"Astrid, down," Liv called, making the woman turn her head over her shoulder, giving her friend a smirk.
"But it would be so much fun," she insisted.
"She's off limits," I told Virgin who gave Astrid one last look before walking away.
"Got it," he told me as he disappeared down the hallway.
"Boo," Astrid said, small-eyeing me for a short second.
"Don't worry," Liv assured her. "You can't walk down the street in this town without brushing shoulders with some hot, cocky guy. You know... the type you like so much. But back to the matter at hand. Yes, I know the lease is up. But that still doesn't explain anything."
"Doesn't it, though?" she asked, shrugging. "'Cause Cam and I think it does. Otherwise, us putting a first, last, and security down on an apartment here would be really odd."
"You didn't."
"We did," she agreed, looking past Liv at me. "You're welcome," she told me with a genuine smile. "We had a talk. Well, I did a lot of talking. And we kind of decided that we weren't exactly attached to the loft. I mean... we never even decorated the place. So what is the difference from one loft to another, y'know? So we got another one. We are going to need your buddies to help us move the boom-things," she told me, meaning guns. "We have movers coming for all the other stuff. But we figure you would all be more trustworthy with those. Since that is what you do for a living. Liv, smile," she told her. "I just fixed everything. Yes, you are very welcome. Now show me a dimple."
Liv looked frozen in place for a long moment, disbelieving then processing things.
All of a sudden, her hand ripped from mine and she flew at her friend, throwing her arms around her, hugging her so tight that Astrid looked a little red.
"I love you," she told her, voice thick with emotion. "And you," she added, looking over at Cam.
And I couldn't help but feel a small twinge of jealousy, wondering when I would get to hear those words. Knowing that was where we were heading. If I were being completely honest, I felt it already, but knew she couldn't handle that yet.
"What about you?" Astrid asked when Liv let her go to go give Cam a hug. "Do you love me?" she asked, trying for that flirty tone she had worked on Virgin, but I saw beneath it, I saw the little girl needing love there.
And, fuck yeah, I loved her.
"Of course I love you, cariña," I told her, pulling her in for a hug.
"Hey, Roderick?" she said as I gave her a tight squeeze.
"Yeah?"
"You need to buy me a housewarming gift."
And I knew exactly what I needed to get her.
While Liv caught up with her friends, I needed to go take a trip to the local pet store.Livianna - 3 months"Stop shaking me," I demanded, but I was smiling at Astrid's enthusiasm.
She was like taking a five-year-old to Hershey Park or Disneyland.
This place on a hill, this was her theme park.
It had taken me awhile to get Lo to agree. Not because she didn't trust me - or us - just because I had dragged my feet in asking, worrying it was too soon, that Lo might find the request suspect. Even though Lo and I had several long conversations over the time I had been in Navesink Bank.
It turned out that I could barely get the question out before she was demanding me and Astrid come up the next day.
"Oh, look at the puppies!" Astrid cooed at the dozen or so guard dogs trolling the premises behind the giant gates with barbed wire that I would bet good money on being electrified.
"Don't touch them without asking first," I reminded her like a mom at a park.
"I'm not stupid," she shot back, rolling her eyes much like the kid being told not to touch a dog at the park.
We waited to be let in the gates, both of us trying not to seem like complete rubes by ogling the sprawling shipping container compound with solar panels, gardens, a greenhouse.
"I don't know how they don't get claustrophobic," I murmured, shaking my head at the lack of windows.
"I dunno. I like it. No one can get in. Super safe," Astrid said as we climbed out, waiting for Lo. "Oh, look at that rage," she went on, jerking her chin over toward where two women were sparring in the field - one older, one young, still a teenager. Chris. And she was going hard. "That looks familiar," Astrid added, moving off toward the girl.
From what I heard about the girl - Chris, Lo and Cash's adopted daughter - Astrid wasn't wrong. The two had some things in common, the same anger at the world.
"Do you know how many times I gave Chris that exact same correction," Lo said at my side, coming out of nowhere. "And she never listened to me."