Page 61 of The Perfect Spiral
She laughed up at Knox, who was smiling back at her. “She’s too cute to be mad at, just like your aunt, huh!” he said, lightly poking her little nose. I rolled my eyes at his comment. Was he talking about me or Sam?
“Noah, swap places with you,” Knox suggested, smirking at me.
I turned to Noah and said, “Don’t you move a muscle, buddy,” causing a high-pitched laugh to echo through the foyer. He tightened his grip on my neck and kissed my cheek again.
“Is Andy here?” Noah whispered in my ear, but everyone heard it.
I turned to face him again and replied, “No, I know you miss your girlfriend, buddy, but she’s coming to Savannah for a little while this summer.” He blushed and looked down at the ground.
“Really? She’s coming?” I nodded, and he had the biggest grin on his face. His first crush, and it was on my best friend. Kyle had some competition.
“Kids, come get some food!” Sam’s voice echoed through the foyer, causing the kids to scramble up and run off. Boomer stayed put with me and Knox, sitting on the floor. It was just us in the foyer.
I waved my hand over Boomer’s face, making funny noises at him. He walked over to Knox, who he also adored. I sat back onmy hands, my legs spread wide on the floor, watching Boomer’s movements.
“I think I might take him back to mine. He’s too cute,” Knox said.
“You take him from me, you die, Carter! I’ve trained him well—he will never leave me,” I warned, looking at him over the rim of my glasses before taking them off to hang them on my top.
He scooted closer to me, reminding me of the time we’d sat on the bathroom floor a few weeks back.
“You’re the cutest boy and the only one who doesn’t constantly piss me off! Aren’t ya, buddy? You’re such a cutie pie! Mama missed you so much!” I cooed at Boomer.
“Hey! That hurts, baby doll. I don’t piss you off! I’m clearly your favorite,” Knox retorted, his eyebrows wiggling playfully.
I petted Boomer, his tongue hanging out as he panted happily. Someone was clearly enjoying this.
“Yeah, Knox, I just can’t get enough of you. You’re the bestest in the whole wide world,” I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Really?” He inquired, a hopeful note in his voice.
“Ha! No, I’m mad at you too!” I retorted, trying to catch Boomer’s attention by tapping the tiled floor.
“Why? I didn’t do anything. I didn’t join in on the beating. Although he deserved—”
“Knox, enough! No one deserves to be beaten up unless it’s self-defense or something! I don’t want this to happen again. Not that it will, because you’ve all effectively scared off any potential suitors! So, thanks.”
“Baby doll, look, they didn’t handle it the right way, but what’s done is done. And if no guy is brave enough to come near youand face us, then they don’t deserve you! But if you open your eyes, your knight in shining armor might be closer than you think.” He cast a shy smile in my direction.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I wasn’t sure how to respond. He’s been acting strange again, so different from the night after the football game in LA. When we had that brief, intimate moment.
He shrugged, adjusting his cap while continuing to play with Boomer. I couldn’t help but smile at their playful interaction. Boomer turned his head to face me, tilting it to the side.
“You like Knox, Boomer? Hmm? Yeah?” Knox beamed at him, as if he’d done something praiseworthy, then turned that smile on me.
After a few more moments, we pushed ourselves off the floor and walked into the kitchen, where our families were bustling about.
My mom and Delilah beamed at us, their minds clearly on the idea of us being together. I hugged each of them and started to survey the food.
I walked into the pantry to get Boomer some food. After filling his bowl and refreshing his water, I gave him a treat. I’d missed the little guy so much.
I sat back down on the floor, crossing my legs, and he sat down too. I stroked his fluffy fur while he nibbled at the food I’d set out for him. Then my brothers, the Carter boys, Bret and Tyler, walked in.
They all stood there, watching me. I could feel their eyes on me. All nine pairs of them.
I kept my eyes on Boomer, refusing to give them any satisfaction. Even when one of them cleared his throat, I didn’t look up.
“Alex?” Kyle crouched down in front of me, and then Sam walked in.
