For whatever reason, Benson seems to find it amusing that his twin has a very worrisome stalker.
“Why is Liam hiding under a blanket?” I ask quietly to Lilah.
“Because his family is a piece of work. Long story short, he’s loaded and they miss his money and their connection to him more than they actually miss him.”
Reese and I both shoot a sympathetic look to the clumped up blanket.
We know that feeling. Sort of. Our semi-sexist father mostly ignored us until we became social media sensations. Suddenly we were bragging rights to the family, even as women.
It’s not even bragging rights, but because of our twenty million followers, our father uses us like tools for his own campaigns. Business is all we speak about, and we talk about it all the time.
It’s nice to see people talking about anything and everything besides business.
“I’m starting to think this is what it looks like to have real friends,” I tell Reese as Penny and Lilah abandon us to go yell at Hale and Killian for eating all the brownies.
“Yeah. I’m starting to like Hale more and more,” she confesses, her smile doubling as Hale laughs at his sister’s pathetic attempt to take away the salsa.
Brownies and salsa? I don’t understand their stomachs.
“Deacon’s the stud of the town right now as the most eligible bachelor. Someone else will show up with goodies while he’s visiting,” Killian is arguing.
Nila drops beside me, and I gesture at all the dishes that have been stacked up now that they’re empty.
“They’re bringing food because they think Deacon is attractive?” I surmise.
She nods and shakes her head. “Don’t say that so loud, or Krysta will gut you like a fish.”
I swallow any of my next words.
“Why don’t they bring Hale any? He said he never dates, and I haven’t even seen one girl check him out,” Reese points out with genuine curiosity woven into the words.
Nila snorts and then outright laughs.
“Are you kidding? Why would anyone bring the Vincent boys food?” she asks like it’s a laughable notion. “It’d be as absurd as my brothers or any other Wild One getting some.”
Killian shoots her a look and narrows his eyes. Hale thumps his chest and pokes it out, glaring at her as well.
The Wilders seem unperturbed by the dig as one sharpens a knife and another carves his name into the doorframe next to him.
Alrighty then.
Where’s Kai?
“I don’t get it,” Reese says so seriously as a few others laugh at the joke that isn’t all that funny.
Kylie outright doubles over while shaking with laughter, along with Lilah.
“Didn’t see any men chasing the two of you around. Reese was in town one day and had half the men talking about her,” Hale says as he arches an eyebrow at his sister.
I’m apparently chopped liver, it seems.
Her laughter dies and she glares at him.
“Benson, tell him what a catch I am,” Lilah says as she crosses her arms over her chest.
“Best. Wife. Evah,” Benson says without missing a beat, smirking when Hale rolls his eyes.
“You look whipped when you jump at the chance to boost her ego,” Killian tells him.
This goes on for a while, all of them bantering back and forth.
“Stop scaring Reese! She’s going to give me babies! Her hips are just as good as that other one’s,” Penny hisses, waving at all of them to shut up.
“I-uh-I-uh,” is all Reese manages to get out once again.
Seriously, where is Kai?
“Is that bitch flirting now?” Krysta gasps, shoving away from the window as she leaps over the table and darts toward the—
“Control yourself! You’ll just scare him even more than you already have! I’m being a good friend right now by being honest!” Nila is whisper-yelling.
Lenny grabs her at the waist, holding her back almost effortlessly, as she struggles to reach the door.
“Damn it, let me go!”
“No can do, cuz. I’m saving you from yourself.”
“Is it always like this?” I ask Benson, who is calmly drinking his beer, just observing the pandemonium like it’s an everyday sort of thing.
“When they all get together, this is about as normal as it gets. The shock wears off. I was like you not too long ago. I only thought I knew Tomahawk until I started dating Lilah. I’m surprised no one has broken a window yet—”
Something loud crashes that sounds distinctly like glass shattering. Benson’s eyelids flutter shut, and he releases one long exhale.
“Benson, your window got in my way! I was aiming at the dart board!” Kai shouts down from…somewhere.
“I doubt a dart is what broke a window,” Benson calls up, shaking his head, eyes still closed.
“Darts are lame!” another guy shouts. “Especially when you’re betting your ass off and playing against a dart champion!”
Standing, I decide to head up the stairs to find Kai, as Benson shouts back, “It’d better be fixed by the end of the week!”