Since I can’t smack him, I send him a picture of all the cars.
Reese: Sorry?? Stay an hour at least.
Peyton: Fine??
Phone tucked in my back pocket, I trudge for the house. A black Bel Air sits next to an off-roading Jeep in the driveway. “Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin belts out as I step closer to the door. Just as I lift my hand to knock, a dog barks from inside the house.
I step back and glance at the window. A husky has his snout shoved between the blinds as he rattles the slats. He barks again before someone shushes him.
The door swings open and I feel like I stepped back several decades. A petite brunette smiles at me as she wrangles the dog. Her hair swept up in a ponytail. A bandanna knotted in a headband atop her head. Denim hugs her legs and a graphic tee depicting hot rods is tied above her navel.
Not only is she pretty, she also makes me feel welcome when I know only one person here.
“Hi.” She extends her free hand and I shake it. “Please, come in. I’m Autumn. And this” —she points to the husky currently licking a little girl’s face— “is Spartan and Clementine.”
“Peyton,” I say and step inside. “Thank you.”
“Hope you’re hungry.” Her red-painted lips curve up farther. “Sometimes we get carried away at the store.”
My stomach grumbles at the mention of food, but I’m thankful she doesn’t hear. Don’t think I can eat right away. “Smells wonderful. Thanks for having me.”
“The more, the merrier. Follow me.” She starts for another door. “Everyone’s out back.” My feet stick to the floor and I swallow. Autumn peers over her shoulder, then comes back to my side. She wraps a tattooed arm around my shoulders. “No need to be nervous. Everyone here is family. If anyone fucks with you, they’ll answer to me.”
I may have only just met this woman, but I like her already. “Appreciate it.”
“If you want, when we get outside, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
I sag under her arm. “That’d be great.”
The door opens and Spartan bolts out with Clementine on his heels. “Sparty, wait.” She chases after him and disappears into the yard.
“Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd starts playing through a speaker off to the side. Two steps down, we land on a paver patio. Hickory and oak drift in the air from a smoker. Tables span the side of the house with paper goods, drinks, and food filling every inch.
Autumn takes my hand without hesitation and tugs me toward the smoker. And several men. None of them Micah. But I feel his eyes on me.
Here we go.
“Jonas,” she calls out and a man spins to face us. Roughly the same height as me, he has messy brown hair that’s long on top, but buzzed short everywhere else. He sports a Black Sabbath shirt, loose jeans and bare feet. And the way he smiles at Autumn makes me feel as if I’m interrupting their privacy.
“Yes, scarlet.” I look to Autumn and she mouths nickname.
“This is Peyton. Peyton, this is my boyfriend, Jonas.”
He steps closer and extends a hand. “Nice to meet you, Peyton.” We shake and it feels more welcoming than awkward. “Burgers, brats, and chicken should be done soon. Help yourself to whatever.” He gestures to the buffet.
Tonight will be an abundance of handshakes and thank yous. But I don’t mind. From the overall vibe, everyone here seems nice.
Next to the grill with Jonas, I meet Reznor, Rex, and Trevor. Reznor and Rex work at the same tattoo shop as Autumn. Both decorated in tattoos and have a few visible piercings. Reznor seems the quieter of the two, only talking when he has something to say. Trevor is introduced as Jonas’s best friend. They have known each other since girls were gross, as Jonas puts it.
“Alright, let’s go meet some other faces,” Autumn suggests.
Maybe it’s the fact I meet new people and have random conversations weekly that has kept me from freaking out so far. The panic I felt before arriving has cooled and now simmers in the background. Autumn, being a gracious hostess, might have something to do with it. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful the urge to puke has tapered off.
The next cluster of people are more of Autumn’s tattoo family. Penny—who has bubblegum-pink hair and pops chewing gum more often than not—jumps up and hugs me.
“Pen, don’t scare the girl. Jesus,” Autumn scolds.
Penny steps back and smiles. “Sorry.” She glances at Autumn. “If the guys didn’t scare her, no one will.” Pop.
“Let’s not test it.”
Then, Autumn introduces Tatyana and Ashton—Reznor’s girlfriend and son—and Iliana. We exchange greetings and chat a moment. Penny pops her gum twenty times in less than ten minutes. She speaks with animated hands and doesn’t care what anyone thinks. I love her automatically.
Autumn wraps up our conversation with them and prepares to shift us to the last group outside. Where Micah sits with three other people and talks. Where he has kept an eye on me since the moment I stepped outside.
I may not have looked directly at Micah, but I have known exactly where he is from the moment Autumn led me out back. Felt his eyes roam my untamed hair, my face, my body. Heard the occasional falter in his words as he spoke with friends. Caught him staring out of the corner of my eye as I interacted in his world.
“Hey, guys,” Autumn says as we approach. “Cora, Gavin, Shelly, this is Peyton.”
Familiar names. My eyes dart between their faces as I shove my hands in my back pockets.
The woman next to Micah bears the same eyes and blonde locks, and I assume this is his sister, Shelly. Makeup paints her eyes and face with perfect lines and strokes. And she wears pink as if she would own no other color, but it doesn’t look bad on her. Micah mentioned her the night he apologized to me at Teddy’s, but she seems otherwise familiar.
Across from Micah and Shelly is a woman and man who I presume to be Cora and Gavin. Both have black hair—hers cut to her shoulders and his almost just as long, but only on the top of his head. Gavin has his arm around Cora in a way that says they are a couple. A swift glance at her left hand tells me they’re married. And god, do they make a beautiful couple.