Page 50 of My Silver Lining

I’d say that forever is happening.

Fuck you. I can explain, but I need a minute.

Axel

Do you have to talk to your lover before you answer us now?

Bridger

I’m so fucking confused.

Easton

Hey, that’s how relationships work.

Archer

Wait a hot fucking second. She hit you in the balls with a pool ball a couple of days ago and you were cursing her name. And now you found your forever? It makes no sense.

Clark

Love doesn’t always make sense.

Easton

Mom is blowing up my phone. She’s mad at me for not telling her that you have secretly been dating Lulu.

Bridger

You better get your story straight, brother.

There was a knock on the door, more like a pounding that wouldn’t stop. I set my phone down and trudged through the small space to the front door to see Lulu standing there in her sleep shorts, slippers, and tank top as the snow was falling all around her.

“Jesus. Get in here, it’s freezing out there.” I reached for her hand and tugged her inside.

Her teeth were chattering. “The shit has hit the fan, Rafael. The whole world knows we’re dating.”

“Come here.” I led her to the bedroom and lifted the blanket for her to climb in. Hell, we’d showered together; this hardly felt inappropriate at this point. And she was freezing. I covered her with a blanket before padding back out to the front room and reaching into my coat pocket for what I knew she needed. Itossed a mini bag of gummy bears onto the bed before climbing in.

She quirked a brow. “Our problems are much bigger than gummy bears.”

“Relax. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“He barely posted anything from the interview with my cousin or uncle. It was all about us. And people are zooming in on us sitting together in the family photo with your hand on my thigh.” She shook her head like we’d been photographed naked.

“Well, at least they don’t know about the orgasm shower. Isn’t that what you called it?” I reached for the gummies and tore open the bag.

Damn. These weren’t as bad as I remembered.

“Holy shit.” She fell back on the bed. “I’ve made a mess of things. It’s a disease, you know? I tend to do this all the freaking time. I’m trying to break free from a lunatic ex, and now I’ve dragged my best friend’s boyfriend’s brother into my drama. You had a normal life before you met me.”

“That’s a bit dramatic, Wildcat. I’ve never been normal.” I fell back to lie beside her.

“What are we going to do? The press is going to be here the minute Beckett makes a statement and turns this into a thing.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Rafe.” She sat forward, her eyes wild and frantic. “I grew up in a very public family. I know how this works. They will come here and dig into this relationship. And Beckett is going to fuel it even more because he thrives on drama. This is so bad.”

---