Page 137 of Party Girl: How a Naughty Omega Finds Love
“I hate to admit it, but he’s right. Your mom has an aura…” He trails off.
“She looks crazy, you mean?”
He grimaces. “Yeah.”
“Well, if you think we don’t need to worry.” I shrug.
“We should worry a little, but I wouldn’t count on anyone taking her seriously,” Avi says. “It’s shitty they’d pass judgment, but it works in our favor.”
“Here, I have something to show you. It’ll take your mind off things.” Hayden gestures to the side of the house and walks down the steps.
Eyeing the street, I make sure my mother is truly gone before following after him. Trev quietly follows us, but Avi and Asher head back to the kitchen. I try to catch his gaze to see what he’s feeling, but he avoids me. I shouldn’t take it personally, but it’s hard when the drama my mother caused is the reason for his sour mood.
“Have you ever thrown an ax?”
“Uh, no.” I stop beside Hayden and take in their backyard. Two metal stations hold a few varieties of axes and two targets painted on boards at the end of the yard are enclosed under a mesh netting.
“It may not be Melanie’s rage room, but I think you’ll feel better once you try it out.” Hayden steps up and grabs an ax. He positions himself in front of a spray painted line and hefts the ax over his shoulder and throws it. The blade sticks into the worn target with a solid thwack.
“I don’t know how to throw it.”
“It’s easy,” Trev says, lacing his fingers with mine and pulling me toward the other lane. He runs his thumb over the back of my hand. “The easiest way to learn is overhand.” He demonstrates how to throw it, and I practice without holding anything a few times before he lets me try a real one.
“I’m next,” Asher says as he and Avi come around the side of the house.
“You’ll wait until Whitney is done.”
Grumpy Trev is my favorite.
“He can go now, Hayden isn’t throwing in his lane.” I bump my elbow against Trev’s side.
Trev searches my face and presses his lips into a line, reluctantly nodding. “Follow the rules. One thrower at a time.”
“Yes, sir.” Asher steps up beside me, spinning an ax and winking at me. “Ladies first.”
“Chivalry isn’t dead,” I say, staring at the target and adjusting my stance.
“You always come before me,” Asher says just as I prepare to release the ax. I let go too late and it clatters to the floor in front of the target.
“Don’t distract me with sex talk.” I scowl at him even though this is better than dwelling on my mother’s visit and her threats.
He throws his and hits near the center. “If you can’t focus beyond a few dirty comments, you’ll never be good at this.”
“I can ignore you.” I grab another ax and breathe out, settling my nerves.
I bring the ax back and start to move just as Asher says, “Watching you handle that ax has me a little hard.”
“Fucker!”
“You said you could focus.” Asher gives me a pointed look and grabs another ax, not even bothering to look at the target. “Like I said, if you can’t focus when I’m talking about my dick”—he throws the ax—“then you’ll never be any good.”
“Do you really want to taunt me when I have a deadly weapon in my hands?” I point the final ax from my station in his direction.
“Easy, trouble.” Hayden grabs the last ax and stares at Asher until he relents and joins Trev and Avi at the small metal table set on a slab of concrete. “Think about what makes you mad and focus on that. I promise you won’t even hear him.”
“That’s a bold promise.”
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep, remember?”
