Page 41 of The Truths We Seek

"There. Your friends can hang out but my cum will stay inside both of your holes the whole fucking time they're here."

CHAPTER TWELVE

QUINN

Thanks to having Rory on my team, Meyer caved and I get to have my friends over. Tina, Yen, and the girls are coming over for dinner and I’m not sure who’s more excited, me or Shae. She’s been clucking around the dining room for the last hour making sure everything is just right.

Needless to say, the karaoke machine is set up in the corner, the sound system is prepped, the bar is stocked, and everything looks like something out of a magazine.

“Is this too much?” Shae asks hesitantly as I look around the room, taking in the twinkle lights laid out between the leafy vines in the center of the small table that she’s put in here rather than the usual giant one, the flower crowns for each person coming sitting atop the place settings, and the little goodie bags on each chair. “I’ve never really had friends, and I’ve definitely never done a girls night like this. I thought the smaller table would be better and give us more room to dance later, but maybe the bigger one would’ve been better. Made the room look bigger or something.”

“It looks great, Shae,” I reassure her, loving the effort she’s gone to for me. Because I know that she’d have done any of this if it wasn’t my idea. “Maybe a little extra, but well, it’s you. I’d expect nothing less.”

She pokes her tongue out at my teasing and I laugh.

Today was a hard day. I swear, every single thing has made me think of Tommy, even down to Shae caring for me in her own way and taking over the prep for tonight. I am loved, I am cared for, and that’s all because of him.

I still haven’t had the courage to read the letter from him. I might be actively avoiding my room just so I don’t have to acknowledge its existence.

“I am extra, it’s why I sparkle so much. Just call me Twilight, bitch.”

I pull my phone from my pocket, pull up her number, and change her name in my phone, adding the sparkle emoji to the end of Twilight, then show her.

“You’re such a bitch,” she says, laughing. “Should I change?”

Her quick switch up from joking to self-conscious throws me. Shae doesn’t do self-conscious.

“Shae, firstly you look amazing, secondly, you know these people probably better than I do, so stop stressing it. It’s just a chill night.” I motion to my cozy band tee and jeans with accompanying fluffy socks. “Do I look like I’m out to impress?”

“You always look good enough to eat,” she jests, winking at me. “But for real, I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Maybe it’s because I’ve been away for so long. Maybe it’s because of what happened last time we had a big gathering here. But I feel on edge.”

I frown, remembering what happened last time. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. “We can call it off if you’re not good.”

“Are you kidding me?” she squawks. “Carlos would have a conniption after how much he’s planned food wise for this. He’s had a freaking ball of a time. Plus, I need to move past it. This is a good way to start.”

“As long as you’re sure.”

She nods once, firmly. “I am.” Her phone pings and she grins widely at me. “Good thing too, because the girls are here.”

We head out to the front door, opening it and waiting for everyone to arrive. One of Meyer’s concessions was that the girls get picked up by O’Connor in one of our cars so that he could make sure nobody was followed.

What he failed to mention is that a five-car freaking convoy was with O’Connor. I swear, there’s more protection in this motorcade than the president has. Shaking my head, I smile as the cars pull up to the entryway. At least this explains where Tonio went. I did wonder, but Shae’s shadow is less prevalent than mine.

Speaking of Bruno, he moves past us out of nowhere to open the car doors. “Freaking silent ninja.”

Shae chuckles beside me just before the squealing starts as Yen, Belle, Tina, Sofie, and Amelia climb from the car and rush to us. There are hugs all round, and I deal because that’s who these girls are at their core. They’re sparkle-sunshine-twenty-something woo girls. Tina looks like she fits right in with them, and she already looks happier and healthier after being around them for almost no time at all.

“Y’all better have munch, because I am starving,” Belle croons as we usher them inside and the five of them pause in the foyer.

Sofie lets out a whistle as she takes in the space. “This place looked like a palace from the outside, but this is something else.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek, nervous all of a sudden about letting people inside our lives like this. What Shae said about last time is gnawing on my nerves, and while these guys work for Meyer, and I know them… well, betrayal is the downfall of many.

It’s never your enemies who betray you.

Tommy’s voice in my head soothes me for a second, but then the nerves come back with full force. He was right.

Maybe this was a mistake.

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