Page 108 of Study Buddies

He got me through it.The ceremony was as awful as I’d anticipated, but Lucas stayed by my side the entire time. He somehow knew when I needed a hug. Or to hold his hand. And I swear, a few times, he slipped his arm around my waist right when I was thinking of bolting.

And he kept up the conversation, too, so that I wouldn’t have to. He asked my mother questions. He shook Doug’s hand and called him sir. Not because he respected Doug—but because he respected me.

He was my rock, and afterwards, I barely had time to tell him that before collapsing into exhaustion in the car. Emotional exhaustion, which was somehow worse than the physical kind.

I woke up from time to time on the trip north, and each time Lucas was there, driving steadily. Urging me to drink some water. Patting my leg.

I didn’t fully become alert until the elevation rose, and we switched to those winding, twisting roads leading up to Lucas’s house. Then I wiped my eyes and attempted to do something with my hair. It had fallen out of the updo while I slept.

Jayden’s car and Kyle’s truck were parked out front when we got back, and the sight made my spirit feel lighter. I wanted to see both of them so badly. Maybe because part of coming home was coming back to them?

Whatever it was, my eyes lit up when Jayden stepped onto the porch, and I threw myself into his arms. He held me close and ran his fingers through my hair.

“It feels like two years since I last saw you,” I said. I wanted to drag him out back and nestle together in the hammock. Last night had all been about Lucas, and tomorrow night was my date with Kyle. Right now, I craved some quality time with Jayden. He was the only one who had never made me worry about how he was going to react.

He was so laid-back, and easy going, and he made me laugh and feel good about myself. I ached to feel his body stretched out next to mine. What did it say about me that I wanted to do that just one day after sleeping next to Lucas? But right now I wasn’t going to chastise myself because I was too glad to see him.

“It does feel that way.” He stepped back as Lucas arrived on the porch with our bags from the thrift store, but he kept his arm around me. “I’m very sorry your mom went through with it, but I think it was the right call to attend this morning. Even if it was hard.”

Looking away, I nodded. “Yeah, probably. A friend told me that.”

Lucas smiled as he started to go inside the house, but Jayden stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks for going with her.”

“Yes, thanks,” I echoed.

We went inside. “You must be tired,” Jayden said.

I smiled softly. “I slept most of the way in the car. Lucas deserves some rest, though.”

“I’m good.”

Jayden grinned. “In that case, I have something I’d like to show you both. Let’s go downstairs—Kyle’s there.”

“I’ve seen Kyle before,” Lucas grumbled, but without the usual anger.

“You haven’t seen this.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect as we descended the stairs. Maybe a little less clutter, but Jayden stepped in front of me as I reached the bottom step, trying his best to block both Lucas’s and my view.

We followed him as he walked backwards until he finally stepped out of the way, revealing a bedroom.

“Holy shit,” Lucas said softly, while I gaped in surprise.

How the hell had they done this in one night? There was an area cleared that was at least 12 by 12 with a queen-sized bed in the middle. It had a blue comforter stretched neatly across it. There was an end table, a dresser, and even an area rug, plus a floor lamp. It looked cozy—livable, even actually inviting. Yes, if you looked beyond that, there was still clutter, shelves and boxes stacked haphazardly around the edges of the room, a graveyard of forgotten junk and old stuff that hadn’t yet been sorted through—but there was a clear path to the bathroom.

And on the far side of the bedroom, Kyle stood, a smug look on his face as he held a long stick in his hand. Wait, not a stick—a pool cue. He was leaning against a gleaming pool table, the polished wood and smooth green felt practically glowing in contrast to the chaos that surrounded it. Where the hell had that come from? I was pretty sure it hadn’t been under Great Aunt Mabel’s things.

I rushed over to it, temporarily ignoring the hot-as-hell man leaning against it, and examined the smooth surface. This was a real pool table, not the kind you might pick up at a discount store.

Lucas joined me. “How the hell did you guys get this down here?”

“Very carefully,” Kyle said.

I glanced up at him, returning the grin he gave me. He had on a long-sleeve maroon t-shirt, a few open buttons at the throat, that was so tight it was like a map of his muscles. His black jeans were tight, too, and the overall effect was pretty damn hot. Too bad the view had been wasted on Jayden.

“What happened to the idea of an exercise room?” I asked.

“There’s still space,” Kyle said. “When we get the rest of this cleared out.”

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