Page 98 of Barefoot Dreams
“It’s like tell me you’re sisters without telling me.” Jacob grins, and Joy is never too late with a comeback.
“A hell of a lot better than having the same butt tattoo. It’s like tell me you two are idiots without telling me.” She tsks.
“We don’t have the same one,” Alec protests.
“Don’t remind me, please,” Hope groans. “I’m still not over you having Jacob’s name inked on your butt!”
“Hey, I know what we should do!” Jacob jumps up.
“Oh boy,” his fiancée mutters.
“We should all get our dicks pierced like Luke. That way we’ll match.”
My poor Birdy just took a sip of her iced tea when Jacob graced us with his super idea, and it ends up coming right out.
“Luke has his…his”—she motions down—“pierced?” The last part is a squeak.
Luke groans, shooting a death glare at Jacob.
“You didn’t know?” Alec asks, shoving some mint chocolate chip ice cream into his mouth while Julie blinks a few times.
“No! Why would I know that? Does it hurt? Does it get in a way…you know…?”
It’s Grace who giggles. “It gets in a way in thebest way,” she says with a wink.
“Oh.” Julie’s eyes widen and then slowly slide over me. Down, down, down.
“Birdy,” I say, cautiously. “Do not get any ideas right now.”
“But I already have them,” she whisper-hisses. A curious gleam dancing in her green eyes.
“Yessss!” Jacob calls out. “Peen jewels for all!”
Luke groans. Again. And I’m very tempted to join in. “I can’t even begin to stress how much help you need,” he tells him.
“What is it that you just called Julie, Griff?” Grace asks, ignoring her boyfriend’s antics.
“You mean Birdy?”
“Yeah, that. It’s so cute, I’ve never heard that one before!”
I frown. It is cute but doesn’t everyone call her Birdy? It is her middle name after all.
“That’s true.” Luke matches my frown. “I’ve never heard anyone else call you by your middle name,” he says to Julie who shifts slightly, her cheeks warming up and not from the fire in front of us.
“That’s because I wouldn’t let anyone else call me that.” She steals a glance at me.
“What do you mean?”
“Only you call me Birdy.” She shrugs.
“Ever?”
“Ever.”
“Why?”
“Because it feels wrong coming from everyone else.”
