Page 38 of Bliss: Part 1
We always had everything under control. But this?
This was new to all of us, and one wrong step could pull all of us under.
***
I walked downstairs around nine that evening, knowing the others were already waiting outside. The lake where the party was being held was only a few minutes away by car, and we were all taking one vehicle. With just five of us, we’d fit fine.
As I hit the last step of the staircase, Bliss came out of the kitchen wearing a short denim skirt and an off-the-shoulder white top. The old cowboy boots she had on matched her aesthetic perfectly, and her blonde, pale hair was straight, halfway pulled back with a hair clip.
I smiled at her, already reaching for the door. “You coming?”
She nodded but didn’t step closer. Her eyes dropped to her outfit, lips pursed in uncertainty. “You think I’ll be cold tonight? Should I bring a sweater?”
My gaze slid to her bare shoulders, then down to her legs. “There’s a bonfire, but it’s always better to bring a sweater. Just in case.”
She looked up again, then glanced at the coat rack beside me where we kept jackets and random clothes we were usually too lazy to take upstairs.
I followed her gaze, then grabbed the first sweater I saw. It was Rhys’s. Or maybe Ashby’s. Who knew. Clothes didn’t really have owners in this house.
“I’ll take this for you,” I offered, draping the sweater over my arm. “Come on now.”
I was already turning toward the door when her voice stopped me.
“Tripp?”
“Yeah?” I looked at her again, raising a brow.
She hesitated, shifting on her feet. “Does everyone know now?”
My body tensed, then quickly relaxed. I glanced up the stairs and around the hallway behind her to make sure we were alone. “Other than Dad and Odin…yeah. And I talked to the others, too. Why?”
“Just…wondering.”
I watched her for a long moment, and my expression softened when I noticed how shy she’d gotten. Usually, our sweet Bliss was a force of nature. Confident, strong, never afraid to speak her mind. But since everything happened between her and the others, something had shifted. Not in a bad way. Just…different.
“We’ll be fine,” I assured her.
She nodded and gave me a soft smile. “And, Tripp?”
“Hmm?”
She looked at me with eyes that held so much unsaid. But then she let out a quiet laugh and shook her head. “Nothing. Let’s go.”
I didn’t push. Just opened the door and let her walk out first.
I followed her and spotted the guys standing around the truck. They all looked up as she stepped outside, their eyes sweeping over her outfit with visible disapproval. Of course, none of them would ever tell her to go back inside and change, but their expressions said enough.
I shot them a look. A silent warning to cut it out. They got the message and quickly adjusted their faces.
“You look beautiful, Lissy,” Dash said with a warm smile.
“Is that a new skirt?” Rhys asked, genuinely curious.
I stopped beside her, watching from the side as her cheeks flushed and she looked down.
“Uh, not really. I just never wore it before.”
“Looks good on you,” Ashby added, his tone slightly more amused than the others’, his gaze lingering on her legs a little too long.
