Fearless Like Us (Like Us 9)

But hey, at least Grandmother Calloway got her surprise present delivered here on time. And I hate that I had to let delivery men through the door.

But Jane hated her present even more.

A humongous white grand piano is sitting among us like an elephant in the room. Untouched and given the side-eye every other minute.

Jane can’t even play piano.

No one here can.

Anyway, maybe it’s for the best that none of this tonight is planned. Nothing the three of us have done so far has been.

Love isn’t planned.

No way would I have planned something this complicated. A triad? A V-triad? It happened, and I don’t want to go in any other direction but forward with them.

“LJ wouldn’t normally hiss,” Jane concludes.

Thatcher glances over at the hall bathroom, where they’re keeping the tiniest cat tonight. They’re trying to introduce Little Jane to different areas of the penthouse, away from the dogs. “I’ll check on her, honey,” Thatcher says before leaving Jane’s side.

Once he disappears, Jane sips a beer, “We can proceed.”

Jack restarts the timer.

Shit. Thatcher better hurry back. I can’t announce this without him here.

Luna hisses again.

“A feral cat!” Sulli yells out.

“Yep!” Luna hops to her feet.

Oscar tosses a potato chip in his mouth. “Exactly what I said.”

He gets a stink-eye from Jane.

“Team Cobalt,” Oscar reinforces, pointing to his chest.

“More like shit-stirrer,” Farrow says with a smile as he claps for Luna with Donnelly, Sulli, and Jack. Oscar joins in the applause.

O-Squad is beating the shit out of us right now.

Five to nothing.

Thatcher, Jane, Maximoff, Banks, and Quinn are on the losing end with me.

Banks nudges me. “How’d they get so good at this game?”

“Sulli’s on their team.”

She’s too competitive to just give up that easily. I would’ve picked her on our team after being nominated team captain, but Oscar chose her first.

“Wait, wait,” Maximoff says to everyone as Luna ventures back to the sofa. Even his ten-month-old son on his lap looks up at him. Ripley is squeezing his stuffed animal, a yellow parrot with an eyepatch.

Baby needs a bodyguard.

Soon.

I have to create a mess before I clean that one.

“You can’t hiss. I swear that’s against the rules,” Maximoff declares.

“Hissing isn’t talking,” Luna says into a shrug. “Jane’s rules were just no talking.”

Jane cringes. “Technically, that is what I said, old chap.”

Maximoff replies to her in French.

She nods sympathetically, and Maximoff hands Jane the bowl of papers, full of charades topics.

Sulli swigs harder from a beer, staring at the ground.

You just won a round, Sul.

But she knows my turn isn’t next.

I set down my beer and massage my palms. Unable to peel my eyes off Sulli. Before the game even started, we agreed that we’d announce our relationship during one of our turns.

Our team chose Banks to go first. But he wasn’t about to open charades with a bomb drop. Sulli has yet to be called on, and my turn should be soon.

The actual anticipation isn’t grinding down on only me.

Banks leans into my arm. “What’s Quinn doing?”

I find him fast.

Quinn.

Come on.

He’s staring so hard at Sulli, he looks like he’s trying to penetrate her damn mind.

My muscles tighten. “He has zero chill.” Once his eyes ping to me, I send him a disapproving glare.

He scratches his unshaven jaw. “Arkham! Orion!” Calling the two dogs just draws more attention to him, including the attention of Oscar.

One of the most perceptive guys I’ve ever known.

Wonderful.

So very wonderful.

“Mother of Christ,” Banks mumbles. “We’re fucked.”

“Not yet.”

Luna is keeping her cool. She laughs at something Farrow and Donnelly say, but even that sends me on edge. I don’t know what Sulli knows about Luna, but I’ll find out with Banks. Some way or another.

Thatcher comes back before the next round.

Perfect. We’re not that out of luck.

“Alright, this one is a bit…strange.” Jane stands, crinkling the paper. “But I’ll try.” She takes position in the center of the room and kisses the air in one direction. Then she turns around and kisses the air in the other direction.

My stomach knots.

“Whistling,” Maximoff guesses with way too much confidence. Ripley giggles up at his dad.

Farrow’s brows rise. “That’s what you think whistling looks like, wolf scout?”

Maximoff makes a face. “No talking from the enemy team.”

Ripley babbles to Farrow, trying to mimic Maximoff.

Farrow’s smile stretches into a laugh. “Okay, Last Pick.”

I did pick Maximoff last. I’ve been around these families long enough to know that Maximoff Hale sucks at charades.

Maximoff groans out, but he’s smiling.

There are so many couples here, and it’s making me want to reveal my relationship even more.

“You alright, boss?” Donnelly asks across the room.

I lift my gaze and nod once. “Yeah.” I’m fine.

Just fine.

Cut in and hold an emergency meeting.

Cut in and tell them.

Wait, Nine.

Something tugs at me and stops me from interrupting.

Jane continues. She pushes at the air like she’s pushing someone away, and then she turns back and kisses the air on the opposite side.