Page 69 of Steadfast

“My bed!” Ronan bellowed in glee from upstairs. I guess he’d been sick of sleeping on the floor.

“It looks exactly how I remembered it,” Aunt Ashley said, meeting me in the kitchen.

“We didn’t have the money for any updates,” I replied dryly. I scowled. “At least that I knew of.”

“We’ll get that taken care of now that we’re here,” she said sympathetically.

“I’m gonna run home and let my parents know we’re back in town,” Richie said, striding into the kitchen. I grimaced. He’d mentioned how angry they’d been when he left. “I had Cian helpme get your car off the trailer so I can take that, and I’ll leave my truck in case you guys need anything out of the back.”

“You did what?” I snapped.

“What?”

“You had Cian help you get the car off the trailer?”

“Yeah?” He was staring at me in confusion.

“My thirteen-year-old brother?”

“He’s fourteen.”

“Irrelevant!”

“He backed it off the trailer,” he said drolly. “I didn’t let him go joyriding.”

I glared.

Richie held my gaze. “He’s gotta learn at some point.”

“That point is not now.”

“Love you,” he said, choosing to disengage. He leaned down for a quick kiss that I barely reciprocated. “Be back in a little bit.”

He strolled out of the house like he didn’t have a care in the world, leaving me fuming.

I turned to find Aunt Ashley silently laughing.

“It’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny,” she said, trying to straighten her expression. “The two of you are a good match.”

“He’s a pain in the ass.”

“One that’ll drive to a different state to chase you down,” she said with a smile. “Good pain to have.”

“I know,” I grumbled good-naturedly.

“Mam,” Cian called excitedly, running into the room. “Richie let me—”

His words broke off, and I glanced over to see Aunt Ashley making a dramatic throat-cutting gesture beside me.

I burst out laughing.

“I’m gonna go get Ro and Sersh so we can start unpacking the truck,” Cian said, backing slowly out of the kitchen.

“I better go help them,” I said with a sigh. I was so tired I just wanted to drop onto the couch and not move until bedtime, but I knew that it would drive me crazy to leave our stuff in the back of Richie’s truck all night.

“I’ll help,” Aunt Ashley said, following behind me.

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