Page 105 of Just Forever

“I didn’t twist your arm,” Lake throws over his shoulder as he walks past us.

“I wanted the free food,” Rach calls after him.

“Somebody’s easy,” Kelly says from behind her, earning himself a punch on the forearm.

“Which of those walls can I knock down with a really big hammer?” Rach asks.

I look around the foyer at all the walls I’d like to keep. “None of them?”

“Oh, come on. Even a small one? How about I make you a new door somewhere?”

“I’ll let you know,” I say.

She smacks a kiss on my cheek and walks toward the living room.

Sawyer and Kelly file in and go after her, and I close the front door behind them. The house is full of sounds. Music is playing, and it mixes with the voices floating toward me from the living area.

It’s a housewarming party in name only. In reality, it’s a sort of coming-out party. Not that we’re calling it that. Not that we’ll be making loud declarations or banging forks against champagne glasses to demand attention and announce that it’s him and me. Together. For the world to see.

Nothing like that.

It’s unnecessary. Not something I feel the need to do. And Lake… Well, Lake would rather stick toothpicks into his eyeballs than turn coming out into a spectacle.

We’re doing this our own way. Quiet. Low-key. A soft launch. Most people here already know, and the few who don’t can draw their own conclusions. It doesn’t matter because we both trust everyone we invited. I doubt any of them will react in an unexpected way. They’ll just be happy for us.

I head to the living room, where my eyes immediately find Lake. He’s talking to Kian, Laurent, Laurent’s wife, and Hayes, a bottle of beer in his hand, and his gaze lands on me as if I’ve summoned it. A small, secret smile appears on his lips as he nods at something Kian says.

I go to him and attach myself to his side. He wordlessly hands me his beer, and I take a drink.

“How’s the food?” Lake asks.

The kitchen is ancient, but the oven works. We rented a long table and folding chairs for the occasion. The plates are paper,and the silverware is made of cornstarch, so this affair is not exactly going to be classy, but I don’t think anybody’s going to mind.

“The lasagna’s cooling,” I say.

“You two made us a home-cooked meal?” Laurent’s wife, Eloise, asks. “Show-offs.” Her tone is teasing, and we all laugh.

“That’s all on Ryk,” Lake says and points his thumb toward me. “I would’ve ordered pizza. I wasn’t even allowed to help.”

“Your help involves eating the ingredients.”

“I have to test them.” Lake shrugs.

“For?”

“Poison. What else? You have to be more careful now that you’re a celebrity and stuff.”

I throw my arm over his shoulders and start to steer him toward the table. “Come on. Let’s go eat, and you can die for me if it turns out the lasagna has been tampered with.”

“Oh, this looks so good,” Eloise says when she takes a seat just as I slide the pan onto the middle of the table.

“Dig in,” I say, like a proper mother hen.

And they do.

After dinner, we all sit around the table. It’s getting late, but nobody’s in a hurry to leave yet. The window is open, and cool night air wafts in through it. The music is just loud enough that it creates a pleasant background noise.

Eloise leans forward on her elbows and moves her finger between me and Lake. “So, how long have you two been together?”

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