Page 43 of Crazy In Love (Love & War #2)

FOX

“I heard a rumor about you, Christian.” Alana crosses her kitchen, more rested now than she was a few days ago, a little less hormonal the further she gets from Hazel’s birthday.

Setting a plate of cheesecake beside Chris’ waiting hand— he brandishes a clean, diamond-detailed fork , of course —she places a second plate in front of Franky and carefully sits down opposite me while Tommy carries three more.

“It was a juicy rumor I’ve been meaning to ask about, but you’ve been keeping yourself busy, it seems.”

“Hm?” He digs in, stabbing the end of his dessert and breaking off a chunk. “What rumor?”

“Yeah?” I smile in thanks when Tommy hands me my slice. “What rumor?”

“You already know,” Alana waves me off. And though Tommy places a plate in front of her, Alana leans on her elbows and burns Chris with her stare.

“I heard from not one , but two different sources, that you were running through the drugstore a couple of weeks back. Shouting at people not to talk to you.”

“You shouted at people?” I clap a hand over my mouth, trying—and failing—to muffle my laughter. “You shouted, Christian?”

“Why were you running at the drugstore?” Franky asks innocently. “Needed a Band-Aid?”

“Yes. Exactly.” Chris intently focuses on his cheesecake. “I needed a Band-Aid. ”

“I heard you bought… special flavored Band-Aids,” Alana snickers. “A whole jumbo box of them.”

“Shut up, Alana?—”

“Don’t tell my mom to shut up!” Franky growls.

“So then I’m led to wonder, who were you sharing these Band-Aids with, Christian? Why so many? Why so loud?”

“Must’ve stubbed his toe,” Franky grumbles. Slow to forgive: not even his idol and favorite Watkins gets a pass . “I stubbed my toe the other day ‘cos the stupid rooster chased me onto the dock. Jerk.”

“Such a jerk,” Alana giggles. “Christian? Care to comment on the situation?”

“Sure.” He fills his mouth and settles back in his chair, folding his arms. “Whacky is old, and his brain has mostly already rotted. His body will give out soon, which means the situation will resolve itself naturally. Eventually.”

Tommy finally sits, snickering. “Smooth. Probably not gonna get you over the line, though.”

“Who are you currently dating, Christian?” Alana picks up her fork and slowly shaves just a little cheesecake off the side. “Do we know her? Do you intend to bring her home to meet the family?”

“Yeah, Chris.” Tommy flashes a large, taunting grin. “What’s her name? What’s her star sign?”

“For fuck’s sake.” He shoves up from his chair, snatching his plate and taking his fork with him. “I demand privacy within my private life.”

“Hardly private,” Alana giggles. “I heard this rumor from Mrs. Tower.”

“Mrs. Tower?” Franky asks. “The mean high school drama teacher?”

“That says it all,” Chris scowls. “She’s apt to make up stories and add dramatic flair to please her audience.”

“Oh, so you’re saying categorically and confidently, this event did not take place?” She drags her fork on her tongue, smugly suckling cheesecake from the pokers. “Despite my multiple sources?”

“I’m saying that my private life is none of your business. It has never been your business, and considering you have a whole human being relying on you right now to survive, I suggest you don’t bother yourself by sticking your nose into my business. Save yourself the hassle.”

“I’m a woman,” she teases. “I can multitask.”

“How are your stitches, anyway?” My cheeks ache from the laughter I keep trapped inside, because literally every person in this room—except Chris—has seen, or was shot out of, Alana’s vagina. “Healing? ”

“Much better.” Changing gears, Alana scoops cake onto her fork and brings her eyes to me. “A little itchy, which can get kind of uncomfortable.”

Chris groans, his face turning an amusing green tinge. “While we’re eating. Really?”

“What’s the problem, Christian?” I turn with a saccharine smile. “Childbirth is a beautiful, natural thing. But it doesn’t come without its risks. Pushing a watermelon through a hole the size of a passion fruit is likely to end in tearing.”

“Fox!”

“Skin tears, little buddy. You would literally know about that.” I look to Tommy. “Is that not why they smear Vaseline on a fighter’s face?”

His cheeks burn a dangerous, dark red. “Uh… yeah, that’s a fact.”

“Right! So it’s just skin.” I bring my focus back to the green Watkins. “You’re uncomfortable because this particular section of skin is located in and around Alana’s vagina.”

“Woman!” He points toward Franky. And three feet behind him, a sleeping Hazel, tucked into a transportable crib. “He’s a child! Why are you saying that word in front of a child?”

“Vagina? He’s not bothered. It’s just a word, like arm and anus.”

