Page 29 of Ready or Knot

The conversation lightens, and I find myself laughing for most of it, my cheeks aching from how much I’m smiling.

“We’ll see you at the airport on Wednesday, alright?” Carter says, his voice dropping to a smooth, soothing baritone that washes over me. When I nod, the three of them murmur soft goodbyes, and then I get ready for bed, wrapping myself in the shirt Carter left in my bag, luxuriating in the pine and smoke scent that clings to it.

I need to figure out which cologne he wears. It’s delicious.

* * *

The pharmacy takes a bit to get their shit together, so I’m running late by the time I make it out onto the main thoroughfare heading towards one of my favorite cafes where my family is meeting me for brunch. I’m tucking the new medications into the inner portion of my messenger bag when I round the corner and hear my brother call my name. I close my bag, a slight blush warming my neck, and glance down the street. My dad stands from the patio table where my family is looking through the brunch menu. The hostess starts towards me, and I smile, recognizing her from campus. She smiles and waves.

“Hey, Faedra, I thought you’d be long gone by now since move out was over the weekend,” she says, tucking away a stray piece of her blonde hair. “Especially since you posted that sunset last night. I figured it was your final goodbye.” I laugh as she unlocks a piece of the fence and a gate opens. She says on the same breath, “Here, just cut through.”

Shrugging, I walk through the gate and close it behind me. “We decided to make a mini vacation of it.”

“Well, have fun!” she says with a short laugh. “I’m excited to see all the photos you post of Denver. It’s on my bucket list!”

I’m still smiling as I take a seat between Aiden and Dad, tucking my bag under the metal chair. Dad wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side, kissing the crown of my head before looking back at the menu.

“We ordered you an iced vanilla latte,” my mom says, setting aside her menu. She glances over her shoulder. “It should be here any minute.”

My phone buzzes with a text, and I grab it from my bag before my parents can lay down a no phones rule for brunch.

How was your appointment yesterday?

I smile at the simple question, biting my lip as a weightless, giddy feeling swells in my chest. Aiden grunts, but I ignore him, texting Carter back.

Good. We came up with a plan for getting off the suppressors and switched my birth control. Excited to see you tomorrow.

Can’t wait. See you soon, gorgeous.

The endearment has me smiling as I tuck my phone away again. Dad and Aiden are chatting about something involving hockey, and Mom is shuffling through her purse. It takes me a minute to realize there’s still empty seats at the table. I frown, looking over my shoulder towards the road.

“Did you invite Violet?” I ask.

Aiden laughs, and my mom curses, quiet but vehement.

I turn back around. “What did I miss?”

Dad’s voice is full of restrained mirth. “Your mom and brother had a bet about how long it would take you to ask if Violet was invited, too. Your mom figured it would be in the first minute of sitting down. Aiden thought it would take a few minutes for you to realize anything was off.”

Rolling my eyes, I punch my brother in the arm hard enough that he actually flinches.

“Fuck off, Fae,” he grumbles, rubbing the spot on his bicep where I hit him. “Not my fault you’ve been ridiculously clueless the entire weekend. I didn’t think they’d fuck you senseless so soon.”

“Aiden,” my mom gasps, smacking his hand with a menu.

He doesn’t even flinch.

My cheeks heat, but I manage to look the server in the eye as they drop off the drink my parents ordered for me.

“Faedra?” my mom asks after a minute, too much concern laced with the curiosity.

Shaking my head, I sigh. “Don’t ask, Mom. I’m twenty-two for crying out loud.”

Her look grows hard, and I grimace, rubbing my face before cursing my brother under my breath.

He has the audacity to fucking laugh, and I punch him again, making sure I hit the same spot. His curse is more colorful this time. Mom makes an unhappy sound, and I turn to her, pursing my lips.

“Nothing happened,” I tell her quickly. “I’m on my period. Now stop asking. It’s none of your business anyway.”

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