Friends with Benefits - Nicole Blanchard Page 0,41

buggy and stared up at me with identical smiles. “Deal,” they both said at the same time.

I finished my shopping with their chatter in the background. Having them back didn’t assuage the fear clutching my heart.

Because I realized how easy it would be to lose them.

While the twins played in the bath, I tidied up from dinner, moving on autopilot. I packed away the leftovers into containers for their lunches, loaded the dishwasher, and wiped down the counters. Big Bang Theory played in the background, even though I’d watched all the episodes at least a thousand times. I didn’t care how many times Charlie and Layla made fun of me for watching the same movies and shows over and over: it was one of the only things that gave me comfort.

At least the people in the shows never let me down. Sure, one may get canceled, or an actor or actress might leave, but I could roll back to season one at any time and relive all of my favorite memories. They didn’t abandon or neglect me as my family did.

After I got Tillie and Molly home, they helped me make the beef stew and gobbled up two bowls each before I herded them to the bath. They were old enough to take care of themselves while they bathed, for the most part, which allowed me some time to clean up and maybe even do a little homework, but not much.

Sheldon and Leonard were arguing as I worked on a few notes that I was required to make. Next semester, there wouldn’t be so much bookwork, but for now, they were dumping as much information on us as they could. It was almost as though they wanted to see which students got overwhelmed and, I had to admit, I was getting close.

Not because of the work—because I could do the work. It was everything else.

The twins.

Work.

School.

Chris.

…Tripp.

Maybe it was too much.

It took being scared half to death when the twins ran off at the grocery store for me to take a step back. I couldn’t let this thing with Tripp distract me. The next time I saw him, I’d have to reiterate the whole casual aspect of the friends-with-benefits thing. Just to make sure we were clear.

I was packing my bag for the next day when there was a soft knock at the door. Despite my firm resolve to keep things casual, heat washed over me at the mere thought of it being Tripp on the other side. Apparently, my body didn’t care about keeping it casual.

“Hey,” he said when I opened the door. “Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

When his body brushed against mine, the heat concentrated in my sex, and I gulped. No matter how much I tried to tell myself we needed to talk, I couldn’t seem to make the words come out of my suddenly-dry mouth.

“Emmy,” came a call from the bathroom. “We’re done.”

“Do you mind?” I asked.

“No, of course not. Take your time.”

“Make yourself at home.”

The girls were covered head to toe in bubbles—and so was the floor—but I couldn’t find the energy to be mad. They were safe. Tripp was here. I’d figure the rest of it out.

I always did.

“Is Tripp here?” Tillie asked as I helped the two of them get dressed and ready for bed.

The scent of the lavender baby soap I’d been using since they were babies wafted up from their skin and downy hair. They endured me sniffing their heads and giving them a tight hug as they both climbed into the bottom bunk for their story and settled underneath the blankets.

I decided not to lie to them. They were too smart for me, anyway. “He came by to talk.”

“After the story, will he tell us good night?”

At this, I hesitated. It was such a fine line between benefits and family where they were concerned. But Tripp was Tripp, and he’d known these girls practically their whole lives. “Of course, sweeties.”

He could be a part of our lives as long as I was crystal clear on which parts.

Chapter Sixteen

Tripp

Junior Year

The stadium was packed with people, their screams and cheers filling the air. The sun beamed down, relentless and bright. The sky was as blue as I’d ever seen it, without a single cloud marring its surface. I couldn’t have asked for better weather.

I should have been excited.

This was the moment I’d been working for my whole life. Countless weeks of nonstop practice. Giving up opportunities to be with my friends in order