“Oh my God!” He slams his plate to the counter and grabs his hair. “Is this who we are now? Animals in clothes? We can’t even have a respectable dinner without saying words like…”

“Arm?”

He snarls.

I bring my eyes back to Alana. “He must’ve been fun during health class in high school, huh? Did he climb under the table and curl into the fetal position?”

“He was mysteriously sick during several of those lessons.” She places cheesecake onto her tongue.

“There were the days Chris and Tommy were away because… well… ya know. Life was tough. But then there were the days Chris was away, and those days suspiciously coincided with specific discussion topics in health class.”

“Which would explain why he was running through the drugstore, screaming at people instead of just being a normal, functional human being who wanted to buy… Band-Aids.”

“Which brings us right back around,” Alana twists in her seat, pinning him with a smile. “Who is she?”

Furious and ready to fight, he burns my forehead with his glare.

“So, Alana knows about the party,” Tommy chuckles, saving his brother like he always does. “She heard about it from Barbara, who was talking to Glenn and Doris about it.”

“Aww, yeah.” From tormenting to content, Alana comes back around with a sweet smile. “You’re throwing me a party, Fox! That’s so sweet of you.”

“Someone has to do it. You live with three Neanderthals, two of whom are seemingly allergic to social gatherings, and the third,” I hit Tommy with a look, “I assume the initiative just hadn’t smacked him in the back of the head yet.

Everyone is so busy running a gym and a bookstore and folding Franklin into his new school, and now Hazel is here.

Worthy distractions, for sure, but it saddens me no one thought to do this. ”

“I heard you’ve been threatening people,” she giggles. “If they don’t come, they’re gonna get hurt.”

“False.” I slide my fork into the cheesecake and slice a little more off. “I said if they don’t come, and bring a guest or ten in addition , then they’re gonna get hurt. I expect the gym to overflow with bodies, and every single one of them better be telling you how wonderful you are.”

“Nothing like the threat of corporal punishment to get folks into the celebratory spirit.” Tommy settles back, draping his arm over Alana’s shoulders. “Cliff said he invited a bunch of people, too. Just FYI.”

“Good. The more, the merrier. So long as he gets me actual numbers a week before the event.”

“You’ll probably live to regret your choices,” Alana taunts. “Cliff knows a lot of people. You know how vampires get strength from blood, and introverts suck the fun out of parties they never wanted to go to?”

So, Chris ? “Sure. I’m following you.”

“Well, Cliff gets strength from meeting people and making friends. He’s independently…”

“Not, like, rich,” Tommy intercepts. “But the dude is probably selling cocaine on the side or something because there ain’t no way he’s living the life he does on whatever he makes fixing up homes.”

“Oh! Speaking of Cliff.” At Hazel’s first peep, just a single chirp of sound, Alana rises from her chair and wanders around to the crib to sweep her baby girl up. And because they’re so practiced, Alana frees her boob, and Hazel traps it between her gums, all in under a second.

Chris, of course, spins away and slams his hip on the counter, his pained hiss traveling across the kitchen.

“First of all,” she comes back around and settles exactly where she started, eating one-handed while Hazel hungrily guzzles her mom’s milk. “ He’s not a drug dealer. I wanted to put that out there, since you’re not from around here, and you might’ve believed that lie.”

“Well shucks, Page.” I set my fork on my plate and sit back with a full belly. “So glad you cleared that up.”

“Second, his parents owned a bit of land out here when we were kids, and then they sold up a couple of years ago to retire somewhere else. They banked their money and gave Cliff his inheritance early, so he’s kind of independently wealthy.

He’d be smart to maintain a day job, if only to keep his skills growing and his reputation within the town.

But he can be chill about it all. Unless he blows it all on strippers and gambling, he should be fine for the rest of his life. ”

“Uh, well…” A thick crumb pulls my attention, gleaming from the edge of my plate. So I place the pad of my pointer finger over the top and pick it up, placing it on my tongue. “Thanks for the history lesson about a guy I hardly know.”

“No, well, that’s my third point. You should go out with Cliff!”

Chris turns, quiet and dangerous, and narrows his eyes.

“He’s single,” she continues. “You’re single… ish.”

Tommy’s eyes widen. “Ish?”

“She’s been enjoying male attention in secret,” Alana croons. “She’s not saying who, and she’s definitely not the type to get attached. So that makes her relatively single enough to entertain dinner with Cliff.”

Thoughtful, Tommy’s eyes flicker. “That so?”

“He’s a total sweetheart,” Alana continues. “Honestly, one of the most decent guys I’ve ever met. He’ll always speak respectfully, hold a door?—”