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ten

Lane

“I’m gonna need you to give me your keys while you’re gone, Ari,” Cole says, plopping down onto the sofa with a fresh beer in hand. “You’re the last solo one of us. No one else has a place to themselves.”

“Lucia still lives on her own,” I state. “Though I’m pretty sure she spends most of her time at Matt’s.”

I don’t miss the way Ari rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t verbally reply.

“Keep out of my place, fucker,” Ari chuckles as he responds to Cole now. “I’ll only be gone a couple weeks.”

Cole levels him with a look. “The fuck you will. You always plan to head to Korea for a couple weeks, and then you extend your stay.”

“He’s a mama’s boy,” Josh chuckles. “Let him be.”

“Fuck off, Garro.” Ari shakes his head. “In my defense, I only ever get to see my mom during the offseason. She lives on the other side of the fucking world.”

Ari actually lived in South Korea until he was ten.

That’s when his parents divorced, and his dad brought him back to the US with him.

His dad is in the military, so they moved around a lot from what he’s told us.

Despite his father’s efforts, he’s close with his mom, and we all know he wishes he could see her more often.

“You know I love Eomma,” Cole smiles.

“When are you heading out?” Knox asks.

“Couple of days,” Ari answers. “Flight’s first thing Monday morning.”

“Are you going to be back for the, uh…” Knox stammers, “party?”

Ari smiles at him. “Wouldn’t miss that party for anything, man. I’ll be back in the States before that.”

“Are you nervous at all about that?” I ask Knox.

He lets out a breath. “Of course I am. I’m pretty sure the nerves are normal.”

“Yep,” Josh says. “I’ll attest to that. I was nervous as hell.”

“I wasn’t,” Cole shrugs, sipping his beer.

“That’s because you did it backward, fucker,” Knox shakes his head.

Cole smiles at him reassuringly. “Breathe, man. You know exactly how it’s going to go.”

“How did Fort Knox turn into the simpiest motherfucker of us all?” I laugh loudly.

Knox scowls. “That goddamn nickname.”

“Cheer up, Spence,” I smile.

“Hate that one, too,” he grumbles.

Yeah, that’s precisely why I use it.

Ari’s look is devious as he turns to face me. “Something tells me you’ll give Knox a run for his money in the simp department.”

“Cole already has him beat,” Josh chuckles.

“Like you’re any different with Ella, dick,” Cole mutters.

“Okay, I get it. We’re all down bad simps here.”

“The fuck I am,” Ari scoffs. “I don’t simp over anyone in my bed.”

“I bet Luc could change your tune,” Knox prods. Since he started dating Harlow, he’s turned into such a little shit.

“One, I can’t stand Lucia,” Ari chides, holding up one finger before throwing up a second. “Two, she has a fucking boyfriend. I don’t touch any woman with a boyfriend. I might fuck around, but I still have morals.”

“Shit,” I say as a thought pops into my head. “Should we start inviting Matt to these nights?”

“Fuck no.”

The emphatic response doesn’t come from Ari—it comes from Josh.

I cock an eyebrow at him. “Not a fan of Matt?” I ask.

He rolls his eyes. “Don’t act like any of you are. But Lucia is my wife’s best friend. We’ve had multiple double dates with them. And I swear to God, if I have to hear about how he works on Wall Street one more goddamn time, I’ll push him into traffic myself and make it look like an accident.”

“Fucking Christ,” Knox mumbles.

“Holy hell, man,” I say, surprised. “I thought nobody hated him more than Ari.”

“I’ve hated him longer,” Ari shrugs. “I had him pegged as a douche the moment we met him. Lucia could do so much better.”

“She could, could she?” Cole teases, saying exactly what we’re all thinking.

I don’t think Ari hates Lucia as much as he lets on. Whatever happened between them soured him, and I have a strong feeling Matt is in the middle of it. If he were out of the picture, he might be singing a very different tune.

