I feel my heart jump in sudden excitement. I have never gone out, and I certainly was never invited to a party. “I will make sure to come home around midnight,” I assure Silas. “I know we have tons of work to do.”
Silas nods, while Cassian just chuckles. “My sis knows how to party. You will have fun.”
They wave at me before I take off, almost bumping into Nova in front of the house. “Benjamin,” she smiles brightly. “Did Cass already talk to you?”
“Yes, he mentioned a party,” I say. Suddenly anxious that I misunderstood Cassian, and am just supposed to drive Nova. She probably won’t want me to join. Why would she?
“Awesome, so you are coming?” she beams. She is dressed in some ripped jeans and a tight black top, looking great.
“Yes, but seeing how you are dressed, I think I need to change,” I say.
“Definitely,” she grins. “I am not taking you along in your work clothes.”
“I am hopeless with this kind of stuff,” I admit.
“You are kidding, aren’t you?” she deadpans. “You are handsome as fuck. Even with just a little effort, you would look good. Meanwhile, I have to put in a lot of effort.”
“Now youarebeing ridiculous,” I say.
She grabs me by my shoulders and pushes me back into the house. “Lead the way to your room. I will help you dress,” she commands.
“Yes, Milady.”
She snorts. “Oh, he is finally showing some humor.”
It’s so easy to be relaxed with her, it almost comes naturally to me. It feels like she’s the best friend or sister Ineverhad. With Nova hot on my heels, I make it to my room and sit on my bed while she goes through my stuff. I like simple clothes, and it reflects in my wardrobe. To my surprise, however, Nova doesn’t seem to mind, and she easily puts together an outfit for me out of a pair of black jeans and a V-line, gray shirt that Marcellus gave me, and that always felt a bit too fancy for me. She further upgrades it with a belt and some accessories, before she forces me to do my hair and work my locks into some well-set waves.
“Hot!” she says contentedly. “Now we can go.”
“Who else is coming?” I ask. “Isla?” I hope she is going to say no. The last person I want to see is my ex-mate.
Nova laughs. “Why would I want to hang out with Isla? Be respectful to her, yes, but hang out with her in my free time? Nope, I prefer people I actuallylikeand get along with.”
Hearing her explanation stuns me further. “And you really want me to join you?!”
“Well, we clicked, didn’t we?” she asks.
“Yes, I just didn’t think you-“
“You think way too much sometimes,” she grins. “Come, sexy man. I want to hook up with someone tonight. So, we’d better get going. And to answer your question: We are meeting up with a couple of my friends. They are all chill and nice people, and know you are coming.”
When we leave the house together, I spot Maddie and Micah walking towards me. Maddie waves excitedly when she sees me. “Ben,” she exclaims, proudly walking towards me. “Look what I have!”
I gaze at her, noticing the glittery blue backpack she is carrying, with the wolf keychain I gave her attached to it. “Oh, you have such a fancy backpack!”
“Mommy gave it to me because I am a big girl now!” she explains.
I smile at the proud look on her face. Maddie was sad that she is too young to go to school. It seems like Sheila found a way to improve her mood. She gazes curiously at Nova, before taking my hand and tugging at it. I kneel down next to her to be on eye level. “Who is she?” Maddie whispers.
“That’s Nova, my friend,” I whisper, well aware that Nova can hear us. She pretends not to, though, and instead engages in a talk with Micah.
“She’s pretty.”
“Yes, she is,” I say.
“You are pretty, too. Are you going to make babies?”
At that, I almost fall over in shock. Micah clears his throat while I stare at Maddie, completely flustered. “Maddie had a couple of questions about babies,” Micah says. “And Sheila explained it to her.”