Page 75 of Busted Dreams

Apparently offended she was being talked about right in front of her, she stomped over to a table with coolers and pulled out a beer. Two women who had been standing there sneered and left, making it clear they weren’t interested in making any kind of conversation with her.

“And this is my friend Rhys. He’s the star hockey player of the local league,” Beck added.

Rhys extended his hand as Graves grinned. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise. But you don’t need any of that shit here. I’m just Graves.”

“Hey, guys.” Angel strolled up with a gorgeous brunette on his arm. She was…wholesome. And not someone I’d ever have pictured him with. But then, I looked around at the guys who were all the complete opposite of each other in looks and personality, so who was I to judge?

“Hey, Angel.” Beck slapped hands with him, then curled their fingers in for the ultimate ending to the male handshake of their generation. Jonah did the same grudgingly, and it only made Angel smile wider.

“I see you, cuz.” Angel held on to Jonah’s hand. “You think you’re going to get rid of us, but we’re family. And that means something.”

“That I’m stuck with you?” Jonah asked with a small smile flirting with his lips.

“Hell yeah. So consider this your honorary induction. Hey, Dem!” Angel yelled over his shoulder. A young guy with a jacket much newer than the rest hopped up from his seat.

“Yeah, Angel?” he yelled back.

“Grab those jackets, will ya?” Then Angel turned to us. “Come on, let’s go sit down. The family corner is over here.” He pointed to a part of the courtyard with huge outdoor sectionals and a firepit in the center.

“Isn’t everyone here considered family?” I blurted.

“Sure, but since Graves is president, this corner is reserved for his actual family. Not just club family. It’s usually empty, so sit, take advantage of this underappreciated furniture that my babe bought.” He grinned down at his girlfriend? Date?

“Oh, shut up. I decorated this entire courtyard for them last year. I did do this corner specifically for Graves and Angel, but if I’d known they wouldn’t ever use it, I’d have put something else here. Like a beer pong table.” She rolled her eyes, laughing.

I liked her. She was sweet and easy to be around. Now this was a girl I could probably sit and have a conversation with. Without feeling like an awkward idiot anyway.

“Well, I’m not going to complain.” Beck fell onto one of the big cushions, pulling me down with him, and I crashed into his side. Jonah took the seat beside me, and then Thatcher and Rhys on either side of them.

“Way to cluster together there, friends.” Angel laughed and took a seat on the other side of the sectional.

“We like to stick together,” Beck said.

Graves brought over two huge platters of hamburgers and hotdogs. Two guys followed him with a drink cooler and buns along with some condiments. Propping the food around the edges of the deluxe firepit, he grinned. “Dig in.”

Then he came back with his own beer and commandeered the corner spot, kicking his feet up on the only foot of stone not taken up by the food.

“Nice to see you again, Astrid. You been keeping my nephew here out of trouble?”

“I try,” I said as Beck snorted.

“No, she’s bad for me. She had me start some kind of online video account and pumps up my ego.” Beck smiled affectionately as he curled a lock of my hair around his finger. If he wasn’t careful, my hat was going to pop right off and float away in the breeze. “She makes me feel more important than I actually am.”

That was all it took for me to compete with the sliced tomatoes on the burgers. Luckily, neither Graves nor Angel made any comment on it.

“That’s the exact kind of girl you need. Boys,” Graves addressed everyone on our side of the couch except me. “This is what you need to find in a girl. Someone who makes you feel like you can do anything and sees potential in you when you don’t see it in yourself. I’m still looking for mine.” He winked at me.

Jonah choked on a snort, and Thatcher clapped him a little too hard on the back.

“You okay, cuz?” Angel asked.

“Fine. Just fine.”

Dem appeared with a few black leather jackets laid over his arm, and he carefully transferred them to Angel, who sat up. As he checked the tag, he handed one to Beck, then to Jonah.

Then he handed a smaller one to me.

---