“It’s getting late,” I say, standing and stretching myself out, sparing Ari from any further commentary. “Rory has Sage asleep already, but she still likes to wake up at the ass crack of dawn. I need some sleep myself before that.”

“Good idea,” Josh yawns. “I’m fucking exhausted anyway.”

The five of us clean up the beer bottles on the table before we break apart for the night, ready to relax and get some sleep.

Tomorrow is Sunday, which is one day closer to Sage’s next ballet lesson. And I have more than one reason to be very excited about that.

“Daddy pwetty!” Sage chimes. She’s perched on a chair around the small table in her bedroom while I’m sitting on the floor, a pink feather boa draped around my neck and a floppy purple hat atop my head.

What? We’re having a tea party.

“Not as pretty as you, Lovebug!” I smile, pinching her cheek as she giggles.

Sage pulled out her Halloween costume from this past year to wear—Elsa from Frozen. We’re having a fancy tea party, obviously.

Suddenly, Sage gasps, hands on her cheeks. “Cookies!”

I throw my head back and laugh as I watch my daughter scurry out of her bedroom and into the kitchen, going for the pack of Oreos I know I have sitting on the counter. I’ll give her a chance to get them by herself since I know she can reach them when she uses the step stool.

As I wait for her to come back, my phone vibrates loudly on the purple plastic table in front of me.

I look down at it and smile, seeing a text from the one person I’ve been wanting to talk to.

Olive

Good morning, Hotshot

Lane

I don’t think you realize how much I love when you call me that

God, Ballerina

Olive

Oh

I can’t help but chuckle at her response. I obviously can’t come on as strong with her as I’ve done with other women in the past.

Lane

What are you up to today?

Olive

Not much of anything, honestly

I might spend some time in our basement studio

Lane

You have a ballet studio in your basement?

Olive

Well, my parents do

What are you doing?

Lane

Sagie and I are having a tea party

I hold my phone out and grin, snapping a picture of me in my ridiculous getup.

Lane

*Attachment: 1 image*

Olive

Oh my God

I swear I’m not laughing

You look ridiculous

Lane

I don’t know

I think pink is my color

Olive

Brings out the hazel in your eyes

Lane

Paying attention to my eye color, Liv?

Olive

Of course not!

You did just send me a picture, though

Lane

Shame

I liked the idea of you looking

Olive

You’re shameless

Lane

No doubt

Do I get a picture of you, though?

Olive

I suppose I can return the favor

*Attachment: 1 image*

I can’t stifle my groan. God, she’s beautiful.

Hair in a messy bun with loose strands framing her face and a large gray sweatshirt falling off her shoulder.

Based on the lack of a strap on that shoulder, I don’t think she’s wearing a bra under it, and that’s giving me some very dirty thoughts.

That alone is probably why it’s a terrible reason to immediately save the picture under her contact in my phone, but I do it anyway.

Lane

Damn, Ballerina

You look incredible

Olive

I literally just woke up, Lane

Lane

Then do you always look so goddamn good first thing in the morning?

Olive

I… don’t know

Maybe?

Lane

I bet you do

I’ll find out for myself sometime

I set my phone down as I wait for her to reply. I really enjoy talking to her. She doesn’t know how to handle my obvious flirting, and it’s completely adorable.

“I back!” Sage yells, running into the room with far more than cookies in her arms.

“Did you bring the whole pantry, Lovebug?” I laugh as packages of cookies, applesauce, raisins, graham crackers, and more fall to the table.

She doesn’t say anything back; she just looks down at my phone instead. Olive responded to my last text now, so when my phone lights up, Sage sees the picture Olive just sent me flashing on the screen.

“Owive!”

“Yeah, Sagie,” I smile, pulling my daughter up into my lap. “Daddy’s talking to Olive right now.”

“I like Owive.”

My heart swells at her admission before I reply with one of my own. “Yeah, Lovebug. I think I like her, too.”