How I’d ended up in that family, I had no idea. I was just thankful for it.
“I’m gonna head out,” I called to Casper as he made his way over to Farrah. “CeeCee and Lily! Let’s go.”
* * *
A few hours later, I was sitting on the couch enjoying a beer before the apartment was overrun. The girls were in Trix’s bedroom doing makeup or face masks or some other mysterious girl shit, and for a few minutes, I had a little quiet time to myself.
I deserved it after the hour I’d spent following them around the grocery store. How a quick trip for groceries turned into twenty-minutes on the makeup aisle, I would never understand. None of them needed the shit, anyway.
“Hey, baby,” Trix said quietly, waddling over to me and dropping into my lap.
“Nice toes.”
“Thanks.” She held up her feet and wiggled her green and yellow painted toes. “Lily thought the green and yellow would give me some good luck for my finals next week.”
“You excited to be done?” I asked, rubbing my palm up and down her smooth legs. She’d changed and was wearing a pair of cut off sweatpants that she must have stolen from Leo, because they were tight as hell around her ass and loose at the waist. Easy access—not that I’d be getting any.
“Yeah.” She sighed and dropped her feet, leaning her head against my chest. “Worried too, though. I need to find a job.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I can take care of you.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew they were the wrong thing to say, even if I’d meant them. I didn’t want her to worry about finding a job—I had plenty of money I’d socked away for a rainy day—but Trix’s body stiffened in offense.
“I can take care of myself,” she snapped.
As she tried to push off my chest, I gripped her tighter.
“You don’t have to—” My words were cut off by a knock at the front door.
I shifted her to the couch next to me and went to answer the door, checking the peephole and barely catching myself before cursing.
“You’re early,” I said flatly as Leo pushed past me into the apartment.
“Tommy, Mick and Rose are right behind me,” he mumbled, carrying a paper grocery bag into the kitchen.
I didn’t even get the door closed before I saw Grease and Callie’s youngest, Rose, running down the breezeway.
“Is Lily here?” she asked excitedly.
“Yup. Doin’ her nails, I think,” I answered with a smile. I couldn’t help it. Rose was born only six months after Lily, but she seemed so much younger—probably because she didn’t have an older sister like Cecilia corrupting her.
Her little arms wrapped around my waist, squeezing tightly for only a second before she was tearing off through the entryway.
“Boys,” I greeted as Tommy and Mick followed slowly behind their sister.
Tommy was only a couple months younger than CeeCee, which made Mick, eh, fourteen? Yeah, I think there was three years between them—not that you’d notice by looking at them. Tommy was leaner, built like Casper, but Mick was built like Grease, so even with the age difference, he was bigger than his older brother.
“Your brother comin’?” I asked as they met me at the door.
“Nah, Will’s at the club.”
“Figured,” I replied with a nod. All the kids were here, but at twenty and with a prison record, Will was an adult. Leo was only two years younger, but he hadn’t graduated high school yet. He was still stuck in that in-between stage where he acted like hot shit around the younger kids, but still wanted to have a movie night at his big sister’s house.
Where Leo still watched the club members with a sense of awe, Will was trying his damnedest to fit in with them.
“Well, come on in,” I said, taking a step out of the doorway so they could push past me.
“Hey, Trix,” Mick called out shyly.
Oh, hell. With two words, I knew the kid had one hell of a crush on my girl.
I closed and locked the front door with a grimace. It was going to be a long fucking night.
Chapter 8
Trix
“The new Transformers,” I called with a flourish as six teenagers and pre-teens fought for the best spots to sit in my tiny living room. “Has anyone seen it yet?”
“I saw it in the theater,” Leo said nonchalantly as he sat down on the couch.
“Yeah, with Beth Miller,” Thomas said, chuckling. “Bet you didn’t see much of it.”
My eyes widened as Cecilia, who was getting ready to drop down beside Leo, abruptly moved to the floor next to her sister.
“Shut the fuck up, Tommy,” Leo hissed as Tommy dropped down in the spot Cecilia gave up. He glanced quickly over at CeeCee, whose jaw was tight as she acted like she wasn’t listening to their conversation.