Page 227 of The Sidekick

Max settles on the couch in a rush and pats his lap for me to sit down with an expectant grin.

“Max,” Trevor says in a dark tone of censure.

“Don’t care,” he sing-songs back without taking his eyes from me.

Asher passes me with a pat on my butt that startles me. He gives me a sly grin and does his own tour while Trevor watches him.

I sigh and give in. I don’t have a problem sitting in Max’s lap. I could actually use his version of comfort right now.

I settle on his thigh and press my side into his chest, resting my head on his shoulder. His arms go around my waist as he settles back.

“Tell me all about it,” Max mutters and presses a quick kiss to my head.

The cushions dip as someone sits behind me.

“They ditched him,” I mutter sadly. “We can do the pranks but I’m waiting for Andi to call and tell me they’re gone first. South promised she would watch Shade while he processes but I don’t know how long that will take.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Trevor says from behind me. “You can stay as long as you like.”

“I’ll pay rent,” I promise without looking at him. “We can split bills or however you want to do this.”

“Um, no,” Max says in a surprised tone. “We’re taking care of all of this.”

“We are huh?” Trevor is smirking, I can tell.

Max clears his throat angrily. “That money is half mine. So what if it’s in one account?”

Asher comes back in, takes in the lack of seating, and sits cross-legged on the floor.

“A recliner or one of those cushy chairs,” I tell him and he looks at me with a tiny smile.

“On it,” Max shrugs as if it’s a done deal.

I frown and pull away from him. His jaw clenches as his arms tighten around me as he glares.

“I can afford my own stuff, you know. I have money now.”

“Oh, really,” Max smirks at me.

“Yeah, really,” I smirk back just to be a jerk. “As a matter of fact I could just go get a house of my own.”

It isn’t something to be proud of considering how I came into the money but the surety surprises me. I’ve been working to keep myself sane and to be around people but I’m not working because I need to anymore.

“Huh,” I say in a wondering tone.

“What?” Max laughs at my befuddled expression.

“I don’t have to work,” I mutter back with a frown. “I’ve gotten so used to it that I automatically assume I have to be doing it.”

His brows furrow and his eyes shift to Trevor in a panic.

“What do you mean,” Trevor asks softly. He sounds unsure of where I’m going with this.

“I mean, in today’s economy I don’t think it would last for more than maybe ten years but it’s still something.”

“Are you saying you’re rich, babygirl?”

“I guess?” I don’t sound confident about it at all.

---