hear you.”

“What are you doing?” Jake walks over, but he doesn’t seem upset.

“Come on. No one saw us,” Lachy retorts.

“Let’s go in before someone does.” I take a step forward but then stop and look at them. “How is my makeup? Do I have lipstick all over my face?”

Ryan steps into my space, leaning close with his eyes narrowed.

“Please don’t follow Scarecrow’s bad example,” I say.

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