Page 77 of Praised
Dalton: He’s upset you skipped out on us last night.
Me: I was occupied.
Archie: With Rose?
Dalton: Of course with Rose.
Rob: Grayson likes him, be nice.
Me: That’s not the praise you think it is. Have you met Grayson’s friends??
Rob: Wesley is sweet. Just naive.
Dalton: Naive is an understatement from what I hear.
Rob: He’s sweet. And he loves Grayson, and so do I.
Archie: Owen is also rather fond of Grayson.
Archie: And Wesley
Me: YOU are fond of Wesley.
Archie: Stop trying to distract me.
Barclay: The bunch of you are insufferable.
Dalton: This is solely your fault. You brought me around this group of people. You can’t try to back out of the relationship now.
Barclay: I absolutely can.
Me: I’m coming tonight. I’m bringing Rose with me.
Rob: Good. See you later, then. Grayson will be pleased.
Dalton: You need Flynn’s man to please your own? I thought that was more up Barclay’s lane.
Rob: You know what I meant.
Dalton: I know times are a-changing. At least, I’ve heard.
Me: I’ll see you later. Be nice or I’ll foreclose on all your favorite properties.
Barclay: I’d like to see you try.
I dropped my phone back into my pocket at the same time Rose rapped his knuckles against my front door. There was no point in trying to play it cool because, around him, I was anything but, so I practically ran through the house to let him in. On my porch, he looked tired and a little worn down, but when I opened the door and his eyes locked on mine, his smile softened and his shoulders relaxed.
“Hey,” he said quietly, almost nervous.
“Hey, beautiful.” I stepped out of the way to let him in.
Rose had a black backpack slung over his shoulder and he toed off his shoes, kicking them into a pile in the corner like every time he came over.
He buried his face in my chest, and I wrapped my arms around him, just happy to have him back in my space.
“I don’t look beautiful right now,” he mumbled.
“Hush.” I stroked my hands through his hair and walked us both into the house, Rose still pressed tight against my chest. “Can I get you in the shower? I got you something for tonight.”
