Page 77 of Pretty Lethal
Stepping away from her, I return to the abandoned grocery bags and find the one I’m looking for—a small brown bag with a bookstore logo printed on the side.
I hold it out to her and watch as she takes the bag from my outstretched hand and lifts out the book from within. I’d noticed the books Wilder stacked on her shelves in the bedroom, and I know how much Emilia loves to read, so I went through the ones on her shelf, easily identifying her favorite author as the one who occupied the most space on her shelf.
A quick internet search told me she had released a new book recently, so I picked it up while I was out today.
Satisfaction at a job well done warms my insides as I watch her face light up as she scans the front cover before flipping the book over to read the blurb.
“I thought maybe we could read it together,” I explain. Moving to stand behind her, I circle my arms around her slim waist and rest my chin on her shoulder as she flicks through the first few pages. “Could take it in turns reading to one another.” I brush my lips over the sensitive skin of her neck, enjoying how she shivers at my touch. “Maybe act out a few of those steamy scenes Wilder keeps going on about.”
“You want to read a book with me?” she questions, sounding half in awe.
“I would do just about anything with you, Blackbird. Reading is a huge part of who you are, and I want to know everything there is to know about you, including the type of smut you read in bed at night.”
Turning in my embrace, she looks up at me with an expression I’ve never seen on her before. She looks at me as though I just offered her the world in the palm of my hand, and I don’t think I had appreciated until this moment how significant this offer might have been for her—wanting to not only live and work alongside her but to actually ingratiate myself in the very fabric of her world; her life. To familiarize myself with the foundations that make Emilia uniquely her.
“I love it,” she says softly, as though afraid if she speaks any louder, it might break this tentative moment between us. “All of it. The very idea that you want to read with me…” She places her hand over my thumping heart. “Thank you.”
With a quick peck of her lips, I get back to putting the groceries away while she returns to cleaning the kitchen. I’m finishing up just as Hawk appears.
“Right, I’ve put new bedsheets on my bed and tidied and cleaned the room for your mom. Wilder’s doing a deep clean of the bathroom—”
“Hold up a sec,” Emilia interjects, lifting her hand in the air. “My mom is staying in your room?”
“Well, it’s either that or Wilder’s, and I didn’t think you’d wanna risk putting her in Wilder’s room. God only knows what kind of horrors she might come across.”
I snort at that accurate assessment.
“What I mean is, she’s staying here?” Emilia clarifies, still sounding confused.
“Of course. Where else would she stay?” Hawk asks.
Emilia shrugs her shoulders. “I, uhh, just assumed she’d stay in a hotel or something.”
I scoff. “She’s your only family, Blackbird. We’re not about to have her stay in a hotel. It’s only one night, and it’s not like I’m using that room anyway.”
“Yeah, but…” She glances back and forth between us, the lines in her forehead deepening as she chews on her lip in this adorably put-out way. “You realize she’s probably going to hate all of you on principle, right?”
“Yeah, we get that, Blackbird,” I say, struggling to suppress my chuckle.
“She’s going to make her opinions clear and probably piss you off.”
“Yeah, we figured that, too,” Hawk responds this time.
Only looking more confused now, Emilia confirms, “And you’re still okay for her to stay overnight?”
“Baby,” Hawk begins, moving toward her until he’s cupping her chin and she’s forced to look him directly in the eyes. “Family pisses each other off, but that doesn’t mean you turn your backs on them. We all appreciate that this will be a hard adjustment for your mom—bigger than most, given her history—but the only thing that will piss us off is if she hurts or upsets you. Even if she does, that doesn’t mean we’ll turn our backs on her. Unlessyoutell your mom to leave, then she will always be welcome here.”
Tears shine in Emilia’s eyes, making my chest tighten as I watch her grapple with her emotions.
I hear Wilder’s footsteps thumping on the stairs, however Emilia must not have since she startles when he bounds into the room like an oversized dog in desperate need of a walk. “That bathroom is now so clean you could lick the shower drain and not get a single hair in your mouth,” he announces jovially.
Hawk’s face scrunches in disgust, most likely mirroring my own.
“What’s wrong with simply telling us the bathroom is clean?” I grumble irritably. “No one needs that imagery.”
Wilder pouts like a goddamn child. “But then I couldn’t see the priceless expression on your face right now.”
“So, we’re ready?” Emilia asks, looking anxiously at each of us.
