Page 24 of A Little Bit Wild

NINE

Kye

I was so preoccupiedthis morning that I completely forgot to invite Aria to our dinner tonight. By the time I thought about it, it was too late. She would never be able to make it across town in time now.

I wish she could be here, but maybe it’s better if she isn’t. This way, I can talk to my friends about her, and maybe they can help me figure out what to do in this situation. Should I just see where things go and pray that she doesn’t get tired of our little trips? Or should I just tell her how I feel and hope that I’m not moving too fast for her?

I’ve been debating the two options in my head all day. I want to just tell her that I love her, but I’m worried that I’ll scare her off and lose her forever. For once in my life, I’m being cautious, and it’s driving me crazy.

I park in front of Anson and Lottie’s house and climb out of my car. It looks like everyone else might already be here, judging by their packed driveway. There’s a party happening two doors down, and the entire street seems to be lined with cars. I grab the pies from the passenger seat and head up the front walkway.

“Oh, thank god you guys are here,” I say when I walk inside.

“In our house?” Anson asks drily, and I grin as I kick off my shoes next to the door.

“I really need to talk to you guys about Aria,” I say, looking up and locking eyes with her. “Aria! Hey.”

She’s standing in the living room, looking at me with an amused smile, but I can see the worry and anxiety starting to swirl in her blue eyes.

“We invited her if that’s what you wanted to talk about,” Rhett says, and I nod.

“Good, I was going to say I completely forgot to ask her to come tonight,” I lie.

Lottie bustles over to my side, grabbing the pies from my hand.

“Fix this,” she hisses at me, and I nod.

“Yep. Plan to try.”

“Oh god,” she mumbles, and with that glowing endorsement, I paste a smile on my face and head over to where my girl is standing.

“Hey,” I say, stopping in front of her.

“Hey,” she says, gripping her glass tighter.

“Need a refill?” I ask, and she nods.

“Sure.”

We walk silently into the kitchen, and I see Lottie shove Gates out when we head that way. He grumbles, but when she nods not so subtly in our direction, he starts moving.

“Hey,” Theo says as we join him in the kitchen.

Theo is Anson and Rhett’s friend from when they were kids. He’s some hotshot lawyer here in Los Angeles, and occasionally, Rhett and Anson can threaten or bribe him to come to these things. The guy is a total workaholic, but he seems like a solid dude.

“Hey,” I say, nodding my chin at him.

“Oh my gosh, Theo! Get out! Read the room, man!” Lottie yells at him, and he rolls his eyes, stomping out into the living room.

“Should we talk outside? Or did you want to stay here and just let them eavesdrop?” I ask Aria.

“Please stay here!” Rhett calls, and I laugh as Aria points over her shoulder to the back door.

“Outside works,” she says.

She’s trying to be cool and easygoing, but I can see her nerves starting to show. She’s worried about what I have to say, and I wonder why. What could she be nervous about?

“Sorry for just showing up here,” she says as soon as the back door closes behind us.

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