they’d have gotten the hang of it,” Sophia says.
“It’d be easier if only a couple of them were there,” I whisper. “Just never tell them that.”
“Only two people?” Blaire asks, confused.
“She’s not used to that many guys. Of course, she’s scared,” I say, and spit the sangria when Henry and Beacon try to catch her simultaneously, and they both fall into the mud.
“Got the money shot,” Sophia screams excitedly, waving the phone up in the air. “I’m going to pester him for a long time.”
Blaire looks at her and then at me and shakes her head. “You two are dangerous. I’m not sure if it’s smart to put the two of you together.”
I lift my glass and propose a toast, “To more days like today.”
They clink my glass, and Blaire says, “To long friendships.”
“And making these men drink a little of their own medicine,” Sophia concludes. “These next months are going to be exciting.”
“You say that because you don’t have to live with us,” Blaire complains.
“Best reality show I’ve ever watched,” Sophia comments.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Pierce
“Did you at least enjoy yourself?” I ask Leyla as we walk the dogs around the lake.
It’s past ten. Buster, Daisy, and I do these nightly walks when they stay with me. We go along the trail that I made around the house. I’m trying to keep that tradition so they don’t get homesick. According to Leyla, they’re adjusting well. They’ve never had trouble with change. I guess she doesn't remember what happened to them last year.
They were pretty sad when they moved out of the house.
“Enjoy myself?” she repeats my words.
The light from the moon is strong enough that I can see a smile playing on her lips.
“It wasn’t funny,” I say, trying to fake anger, but I end up snorting. “How many times did Henry fall?”
“Four,” she answers. “We almost made it into a drinking game. A tequila shot each time an Aldridge went down. Two if it was Henry.”
“So, you drank more than two sips of wine,” I note, glancing at her. “You were a little tipsy.”
“Therapy,” she says and sighs. “I’m no longer afraid that if I drink, I’m going to kill anyone…unless you piss me off. Then, I’m not responsible for my actions.”
“Of course, there’s that part.” I come to a halt when Buster does, and I turn to look at her. “The words came out all wrong. The last thing I wanted was to hurt your feelings. We know what happens when you get attached and then you have to say goodbye. I worry about it, okay, and it drives me fucking insane that I can’t fix it.”
She meets my eyes for the first time since I pissed her off and she let Ally loose.
Blowing out a long breath, she says, “Now you want to fix me?”
I scrub a hand across my face. This feels familiar but wrong. It’s usually her trying to speak and I’m picking words from our conversation, mixing them up, and getting upset at her. This is one of those moments when I should walk away because we’re both having trouble handling our emotions.
“Leyla, if you’re not planning on listening and you’re just picking a fight, this conversation is over,” I warn her.
She gives me a small pained smile. “Did we change roles?” Her voice is a little calmer.
“Not necessarily,” I answer carefully. “I get it. I pushed you too much for so long that now, with almost any comment, I make you angry.”
She taps her boot a couple of times, the kids stop sniffing, and we resume the walk. “I’m a pretty patient woman.”
“Close to a saint,” I add. “If I were you, I’d have killed me and buried me in the backyard. No one would’ve found my body.”
She laughs, “Your mom would’ve come to look for you within a day.”
“Probably, but not for the reasons you think. Most likely because I have pending cases or—”
“I’m sorry things are so bad between you two,” she says, squeezing my hand gently. “I know you’re close to her.”
I give her a look. “I don’t think we were close. She managed a weird agenda that I followed because I only had one goal, to show my cousins I was better at everything. In other words, I let her manipulate me for years and didn’t realize what was happening until she fucked me over pretty bad.”
Everything she does is only for her benefit. She demands that I make her happy, and when I don’t, she makes sure to screw with