Page 70 of Hello Forever
She shoved my chest, and I grinned. I’d missed this. I’d missedher. “Don’t interrupt me when I’m yelling at you,” she snarled. But she wassmiling,too.
Mark stomped into the back door with two bags of groceries. He set them down without looking at me. Then he went back outside again. “Um…?” I looked pointedly at thebackdoor.
Amy pushed my chest again until she’d backed me all the way into thefamilyroom.
“Where’s his head?” Iwhispered.
She flinched. “He’s been taking a lot of crap from his friends about your father getting locked up. Damn social media. He wasn’t invited to a couple of ski trips this past week and aparty.”
“He didn’t tell me that,” Iwhispered.
“I know. He’s been trying to ‘be a man,’ whatever that means. But in his mind, you and Axel just make more fodder for gossip. He knows he was an asshole today, but he’s not quite ready to get over himself. Your dad fed him a lot of homophobic crap,youknow.”
“Oh, I know,” Isighed.
“Give him alittletime.”
“Okay.”
“Meanwhile, let’s talk about how you’re a terrible friend. Where was my phone call? Your dad’s in jail, your boyfriend’s in the hospital and you’re a single parent to three. How am I notnotified?”
“Because you were in Florida withDerrrrrrek.”
She pinched me. Itickledher.
“Ahem.” Axel cleared histhroat.
Amy took her hands off me. “Um. Hi!Sorry.”
Axel grinned. “You mustbeAmy.”
“Yeah.” She hustled over to the sofa to shake his hand. “I don’t usually pinch yourboyfriend.”
“I think he had itcoming.”
Amy grinned, then sat down beside Axel. “You know, Cax. He was cuter before your dad beat the crap outofhim.”
“Jesus,” I gasped. “That’s notfunny.”
But Axel and Amy were both laughing. “Gallows humor, Cax,” Amyprotested.
“I adore gallows humor,” Axel agreed. He put his hands to his chest. “But laughinghurts.”
“Aw. Poor baby.” Amy pattedAxel’sarm.
The sight of two people I loved smiling at each other was almost more than I could bear. I wanted this so badly—a boyfriend, a family and friends. I wanted us to sit under one roof and have dinnertogether.
Which reminded me. “At the risk of sounding like the biggest jackass in theworld…”
“What’s for dinner?” Amyguessed.
“Well, Jared said somethingaboutfood.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me down on the couch beside her. “Yes, my helpless one. I’m making chicken pad Thai.” Then she dropped her voice. “I gave Mark the job of putting all the groceries away. It’s keeping him busy for a few minutes so he can just ease his way back in here, okay? Let him cometoyou.”
I kissed Amy on the nose. “Thank you. Where would I bewithoutyou?”
“Hungry, that’s where. Now who’s going to chop red peppers and peanutsforme?”
