Page 14 of Wants and Needs
“What?” Sebas screeches, and even Mike and Theo sit up in alert. They’re not looking at Sebas though, but at me.
“Since when do you know them?” Mike asks.
“How did you get invited?” Theo mumbles.
“What?” Sebas repeats, and before I can answer any of them, Adam comes out of the bathroom with a sleepy Dani resting her head on his shoulder.
“Why are you shouting?” he asks Sebas.
“Because he just casually mentioned he had dinner with Samantha freaking Sawyer as if it’s an everyday thing!” Sebas shouts again.
Dani doesn’t even flinch. I guess she’s used to her father’s loud voice. Honestly, we all are.
While they discuss my announcement, I regret evenmentioning it for a moment, but then that regret disappears—they’re my friends and they all understand being famous in a way I never have and honestly never want to. I don’t think I’ll tell them about the incident, though.
“I met London on the plane. We were sitting next to each other.” I speak loudly so they can hear me. “We chatted and after hearing how many famous friends I have she felt comfortable with me, and also she’s practically in love with a mate of mine from school, so she called her mother and they invited me over to dinner. And of course it didn’t even cross my mind to say no.” Despite what I told Liam when he was being so rude to me when we met. But I think it’s better if I don’t say that.
“You were bragging about us?” Adam asks with a cocky smirk before passing Dani to Sebas. She makes the most adorable babbling noises when she sees him and it’s like he’s forgotten all about everyone else on the plane when he looks at her.
“No, I wasn’t,” I protest. “I just wanted her to know I wasn’t going to go running to the tabloids.”
“So how was dinner?” Sebas asks, still not looking away from Dani.
“It was nice. They’re all really nice. Their sons are all fans of yours, of course,” I admit, nodding at Adam and Mike. “And Ed remembered me from your wedding, Theo. So I had a bit of explaining to do.”
“What explaining?” he asks with a frown.
“I was a drunken mess that day.”
“Oh, but...” He trails off and chews his lower lip. I know he’s not going to say it, thinking it’s rude, so I do it for him.
“I explained how I’m better now that I’ve been going to therapy.”
“That’s a bit much,” Adam says with a frown. “You don’t owe anyone any explanation for anything.”
I smile. Couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to. Adam’s always overprotective of all his friends.
“I spent hours sitting next to his teenage daughter while she was traveling alone, and then went to his home, Adam.”
“I guess,” he mumbles, but then he turns and sees Dani smiling at Sebas, and when she almost says “papa” he melts, and I see understanding come into his eyes.
“In any case, it was a nice evening, and they told me they’re coming to the party tomorrow too.” That gets Sebas’s attention.
“They are?”
Dani laughs at his panicked question, and the rest of us follow.
What’s left of the flight is full of Dani’s laughter and of all her uncles taking turns reading her books, and I feel balanced again.
I missed them while I spent time in Oxfordshire, I really did, and looking at them, and then greeting all the other amazing friends I’ve made here when we arrive at the ranch in Malibu, I know that selling the house was the right thing to do. I know this is where I belong.
Wolf,CJ, Hawk, and Derek greet us and then join us when we walk over to Adam’s grandfather’s house. Mike, Theo,and I already left our stuff at one of the guest houses in the Storm ranch that’s not really a ranch—something Hawk always reminds us of. It’s full of people setting up all kinds of fun things for CJ’s birthday still, and we know we’ll be able to catch up better at Clive’s.
We bump into Bennett and Luke on the way, and of course Lizzie and Robbie, their kids, are with them. They go right to Adam’s side and stare up at Dani in wonder. With Lizzie being four and Robbie three, they can already talk very well, but they also seem to understand Dani’s babbles perfectly.
Mike picks up Robbie and Luke picks up Lizzie, and that way they can keep staring at the youngest member of our group while we make our way down to Clive’s house. It’s one adorable moment after another with them, and none of us even talk to each other, we just stare at the kids.
Adam and Sebas go right to their bedroom to set Dani down for a nap while we greet Clive and Adam’s parents, Peter and Diana.
