My face goes soft at the hope in her voice. “Endorphins, little sister. Endorphins are a powerful thing.”
“Fuck yeah they are. How do you think I got this sexy? That runner’s high, baby!” Seth inserts, and I shake my head and grin when Twyla shushes him.
“And now you and Doc are… an item?” she prompts.
“Come on, doll. That’s like, the least shocking thing out of all of this. Ain’t no girl gonna be able to resist my man Doc. Especially living under his roof. Have you looked into his dog’s eyes? I’d marry Doc myself just for Scout boy,” Seth answers for me, saying the Aussie’s name in a baby voice.
“I swear to God, I’m going to lock myself in the bathroom if you don’t hush and let Astrid speak,” Twyla tells him, and I hear a pouted “Fine” farther away from the phone.
“Well, yes. As Seth so eloquently put it, I finally gave in to my feelings I was suppressing for Neil… and his dog.”
Neil pinches my ass and I let out a squeak, glaring into his eyes.
“But anyway. We got on the subject of my books and how BDSM novels have been my favorite genre for years, and um… you know, the stuff that happened with Brandon—”
“That mother—” Seth starts to growl, but the very distinct sound of Twyla slapping her hand over his mouth cuts him off.
“—when I spoke to my ex about what the books were about. And anyway, one thing has led to another, and he asked me if I’d spoken to you about your therapy and whatever followed at the club.”
There’s silence on the other end, and I give her a minute, thinking she’s probably rustling up the courage to tell me about the things she’s tried at Club Alias. But then…
“Ah, doll, come here.” Seth’s voice is soft, and I hear movement, like he’s pulling her in for a hug.
“Twy?” I prompt, my brows furrowing.
She sniffs loudly, her voice full of tears when she answers, “I’m here, Astrid. I’m…”
I… am an asshole. “Oh my God, Twy. I’m so sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t even think about how you would feel bringing up everything that happened last year. Shit, I feel like such a bi—”
“No!” she interrupts. “No, sis. It’s not that. I’m all good there. It’s the pregnancy hormones.”
I lift my brows at that. The woman has actual scars from what happened to her because of me, and she’s “all good there?” My need for this information doubles.
“I’m just…” She sniffs loudly. “I’m just so happy. This depression you’ve been in since it all went down has been like a huge weight on my shoulders, and you just have no idea what a relief it is to hear you sound so much like your old self.”
That brings tears to my own eyes, and my chin wobbles. “Yeah, I’m working on it, kid,” I tell her softly. “And I think what would really get this ball rolling is if you were to give Neil permission to tell me the type of therapy you went through. Because I’m hoping if it worked out so well for you, then maybe… just maybe, it might help a little bit for me.”
“Yes!” she yells into the phone, and I give a little half-smile as I glance up at Neil. “I give my permission, Doc. If I need to sign something or whatever, I’ll do it. But I give you the green light. Tell her everything; I don’t even care. In fact, this is way better. If you tell her, then I don’t have to, and it’ll be way less embarrassing for me.” She laughs even as she sniffs again.
“Does she need to sign something in order for you to tell me right now? Because I will leave right now and take it over to her,” I ask him, lifting a brow.
“No, goddess. Just the verbal confirmation is good,” Neil replies, and I nod, making to stand up from his lap to go back to my seat, but his big Thor arm comes down over my legs like a lap bar on a roller coaster.
I purse my lips before telling my sister, “Well, that’s all I needed, Twy. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“I want to see you!” she inserts quickly. “I mean, not now. You’re in the middle of… important things right now. Obviously. But I want to see you soon. Dinner sometime this week, the four of us? Or maybe lunch just the two of us?”
“Definitely. I’ll text you later and we’ll make actual plans. I love you, baby sis,” I murmur.
She sniffs one last time. “Love you too, Astrid. Bye.”
I place Neil’s phone back into the nook in the hot tub then look him in the eye. “Spill.”
The corner of his sexy lips tilts up, but he shakes his head. “While I am enjoying this pair of balls you’ve grown, and I fully intend to tell you everything you need to know, we’ve been in this hot tub longer than the recommended amount of time. Where would you prefer to move this conversation, goddess?” he asks, and it’s not until he mentions it that I realize I’m pruny and flushed from the spa.