“You’re not bringing skanks to my house,” I warned.
Henry started laughing. “Wouldn’t dream of it as long as you don’t give me shit for not coming home like my parents or Trev would.”
“I can honestly say that I don’t give two flying fucks where you sleep at night, Henry dear.”
“Perfect.”
I smiled at the relief in his voice. Oh, to be young, gorgeous, and single…wait. I was young, gorgeous—sort of—and single. I didn’t feel that way though. I felt like I was forty-five.
“So Mom said you had surgery?” Henry asked, then paused. “Oh shit. I wasn’t supposed to know, was I?”
“Christ, no, it’s fine. I had to have a hysterectomy. It’s all healed up, the end.” I walked toward my bedroom.
“Wait, why? So you can’t have kids, right?” Henry went silent again. “Motherfuck, Ani. That was a shitty thing to say.”
“You’re fine.” I smiled sadly, sitting completely naked at the end of my bed. “No, I can’t have kids. It is what it is though. No worries.”
“Well, I’ve completely fucked up this entire conversation,” Henry groaned. “When I stay at your house, you can shave one of my eyebrows off when I’m sleeping. Fair?”
“I was going to do that anyway,” I said, wiping at my wet eyes. “It’s the only reason I said you could stay.”
“Me and you, Anita Bonita. We’re going to party like its nineteen ninety-nine.”
“Do you even remember nineteen ninety-nine?” I snorted, sliding beneath the covers on my bed.
“Yes.” Pause. “A little.” Pause. “Oh, shut the fuck up.”
I started laughing while Henry grumbled.
“Let me know what day you’ll be here and I’ll make sure to get you a key,” I said after I’d stopped laughing.
“Sounds good.”
“I’m really glad you’re coming up, dude. I miss you like crazy.”
“Yeah me too. Should be fun to have the kids all together again.”
“Except for Alex,” I said, suddenly really missing my best friend.
“That’s what he gets for joining the Army. Pussy.”
“Don’t be a dick,” I ordered, smiling.
“Hey, you’re not going to be bringing home guys from the bar either, right? I really don’t want to hear that shit.”
My mouth pulled up in a devious grin, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. “What shit?” I asked innocently.
“Uh, you know.” Henry cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Moans and shit.”
“Oh!” I nodded my head even though he couldn’t see me. “Like, oh God, stranger from the bar, your dick is so huge. Oh, please, stick it in, stick it in!” I made my voice as breathy as I could and finished off the sentence with a high-pitched moan.
“You. Are. A. Dick,” Henry commented when I was done, every word enunciated like it was its own sentence.
“You’re welcome.”
“That’s how you sound when you have sex?” he asked seriously. “I thought it would be hotter.”
“Fuck you!” I laughed.
“I’ll call you in a couple days and let you know when I get in.”
“Get in,” I snickered, making him chuckle, too.
“Bye, Bonita Anita.”
“Bye, asshole.”
I dropped the phone on the bed and snuggled farther underneath the blankets. It was nice to hear from Henry. He’d been such a cute kid when I met him. Fourteen and skinny as a rail, he’d been the only one in either of the families that was anywhere close to my size. He’d bulked up as he’d gotten older, but he was still pretty small compared to his brothers and cousins. He’d hit on me back then, so sure that he was smooth.
I’d shot him down faster than the words could come out of his mouth.
The little cutie-pie. I’d wanted to just reach out and pinch his cheeks, but I was pretty sure, if I’d done that, he would have died from mortification on the spot.
I sighed. I needed to go get him a key for the house—or maybe I’d just see if he could borrow Bram’s, even though I was pretty sure Bram would say no. Take away his key and give it to absentminded Henry? No way in hell.
I hadn’t seen Bram since he’d dropped me off the morning before, but I wasn’t really concerned about it. I’d been busy napping and then working on my living room long into the night, before crashing and waking up early again to finish it up. Now that the walls were completely done, I needed to refinish the floor in there, and just the thought of it made me groan. I was so freaking tired.
I closed my eyes and relaxed into the bed. It was Sunday—I could nap if I wanted to.
* * *
“You waiting on me, gorgeous?” a soft voice whispered into my ear a few hours later, making me smile. Bram.
“I’m pretty sure the front door was locked,” I replied drowsily, opening my eyes as Bram’s body slid in behind me. His hand smoothed up my hip and around my belly as his body curled into mine.