Page 39 of Petals of Blue: Part One
Roman levels him with a bored stare. "You bolted out of the house like the world was ending, then none of you answered your phones. I waited up, hoping you werealive, jackass."
Jared, at least, looks like he feels bad. "Felix messaged me saying?—"
"Nobody cares!" Blue basically fucking screeches, cutting him off. "Why am I here?! Take me back to workright now."
"There's no way in hell I'm letting you finish your shift, sweetheart, so get comfortable until Beth gets home." Felixmust have lost a few brain cells when he got dick kicked. There's no way in hell that's going to calm her down.
"Excuse you?" Blue sneers and winces slightly when she slams her hands back on her hips. "You're not the boss of me."
Felix snorts, making dread pool in my gut. "Actually, baby, I am."
"Don't call me baby," she snaps.
"Stop acting like one."
"Alright!" I clap, ignoring the sharp pain it causes in my skull. "How about we head inside before we wake the neighbors, huh?"
Blue doesn't hesitate. "No."
"Bethany will be home in an hour, Bee. Please, just come inside," Jared begs, sounding desperate.
Then Roman adds, "We have chocolate-covered almonds and that wine you like."
We’ve got her now.
Twenty-Five
BLUE
Shit.
Some things never change. One of those being my obsession with chocolate-covered almonds. They're my kryptonite, and Roman just lit the fuse.
I'm pretty sure they're holding their breaths waiting for my answer, so I stay quiet for a few extra seconds in hopes they choke. Clearly, the offer of my favorite treat isn't able to quell the anger at the position they put me in.
Honestly, who puts a female in the backseat of a car with three men in the middle of the nightwith the child-locks on?!
They're so fucking lucky claustrophobia is the only thing I was battling in those long moments. I could have severe PTSD from being kidnapped or some shit.
"Lead the way," I finally relent. "But don't think I've forgotten about you taking me against my will and locking me in your car."
"You did what?" Roman growls. He grabs his younger brother by the back of his shirt and forces Declan to stay behind with him while Jared and Felix guide me to their townhome.
Hushed arguing follows me to their patio door. Now I'mthe one holding my breath as I enter their space for the first time. There was a time when I knew their homes like the back of my hand. Now I have no idea how they like to live. Will their house be sterile like their parents’? Maybe they'll have fake fruit in their bowls.
The smell of perfume doesn't assault my senses when I finally inhale. It smells like a home. Likemyhome before my parents died. Sugar, bananas, cinnamon. A few steps later and I'm in their kitchen, where a loaf of banana bread rests on the stove. I can't stop myself from getting closer to the source of the glorious aroma.
"Roman bakes one every few days. Says it's because the smell reminds him of something," Jared says, opening a cabinet and pulling a few wine glasses down. "Little does he know, we all know how your mom did the same thing when you were young."
Tears prick my eyes, and I let him see the emotion when he hands me a glass of wine.God, I miss my mom.My memories of her are few, but I remember how absolutely loved I felt by my mom and dad.
I was fed great meals, dressed in nice things, hugged frequently, and asked about my day. Then they were ripped away from me, and all the warmth of the family I had cooled into greedy indifference.
Declan and Roman enter the kitchen behind me, Felix, and Jared, stealing all the oxygen from the room.
It's too much.
"Excuse me," I murmur, ducking between the brothers. With my wine glass cradled to my chest, I hurry back out the patio door and beeline for the cozy-looking couch.
