Trying to ignore the angry swarm of killer bees in my belly, I whisper, "Fine. I just need you to go."

Much to my surprise, he doesn't take offense. He simply nods once and heads for the door. As he opens the door, he announces, "See you tonight." He winks once more, then he's gone. All before I can ask, 'Tonight?'

I move to the door and attach the chain lock. I hear a door open in the hall.

Max yells from the hall, "Hey, Mrs. Crandle. What's shaking?"

"You'll have to speak up. My hearin' isn't what it used to be."

I cover my mouth with my hand and burst into laughter.

Chapter Six.

Helena I've been sleeping for almost an hour now. And by sleeping, I mean tossing and turning, thinking about Max in my bed, and secretly wanting to lick his drool spot.

After he left, I managed to shower, eat some cereal (because it was all there really was to eat), and tried in vain to catch some Zs. And sleep, in my family, is sacred. We sleep when we can. We get excited about catnaps. But it's just not happening.

And I blame Max. Max and his s.e.xiness. And his dimple. And his funniness. And his being sweet. I mean, c'mon! I bet he's like that with all the girls, flirting and charming-like. I bet there isn't a genuine bone in his body.

I scoff out loud. "Stupid, s.e.xy Max."

Not a second later, the front door opens. "h.e.l.lo? Anybody home?"

I smile into the pillow at the familiar voice and bury myself deeper into the covers. Footsteps make their way into the hall, then into my bedroom. She spots me. "Arrrggghhh!" Next thing I know, I'm attacked. Nat jumps on me. "You're a s.h.i.thead!" But she says this with so much love that I decide not to punch her in the nose.

She bounces on top of me, forcing my breath out in sporadic wheezes before wrapping her arms around my waist and snuggling into the bed with me. She holds me silently for a long while before I turn over to face her. As soon as she sees my face, we both break out in wide smiles. Then she says, "You're a liar. Always lying."

I nod. "I know."

"But even though I want to shave your head, I still love ya."

"Good to know."

"Did you get in all right?"

I lean back into my pillow. "Fine, but when I got here, I almost sucker-punched poor Mrs. Crandle for the key."

The bed shakes with her silent laughter. "d.a.m.n, I would've paid to see your face when she opened the door."

I choke on a laugh. "I'm not even kidding when I say I had to play a f.u.c.king weird game of charades with her, three times, for the d.a.m.n key. Then she tried to lure me inside with candy, tea, and promises of playing with her thousand cats. I yelled, 'Stranger danger!' and got the heck out of there."

Nat laughs so hard tears leak out of her eyes.

"Then, when I finally get inside, there's a dude sleeping on the bed."

Nat straightens immediately and shouts, "What?"

I snort. "Oh yeah, Max was sleeping on the bed when I arrived."

She c.o.c.ks her head to the side. "That is weird. Not like him at all." She watches me closely. "Doesn't sound like you enjoyed that."

"I didn't."

She sits up on the bed. "Sorry, kid. Almost everyone has a key to this place. I asked for all the spares back and they all told me to shove it." She chuckles. "The only one half-willing to give you your privacy was Tina. And when she saw no one else was giving in, she jumped on the bandwagon."

I shake my head. "You got some weird friends."

She smiles and sighs happily. "I know, right?"

Suddenly, she gasps in shock. I still. "What?"

Her eyes water. "It just hit me, you know? That you're actually here. Living here." She sniffs and whispers, "That's awesome."

I grin. "Now we just have to find a way to get Nina to open a salon up here too."

Nat's face turns dreamy. "That would be amazing." Standing, she claps. "Right! Well, I was going to tell the guys to come here tonight, but I thought I better not. So they're next-door at ours. That way, when you start to get tired, you can just leave and not have to worry about offending anyone by kicking them out."

Wow. She's gone and surprised me.

My brow creases as I respond quietly, "Um, thanks, dude."

But she's already out the door. She yells back, "Come on over when you're ready. No one will care if you're wearing pajamas!"

I think about going there in my PJs. With a sigh, I slide out of my flannel pants and shirt, and change into jeans and a plain white tee. I quickly slip on some white flip-flops, grab my key, and head next-door.

