Page 127 of Tell Me I'm Enough

When she looks up…that look…that damn look on her face breaks my heart. I never want to see her wearing it. And if it were up to me…she never would.

I brush away her tears with my thumbs and then move my hands down to her arms, guiding her to sit up.

“Come on, Pretty girl. You know the drill.”

She groans. “I just wanna rot away in this bed, Mason.”

I shake my head. “Nope. This calls for a gallon of ice cream, mymuch morecomfortable bed and blankets back at the Sig house…and a night-long movie marathon…with some decent company.”

She lets out a little laugh. “I guess that doesn’t sound too awful…I can just rot away inyourbed.”

“That sounds better to me, too.”

I text Chase to clear out of the room for the night, and then take her to the closest store, making her pick out three different ice creams while I grab a couple of things I need before we head back to the house.

I let her get comfortable in my room before I leave her to head downstairs into the kitchen.

I’m looking at all the ingredients laid out on the counter, lost as hell, when Tank walks in, laughing.

“The hell are you laughing at?” I ask, glaring at him.

He places a hand over his mouth, trying to hide the laugh. “Bro…”

“What?” I ask, more annoyed now.

“You aresucha simp,” he laughs out.

I cross my arms and lean back against the counter. “Am not.”

“You totally are,” Chase says, walking in and standing next to Tank.

“Aye, Tanner!” Tank yells over his shoulder. “You gotta come see this.”

Tanner walks in and looks behind me before letting out a laugh that makes him almost double over. Then he looks back into the living room. “Yo! Ryan! Hurry up! Get in here!”

Ryan walks in, confused at first, before he sees what I’m doing.

They all start laughing harder together, and I just roll my eyes.

“This isn’t a fucking show for you idiots.”

They all try really hard to stop laughing and look serious.

“No…no. Of course not. It’s really…um…” Tanner looks up, searching for the right word. “It’s really…sweet.”

They all start laughing again, and I take a handful of flour, throwing it at where they’re all standing.

“We’re just proud of our boy growing up and being so in love,” Chase coos like a dumbass.

“I’mnotin love.” I walk over, shoving all of them out of the kitchen. “Now, get out of here so I can figure out how to make these fucking cookies.”

Tank puts his hands up and backs into one of our living rooms. “Come on, guys, let the man bake some cookies for his lady.”

“She’snotmy lady,” I tell him.

Ryan shakes his head, smiling. “You aresofucking whipped, Sinclair.”

I give him an annoyed look. “Yeah, causeyou’rethe one to talk. Didn’t Ijustsee you painting Ava’s toes last week while she made you watch The Notebook with her?”