Page 85 of A Little Bit Reckless

He loves her.

I think that was what she needed to hear, and she nodded when he pulled away. Wells could have easily denied all this between us for Thatcher’s sake, but he wasn’t. He was standing by this.

He was standing by us.

“I love you too,” Bow said to Wells, then looked at me.

She didn’t have to say it though I was grateful when she did. On her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around my neck. She kissed me, those words pressed againstmylips. She loved me too.

She loved us.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-NINE

Wells

Thatcher was sitting on the couch when I came downstairs, and I was surprised. I thought I’d have to go after him.

I was aware what I was about to walk into. My best friend was furious on the couch, rubbing his hands.

Thatcher lifted his head. “Pop said the alarm had gone off at the cabin,” he said, his eyes narrowed. He faced me. “I came out to check things out.”

Well, that made sense now, why he was here.

Damn.

Thatcher’s jaw moved, his spiked earrings dangling and his dark hair unruly. A lot of fucked-up shit had just happened upstairs. It wasn’t the first time my friend and I had gotten into a fight but never over something like this.

Thatcher’s eyes heated. “I hoped it was a dumbass animal or something. Guess I wasn’t far off.”

He could have said worse, and I would have deserved it.

I came around the couch. I rushed, so I only had my pants, shoes, and a jacket on. I was very much not wearing a shirt, and Thatcher noticed that right away.

It made him wince.

He said nothing, and, not testing things, I took the chair across from him. I could have said something first, come right in on things, but I didn’t. I wanted to wait. I needed to wait for my friend.

There was a reason why he stayed.

I knew Thatcher Reed. Normally, he probably would have left. All of us guys were rageful fucks. We reacted, so the fact Thatcher was still here meant something. He could have left, but he stayed, waited.

I waited too, no matter how nervous the silence made me. I knew exactly what would happen the moment I let go in regards to his sister. Actions had consequences.

Thatcher stared at the area rug. “How long’s this been going on?”

“Not long,” I said, refusing to make him wait. Since he was ready, I spoke, and was grateful to break the silence. I gripped my hands. “I tried to fight it, Thatch.”

I did for so fuckinglong, and my head lifted when Thatcher’s did.

We weren’t alone.

“Both of us did,” Bru said. He was on the stairs but came down into the light. I didn’t know what time it was, but it was dark through the windows. There was barely any light in the room, just the lights from the end tables, but there was enough for me to see Bru had gotten on at least a shirt with his jeans, his feet bare and hair mussed.

Facing away, I sighed. “I told you I’d handle this.”

“You shouldn’t have to. Not alone,” Bru said, and the next thing I knew, he was coming over to me. He sat down on the arm of the chair, smelling distinctly like Bru, and when he grabbed my hand, something stirred inside me. I looked at him, seeing somuch love there in his dark eyes. I tried to deny that too, but he didn’t let me.