Page 52 of Late Nights

“It was sad,” he exclaimed, like she was the crazy one for not understanding why he had cried. “It’s not my fault that your tear ducts don’t work.”

She rolled her eyes at him and made her way over to the hot tub. As she lowered herself into the hot water, she let out a hiss, probably from the hot water stinging her skin after being in the snow.

Jax followed behind her, a smirk on his face. He’d had way too much fun teasing Kate, but I had to hand it to him, his plan had been brilliant.

“You two want to go roll around in the snow?” Jax asked Demi and me, giving me a meaningful look before the girls could see it. “It’s invigorating.”

“More like insufferable,” Kate mumbled.

Demi’s gaze flickered over to me, and I wondered if we were thinking the same thing. The idea of her body against my bare chest sounded amazing, but the cold snow, not so much. I wondered if it might be worth bearing the cold just to have Demi in my arms.

West stepped out onto the patio with Halle, effectively shutting down the inappropriate thoughts I was having about his sister. Which was a good thing. When he wasn’t around, I had a hard time remembering I needed to be smart when it came to Demi. As much as I liked her, nothing good would come from me acting on my feelings for her.

Both West and Halle’s eyes were bright, Halle’s face flushed. Looked like my assumption had been correct.

“Nice of you to finally join us,” I teased, giving West a knowing look.

He worked to hide a smirk. “I blame Halle. She struggles to keep to a schedule.”

“Me?” she exclaimed, giving him a look that was a mix of shock and accusation. “You were the one who wanted to veer from the plan.”

West did love his plans, but he loved Halle more.

They both got in the hot tub, West smiling at her as he pulled her into his lap. She went willingly, her annoyance seeming to flee at his touch.

I was truly happy for West, if not slightly envious. He had completely changed since meeting Halle. He was more carefree and seemed to actually enjoy his life now instead of living like a robot. I’d never thought they would end up together, but they were perfect for each other—different but complementary.

“So, I was thinking,” Halle said, changing the topic and shifting the focus from her and West. “We could order some pizza and watch a movie tonight. What do you guys think?”

We all nodded our consent, and Jax added, “As long as it’s not a Nicholas Sparks show. I can’t do two of his movies in a row.”

Kate and Demi chuckled.

“What?” he asked, looking at them. “What’s wrong with a guy wanting a guaranteed happily-ever-after?”

“Nothing,” Demi said with a smile. “It’s nice to know there are guys who enjoy a good romance.”

“I swear Kate tries to find the saddest movies she can find so I’ll cry and she can make fun of me for it.” He gives Kate a pointed look.

Kate puts her hands up in the air. “Hey, now, it’s not my fault you cry so easily. And I do not purposefully find sad movies.”

“Psshh,” he scoffed. “What about that one movie with the dog? I was sad for two days after watching that.”

Kate bit her lip, trying to hold back her smile.

“We can find a happy movie,” Halle said to Jax.

“I’m also open to watching a thriller,” he told her.

“No,” Kate practically shouted. “Why would you even suggest that?”

“Everyone loves a good scary movie.” He looked to the rest of us to chime in with our agreement, a wicked glint in his eye.

I nodded, not bothered with the idea of watching a scary movie. West, Halle, and Demi didn’t seem to mind the idea either.

Kate huffed. “If everyone else wants to watch some stupid scary movie, I will,” she huffed. “But you know what happens when I get scared.” She pointed at Jax like what she’d said was a threat.

“I think I can handle it,” Jax said with a smug grin. “It adds to the show when I don’t know if you’re going to claw or squeeze me to death.”

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