Page 33 of Trust Me Always

“I bet, shit. The testosterone alone must be lickable.”

Payton grins, shaking her head, and looks to her watch. “I have to get going. I told Paige I’d be home before ten, and it’s going to take me a good twenty minutes to get out of this parking lot.”

“Which is precisely why we’re having the party here!” I raise my empty shot glass necklace, and Ari spins, grabs the water bottle full of lemon vodka, and pours a half shot. “That and because we don’t have to drive.”

“Have fun, guys, and do your best to get Mason to stay and enjoy his win,” Payton says.

I scoff, and Ari looks over and smiles, shifting to face me.

“Hey, Mase, Payton would like you to stay with us and party so you can enjoy your win.”

I put a deep frown on my face, pursing my lips, and use my most Masonlike tone I can muster, “No.”

Ari laughs, shaking her head. “No?” she mocks. “That was the best you could come up with? We’re role-playing here.”

“Sorry, little freak-a-leak. Some of us haven’t gotten to the role-playing stage in life,Miss I’ve been practicing the sexy sous chef and the lowly little dishwasher he falls madly in love with.”

Ari’s jaw drops open and then she shoves me off the tailgate, making Payton catch me as we all laugh.

I simply spin and start dancing again, pointing up at my best friend with a teasing grin. “Anyway, that’s essentially what Mason would say, right? With a few other words likeit means nothing without herandshe’s who I want to celebrate withandI don’t care that my son is asleep. I want to watch him breathe because apparently that’s a thing parents like doing.”

I can’t even keep a straight face, but the others are laughing with me.

“Technically, that all sounds about right, if worded a bit oddly,” Payton jokes, nudging me in the arm and waving at Ari. “Okay, I’ll see you guys at Sunday dinner tomorrow.”

We wave our goodbyes, and when a guy from the truck beside us drunk dances his way over with a grin, flapping a giant AU foam finger in the air, I take the bait and indulge him until the end of the song.

Ari hops back up, swinging around the tailgate and tugging a few of the girls from our dorm up with her, and before the next song can start, there’s a good ten of us girls singing loudly to some Carrie Underwood.

We’re living our best damn lives right now, and it’s everything.

Not sure how much time goes by, but when the students around all start to whistle and yell, we know who’s stepped out and spin to cheer along with the others as we watch the team file through the crowd, the top trio headed right toward us.

People clap Mason on the back, reaching out for high fives and bro daps of all kinds, and Ari grabs my arm in excitement, her eyes misty as she stares at her twin brother.

He deserves all that star praise he’s getting, and it’s such a cool-ass thing to witness.

People chant Brady’s name too, others screaming out about Chase’s touchdown with three seconds on the clock.

I let out a whoop and spin back around, taking Ari with me, getting lost in the group of girls once again. A few minutes pass, and then the truck bed dips, making us stumble a bit andthen big-ass arms are around me, lifting me in the air with a laugh.

“Tell me you got me” is whisper-yelled into my ear as my feet hit the bed again.

I chuckle, sneaking an arm through the little back window and lifting a soda bottle full of honey-flavored Jack Daniel’s from the seat, twisting to hand it to Brady.

“Always.” I smirk.

“My girl.” He beams. “Careful with the clear stuff. If you start to feel overheated, tell me. I’ll get you some water and we can swap to beer, yeah?”

I don’t bother to point out I could get my own water, and he wouldn’t have to swap to anything just because my skin rebels against clear liquor sometimes. He’ll just give me that sharp stare of his, and I’ll crumble like a cookie anyway.

“You got it, Big Guy.”

Satisfied, he kisses my cheek and shuffles away, jumping over the side of the bed instead of weaving his way back through the gang of girls piled in it. He turns back when someone calls his name and grins up at a brunette wearing an AU tank top. He opens his arms in invitation, and she jumps into them, letting him carry her to the truck to our left.

I catch Mason’s eye, and he waves, making me shake my head with a knowing grin. Payton is so cute, thinking there was any chance he’d stay.

A few minutes pass and most of the girls clear the back of the truck bed, heading off to join whoever it was they were waiting for, so we drop down too.

---