Page 107 of The Outsider

“Bix, please don’t fall in love with him,” said Arizona. “I just think he’s... Of all my brothers, I knowhim the least. I can’t really figure him out. I don’t know what all he’s doing and I just... I never know with him. He holds himself back. He’s impossible to get a read on. And I would say that Justice and Denver are pretty bad bets when it comes to love too, but it’s different. They’re players. Daughtry isn’t a player. But he’s broken somehow. Something our dad did.”

“Aren’t you broken by your dad too?”

“Yeah,” said Arizona.

“But you fell in love.”

“I did. It’s complicated, though. I knew him before that.”

“Isn’t Landry in love?”

“He is,” said Arizona. “But in both of our cases, we fell in love when we were teenagers. And later there was a bunch of stuff, and it was hard, but we fell in love as part of our formative years. Mind you, for both of us, it was part of our trauma. But... I’m not saying he can’t love. But I am saying, that with everything you’ve been through... I would hate to see you get hurt.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Bix, that discomfort in her chest only growing more pronounced. “I’m leaving. I mean, once I’m done with all the brewing stuff. I have enough money to get an apartment. I should be able to start online classes. I have goals. And they’re not going to be staying here forever. I think I’ll move to a city.”

“That’s great,” said Arizona. “I love that you have plans.”

What made Bix angry was that her plans didn’t feel quite so exciting and present now. School, yes. But the need to leave...

Don’t let a little bit of sex make you into an idiot. You know better than that.

Just then, they pulled up to the farmhouse. “So is you and Daughtry banging public information?” Arizona asked.

Bix shrugged. “I mean, it’s not a state secret.”

“Good to know,” she said. She turned the engine off, and they got out of the car. The farmhouse was already full, and Bix got reintroduced to the women she was less familiar with. Including Fia’s sisters Quinn and Rory, the youngest, Alaina, who she had met the one time, and Elsie Garrett. Arizona and Alaina were both pregnant, about the same gestational age, as far as Bix could tell. Not that she was an expert. And Fia was pregnant too, though not as far along. It was a funny thing, to be surrounded by this sort of energy. She never had been.

It was terrifying and fascinating in turn.

She also didn’t really know how to bake, and with Fia’s help, she got set up quickly making batches of cookies.

“You’ll have cookies to bring home tonight. To Daughtry,” said Arizona lightly.

It wasn’t her imagination that the head of every woman in the group popped up like a meerkat. “Really?”

“Yes,” Bix said serenely. “Because I’m staying with him.”

“She’s more than staying with him,” said Arizona. She looked blandly at Bix. “You did say it wasn’t a secret.”

“I didn’t know that meant you were going to announce it.”

“Well, that’s fun,” said Fia. “Daughtry finally got the stick out of his ass long enough to—”

“He does not have a stick up his ass. I can verify.”

That produced a round of chuckles, and Bix felt pleased. Like she was winning a girl talk.

It turned to cheers, and she gladly accepted them. Then they talked about recipes. And due dates, and different ventures at the different branches.

They talked about beer, and movies. And when the cookies were done baking they sat in the living room and watched a rom-com that Bix had never seen before. She was starting to get antsy to get back to Daughtry. Well, she was aroused, was the thing. Just thinking about him.

And the romantic parts of the movie had reminded her that she had a little bit of romance waiting for her at home.

She was sent home with a giant tub of cookies, and Arizona drove her back to Daughtry’s house.

“Have fun,” said Arizona. “But spare me the details.”

Bix laughed, and got out of the truck with her giant cookie tub.

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