Page 103 of Drop Three

“Hey, lumber fuck.”

I chuckle. “Hey, metal queef.”

It’s a little after eight in the morning, and I’m confident Penelope’s snort just woke up the whole house. “God, I missed you, Bodhi,” she says, standing on her tippy toes and wrapping her arms around my neck.

“It’s good to see you, Penelope.”

She pulls back to look at me. “You look like shit. What happened?”

I give her a look of annoyance before grabbing her bags from her and leading her into the kitchen. “Wow. I’m really looking forward to your company, Penelope. It’s a joy to have you here,” I tease her.

“Har har. But for real, you look like you haven’t slept in months.”

I set her bags by the stairs and hand her a water bottle from the fridge. “Not months. Maybe weeks, but definitely not months.”

Except for the night Navy tucked me in after my nightmare, but she doesn’t need to know that.

“Holy shit. I should have come sooner. You’re a mess.”

I am not. Okay, so I let my scruff grow out a little, and I’m still in yesterday’s clothes—what’s the big deal?

“Penelope, I don’t need another mother. Didn’t need the first one, don’t need you to be the next. I’m fine. Seriously,” I tell her kindly.

She rolls her eyes before walking up and sniffing me. “You stink.”

I chuckle. “I’ll go shower.”

She holds her hand out to stop me. “Hold on. I’ll let this go…for now.”

I nod, giving her a second to pace the bottom floor of the house and check everything out.

“Killer pool. I know where I’ll be this weekend.”

What is up with these women in my life not giving a shit how cold it is before plunging into the freezing cold water?

That’s a night with Navy I’d like to both relive and forget.

“It’s sixty degrees out.”

“Eh. You only live once, right?” She waves me off.

How are we related?

I grunt obnoxiously loud. “Were you switched at birth? There’s no way we share the same blood.”

Penelope throws her head back and laughs. “Wouldn’t that be a story to tell the kids one day?”

Having Penelope here feels right. I’ve missed her, and her being in my home, where I spend most of my time, makes me realize how much I’ve overlooked having family around.

Too bad Dad couldn’t make it.

Penelope and I have always been different—that’s no secret.

She’s fearless and lacks caution, while I’m intentional about everything and don’t do anything I haven’t spent time thinking through.

Except when it comes to a certain beautiful redhead, it seems.

“Howdy, folks!”

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