As soon as I open the door, a cheer sounds. My eyes widen and my heart races. The entire gang is here, as well as Nik and Max's sisters, Leti, Maria, and Isa, including the two little pugs sleeping in their little beds by the sofa. No kids tonight though. They all look extremely happy to see me. I've only met the sisters a couple of times, but they're a hoot. I like them a lot.

Asher, being the closest to me, comes forward wearing a small smile. Before I know it, I'm wrapped in a brotherly hug. I bury my nose into his collar and breathe him in. I whisper against his tee, "Hey."

He pulls back and beams down at me. "f.u.c.kin' great to have you here."

That's, like, the most words I've ever heard Ash use in one sentence. I grin, and being the honorary little sister, I yank his chain. I imitate him as best I can. "Nice to f.u.c.kin' be here."

He catches me in a headlock and I choke on my laughter. When he lets me go and playfully pushes me away, I turn to see everyone staring at us. They all look shocked. Nat is the only one smiling softly. I suppose there are not a lot of people who can act this way with Ash. But he and I...we get each other. We have a bond, formed even before Nat and Ash were a thing.

"Um...hi," I say nervously.

The rest of the guys jump into greetings, hugs, and kisses. Tina almost smothers me. I spend a little time holding her belly, getting down on my knees and kissing the current home of my nieces or nephews. Nik simply smiles down at me and kisses my forehead. Lola jumps on me and we squeeze each other a long time. Lola and I are closest in age; we have the most in common. Trick punches my arm a little too hard. Mimi smirks as she pulls me into a hug. Her hands drift down to my a.s.s and I chuckle. Mimi's always said I have a nice a.s.s. Leti, Maria, and Isa all give me love, hugs, and kisses. Then finally comes Max.

Grinning like the fool he is, he steps forward with open arms, and my heart races. I quickly step away. "You already saw me today."

Asher's face turns harsh as he mutters, "The f.u.c.k is that meant to mean?"

Max doesn't even look at Ash; he just keeps grinning at me. "I never got to hug you though."

I take another step back. "I don't need another hug. I'm all hugged out. Besides, I feel like we've bonded enough with your drool stain on my pillow."

Ash's face turns bright red. He moves over to Max and grips the front of his shirt. "You better start talkin', or I'm gonna start maulin'."

Max just chuckles. "Relax, Ghost." His face suddenly turns dreamy. "Her bed smells like vanilla. And she smells like cupcakes."

My stomach flip-flops. d.a.m.n him! d.a.m.n him and his words to heck!

But Ash is too busy focusing on the prior remark. "When the f.u.c.k were you near her bed?"

Max, having no idea how close he is to being pummeled, shrugs. "Today, when she arrived."

Ash's face turns deadly. He lunges for Max, but I quickly step between them. "It's not what you think! He was asleep on my bed when I first came into the apartment."

Maria snorts. "My brother-the cla.s.siest guy in New York," she remarks, and then raises her gla.s.s in a silent toast before drinking the entire contents in one hit.

Mental note: Don't ever go drinking with Maria.

Max looks over at his sister then flips her the bird. He quickly defends himself. "It's not like she was actually living there when I fell asleep." His eyes narrow at me. "So, really, you owe me an apology for cutting my nap short."

Is...is he being serious?

His eyes remain narrowed, and I soon realize he isn't joking. I bark out a shocked, humorless laugh. "In your dreams! I am not apologizing to you. Not now, not ever. For anything. Besides, you were basically squatting!"

Although his narrowed eyes don't ease, his lips twitch. It's then I notice how everyone around us is listening in on our non-argument.

They're all grinning.

All of them.

Nat quickly excuses herself, claiming the need to organize things in the kitchen, and pulls me along with her. She drags me so fast I'm all but running. As soon as we hit the kitchen, she whisper hisses, "What the heck was that about?"

Searching the cupboards, I take out the dinner plates and set them on the counter. I answer quietly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She moves to stand in front of me. "No. You don't get to cut me out. Why are you so angry at Max?"

My shoulders lift in a casual it's-not-a-big-deal shrug. "I just don't really like him, is all."

A look of shock settles over her features. "What? Why?"

I move to open the napkins. "He's a total flirt. I hate that."

She watches me closely for a moment before responding, "He's a single guy. A good guy. And an even better dad. He's allowed to flirt, Lena."

