Page 26 of Jace

“Our dates were part of this group, and the only reason they invited us was because they thought we’d be easy targets.”

“Tell me that you ladies dropped them on their asses.”

“We turned off all the lights, let them show up to get us, and never answered the door. After they were gone, we finally told Craig the reason behind our crazy.”

“I’m surprised Craig didn’t kill them.” We all know how protective he is of Bree and yes, even me too.

“Craig wanted to skin the two little assholes and hang their meat suits from the flag on the front lawn of the school. We had to talk him down and beg him to let us handle things.”

“So where did this restaurant come into play?”

“Bree and I decided that we were all dressed up and it was a waste to not go out and enjoy ourselves. So her dad got his nineteen sixty-nine restored Camaro out of storage, tossed us the keys and his credit card, and told us to go break some hearts.”

Jace leans over and rests his elbows on the table.

“We came here for dinner and then afterward we walked into prom, our arms linked together and proceeded to share with everyone there that we’d caught Karson and Drew jerking each other off in the back of the limo.”

Jace’s laughter rings out over the restaurant, triggering a few people to look our way.

Shrugging, I fork another piece of steak and bring it to my lips. “Bree and I have come here on every special occasion since.”

“I bet those two guys regretted being a part of that crazy bet the very minute they saw the two of you all dressed up.”

I shrug, because honestly, I can’t even remember if we’d ever talked to the two of them again.

“We didn’t care; we danced our asses off until our feet were sore. We stopped for assorted ice creams on the way home and spent the entire night watching movies, pigging out and laughing in her room.”

“Sounds like it ended up being a good night.”

“One of the best.” I smile. “Bree is responsible for about ninety-eight percent of my good memories.” She is not only my best friend, but I believe she’s my better half.

“We’ve come here for our birthdays, holidays, celebrations and even when Dax asked her to marry him, we came here to celebrate. We even celebrated her pregnancy with Piper, just the two of us, planning to raise her together. That was before Daxton shocked us all but stepping up and took responsibility.”

“It didn’t shock me,” he confesses.

“No?”

“He comes off as this big uncaring asshole, but the truth is I’ve never met a guy that cares more. He had a shit life like the rest of our little group but he took the bad and built Deranged Ink. In doing so he gave me, Olly, Luna, and Zac a place to call home. Actually it’s because of him any of us know what it feels like to have family.”

I may not know all the details of Jace’s past, but I do know they all share a common factor; they were all foster kids but Luna.

“I know in the beginning, Bree didn’t think Dax would want to be a father and yes, he may have convinced himself of that at one point. But truthfully, he’s built to be a dad. His dedication and devotion, it may run deep and be hard to find, but there isn’t anything her wouldn’t do for those girls.”

“I love seeing her so happy,” I confess, and when I look up, I find him watching me with a look in his eyes I can’t quite read. “Piper has us all wrapped around her little fingers though.” I add trying to lighten the mood.

“That she does,” he agrees, before taking another bite of his steak.

“I’m thinking this place is my new favorite too,” he closes his eyes and slowly chews his steak. I take the opportunity to watch him, to focus on the flex of his jaw and his lips that I’d love nothing more than to kiss.

For the rest of our meal we shared stories, his mostly consisting of after he met the guys and Luna. A few times I’d slipped up and told him about how uninvolved my parents were and how much time I spent at Bree’s instead.

She had a home and a family and honestly all I had were four walls and strangers I passed in the hall.

Chapter Eighteen

Jace

I link my fingers with Aurora’s and together we step out into the night. The weather is brisk in Colorado this time of year especially late in the evening.

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