Page 2 of Alice & Meg, Girls Trip

“Then why the hell is she here and not at school four hours away?” Wrecker’s voice rose, his frustration clear.

“Well, you see,” I began, trying to buy myself some time. I needed a good reason for why Eden was here, and I needed it fast.

Eden saved me from further fumbling as she stepped into the living room, her eyes bouncing between Wrecker and me. “I can only stay until Thursday night, Mom,” she announced. “Fox said he’ll take over for me.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Wrecker called out, his brows furrowing deeply. “What the hell is your brother going to be taking over for?” he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Eden hesitated, glancing at me for help. I could see the panic in her eyes. “Uh, well,” she stammered, then whispered, “Mom, I thought you said Dad knew about this.”

It was time to pivot. I threw my hands in the air and forced a wide smile onto my face. “Surprise!” I shouted, trying to inject some enthusiasm into my voice. “You get to spend the next seven days with your favorite children! I’m gonna go hang out in the woods with the girls, and you get to spend some real quality time with Eden and Fox.”

Eden snickered, clearly amused by the turn of events. “Wait until I tell Kingston,” she teased. “He always suspected Fox was the favorite, but now I can tell him I am, too.”

I wagged a finger at her, feigning sternness. “You will do no such thing. I love you all the same, but differently the same-ish.”

“That doesn’t even make sense,” Wrecker drawled.

Eden cocked her hip out and propped her hand on it, raising an eyebrow. She really looked like me when she stood like that. “Fancy words for just saying you love me and Fox more than Kingston.”

Wrecker groaned, rubbing a hand over his face as if trying to wipe away the entire situation. “So, let me get this straight,” he said, his voice strained. “You two planned this, didn’t you? To make sure I wouldn’t be alone for some ungodly reason.”

Eden pointed at me. “This was all her fault. I just agreed to come for a few days.”

“It didn’t take much for me to convince you to come home,” I insisted.

“I don’t need a babysitter, Alice,” Wrecker grumbled. “I’m fine.”

“We know you’re fine, Dad,” Eden chimed in, stepping closer to him. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t keep you company.”

Oh, now she was going to help me out after only five seconds ago she was going to push me under the bus.

Wrecker looked at her, his expression softening slightly. He’d always had a soft spot for Eden despite his tough exterior. “You should be at school,” he muttered, though his tone lacked the earlier bite. “I’m not paying all that tuition money for you to come home every weekend.”

“I will be back at school soon,” Eden replied, smiling up at him. “But right now, I’m here. And Fox will be here after me. You’re stuck with us whether you like it or not.”

Wrecker sighed heavily, looking between the two of us. “I just wanted some peace and quiet,” he mumbled, more to himself than to us. “Take care of the cows, have a few beers.”

I reached out and squeezed his arm. “You’ll still get plenty of peace and quiet,” I promised. “And you can drink some beers with Fox.”

“Yeah, totally,” Eden added. “I still have a couple of assignments I need to work on, and I wanted to meet up with Calla, Penny, Bell, Clove, and Adley one of the nights, but other than that, I’m here. We can even have a few beers,” she offered, but that might have been the wrong thing to add.

“You are only nineteen, Eden. I don’t want to even think about you drinking a beer,” Wrecker warned.

Eden held up her hands. “My bad, I meant you and I can share a glass of juice.”

He looked at me, his eyes searching mine for a long moment before he finally nodded. “Fine,” he conceded. “But no hovering, and if I find out you’re behind on your schoolwork because of this, there will be hell to pay.”

“Deal,” I agreed, relieved that he wasn’t pushing back harder.

Eden grinned, clearly pleased with herself. “This is going to be fun,” she declared.

Wrecker shot her a look that said he was not convinced, but he didn’t argue further. Instead, he turned to me and asked, “So, when the hell are you leaving?”

Meg

“We’re only going to be a couple hours away, Lo. You don’t need to worry about us,” I reassured him, trying to keep my tone light.

“Famous last words,” Lo growled, his voice thick with concern. “Now I’m going to worry even more.”

---