The Consequence of Loving Colton (Consequence 1)

He leaned forward and squinted at me. “So you didn’t get any.”

I smacked him on the back of the head and sent him stumbling forward a couple of steps. “Oh, I had plenty. Tell me, how’s Jayne?”

Max muttered something under his breath while Milo helped Reid to the chair.

“How’s Jason?” Milo asked. “And Grandma?”

Reid started screaming and scrambled for the door. I literally had to hold his shaking body in the chair. It took him a few seconds to calm himself before he nodded and closed his eyes.

Max cleared his throat. “We, uh, we don’t use her name anymore on account that Reid nearly ran in front of two cars while crossing the parking lot to get to the hotel. He was spurred on by my utterance of her name and ran around the hotel screaming for a good ten minutes before I knocked him out.”

“Hmm.” Milo laughed. “I thought I heard a dying dog or something. So that was Reid?”

Reid opened his eyes and glared. “I panicked, okay? I mean, what if she had followed me?”

“In her walker?” I asked. “Plus she doesn’t have a driver’s license.”

Reid shook his head. “She’d find a way. Believe me.”

“So . . . this is cozy.” Max sniffled and looked around. “Damn, I’m a good friend.”

“Yes, I was saying those exact words until I heard singing in the hallway.”

Max rolled his eyes. “That wasn’t singing—it was crooning. Half my cousins were conceived by Boyz II Men.”

“And when you say conceived, you mean to the song.”

Max laughed. “Or do I?”

I closed my eyes and prayed for patience. “You guys can’t stay here.”

“Colton!” they all said in unison, including my blushing bride.

She punched my arm. “Where else would they go? Reid’s terrified and it’s not like they can go back to the house. They aren’t even fit to walk, let alone drive!”

I glared at Max—in fact I had an entire conversation with him in my head. It went something like this.

I narrowed my eyes, meaning, I hate you.

He narrowed his right back, meaning, I know, but deal with it, bitch.

I bit down on my lip and made a cutting motion across my neck with my hand, saying, Look, you touch her, I’ll kill you. Yeah, we were married and she was mine, but still, the vision of him being with her was still fresh in my mind. His hands had been on her, my woman.

He lifted his hands in the air and waved a bit as if saying, It’s cool, dude. I don’t like her in that way.

I nodded once in understanding.

He nodded twice.

We exchanged a fist pump.

And suddenly all was well in the world again.

Men—we’re easy.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

MILO

I yawned and had settled happily against Colt’s chest when the thought hit me. Tomorrow. Holy crap! I was supposed to be driving home tomorrow!

“Oh, no!” I jerked away from him and tumbled to the floor, taking Max with me. Reid was over in the corner—he’d given us strict instructions that we weren’t to touch him when he was sleeping.

We listened, mainly because Max swore Reid carried a Swiss Army knife and none of us wanted to be caught on the other end of it.

“I was sleeping!” Max pouted from underneath me.

Colt scrambled off the bed and pulled me to my feet. “What? Are you hurt? What’s wrong? I swear if Max touched you—”

“How could I be guilty? All I did was breathe!” he argued.

“If Max breathed wrong on you . . .” Colt continued, his eyes fierce.

“No, it’s not Max.” I pressed my fingers against my temples. “It’s just . . . I was planning on going back to town tomorrow. I have a month left of school!”

“We know,” Max and Colt said in unison.

“But I just got married.” I said it slow . . . because they were men.

“Right.” Colt nodded.

Helplessly I turned to look at Max, but he wore the same blank expression Colt did. “Guys! This is a really big deal. I’m married and I’m leaving and . . .” Oh, no, here come the tears . . .

“Milo.” Colt put his hands on my shoulders. “How many days are in a month?”

“Don’t ask her things she doesn’t know!” Max snapped.

I rolled my eyes. “Thirty or thirty-one unless it’s February.”

“Or a leap year,” Max offered helpfully.

“Right.” Colt grinned. “A month is nothing compared to a lifetime. Besides, I work for seventy-two hours straight and then I get three days off. I’ll come see you.”

“Really?” I perked up. “You would do that?”

“Yeah.” Colt pulled me into his arms and kissed my cheek. “I mean, shouldn’t your husband help you pack? Besides, I figure you’ll want to shop a bit in the city to furnish your new house.”

“We have a house!” I shouted, jumping into his arms.

“Duh,” Max said, sounding bored. “What? You thought you were moving into a cave?”

“A house.” Colt kissed my mouth. “A nice house where we’ll have privacy . . . away from the watchful eyes of—”

“—Jason,” Max offered. “—Reid, Grandma, parents.”

“Max,” I sang sweetly.

“What?”