Folding napkins and placing them on each plate, I mutter, "I bet he's got a string of women he's leading on right now." The more I think about it, the testier I become. I start slapping folded napkins onto plates. Nat makes a choked noise and I look up to see her wide-eyed but tight-lipped. My brows bunch. "He does, doesn't he?"

Those poor, stupid, defenseless women. Stupid, stupid women.

Her face turns expressionless. "It's not your business, and not my business to tell." To me, that automatically confirms my suspicions. But Nat quickly adds, "You think a man like him-the man you're insinuating he is-could raise a beautiful little girl like Ceecee by being such a jerk?"

I pause mid-step. I hadn't really thought of Max as a dad in my vendetta against him. And Ceecee is truly a remarkable young woman. Part of me wants to believe he's a good guy. I mean, I used to think he was a good guy, but I was clearly blinded by my being smitten with him. Now those feelings are gone.

And you're bitter.

Am not.

Yeah, ya are.

Suddenly, I feel a bit like a hole-of the a.s.s variety.

"I'm not saying he's not a good dad..."

Nat quickly returns, "Just not a good guy."

Well, when you put it like that, of course it's going to sound d.i.c.kish.

She takes the plates and napkins, and moves to stand directly in front of me. "Listen, I don't know what's going on with you, but Max is one my best friends. If you got issues with him, ones that aren't even issues at all, you got issues with me." My cheeks heat at her firm telling off. She goes on, "I know he's a little flirty, but he's a great guy. He's generous, and funny, and kind, and thoughtful. He's one of the good guys." She looks me in the eye. "s.h.i.t, he'd give the shirt off his back for someone who needed it!"

I roll my eyes at the clear over-exaggeration, and she begins to walk away. Leaving the kitchen, she turns back around to me. My heart clenches when I spot disappointment in her eyes. Lowering her voice, she utters, "I've seen him do it."

My throat thickens in shame. Sometimes it's hard to swallow your own bulls.h.i.t. My heart sinks, and I suddenly wish I could go home. Before I can think too hard about what Nat said, I step back into the living area, wringing my hands together. "Guys, I'm so sorry, but I'm suddenly not feeling the best."

To my absolute horror, Max is the first to approach me. He stands a foot away from me, searching my face. He mutters, "Lookin' a bit pale there." As if there is no other option in his mind, he places his hand on my shoulder and says, "C'mon. I'll walk you home."

That shame I felt before? It floods my system.

Oh G.o.d. You're an a.s.shole. It's a little too much at this moment. I step away and look to the ground. "No, stay. It's just next-door. I'll be fine."

Nat comes at me from the side and lies for me. "Oh, honey, you said you weren't feeling great before, but I didn't think it was that bad." She hugs me and whispers, "It's okay. Go home and rest up."

I mumble back, "I'm sorry I'm being a d.i.c.khead tonight. I think I'm just overwhelmed."

She nods into my shoulder. "S'okay. I know how that feels."

We separate and she smiles at me. A real smile. I don't realize how much I need that smile until I see it and it eases my soul. As I walk to the door, I turn halfway and mutter a poor excuse for a goodbye. "See ya, guys. Sorry."

Tina quickly calls out, "Take a cupcake with you!"

Oh my gads! That's exactly what I need. I shoot her a smile before heading over to the bright purple box of cupcakes. Normally, Tina would make them, but being she was at work, they bought some from a bakery close to work. Nat says they're almost as good as Tina's.

I don't think anything could be as good as Tina's baking. When I open the box, I suppress a gasp. So pretty! There are three different kinds. I smile to myself. All the cupcakes I asked for are there. Which one to take though? This is a tough decision. The caramel ones are delicious, but so are the vanilla cream. The choc fudge is a given. But should I take just one? I don't know what New York cupcake etiquette is! At home, it was first come, first serve, and you were lucky if you got one at all, because, let's be honest here...who ever eats one cupcake? Doesn't happen.

I reach for a caramel one, but pull back.

Okay. The vanilla cream. Yes, I'll go with the vanilla.

I reach for it, but pull back again. Geez, I'm in bad shape over here. Is cupcake anxiety a thing? The choc fudge is always delicious. I reach for one of those and hesitate. I swoop up the box and look over to the gang. "I'm taking this."