Page 51 of Pucking Tangled

FIFTY

Casey

They were piled in the car on the way to another PR Training session at the Barn Raisers’ offices when Waylon spoke up, catching them all off guard.

“We need a family bedroom,” he declared.

“That sounds…weird.” Casey stopped scrolling on his phone and turned slightly so he could look back at Waylon, who was sitting next to Luca.

“I’m serious.”

Luca scrunched up his face. “You mean all five of us in one room?”

“Yes. Remember what Owen said the first night we all slept on the bedroom floor? I looked up those ‘family’ beds he mentioned? I’ve been doing the research and thinking about it.”

“That’s dangerous,” Owen smirked.

“Shut it. You’re the one who said to order one,” Waylon glared at the back of Owen’s head .

“And you’re pitching this during the car ride to PR training?”

“Exactly. Mia’s not here, so we can plan in peace.”

“Where would it go?” Luca asked.

“Either the downstairs guest room,” Waylon said, “or Casey and Owen’s room—because, and I quote, Mia’s obsessed with that tub.”

Casey groaned. “She is obsessed with that tub.”

“Yeah,” Waylon said with a grin. “So if we want this to be a surprise and not spark her wrath, we keep the ensuite. Which means you two sacrifice your room for the greater good.”

“But I like our room.” Casey pouted.

Luca chuckled. “It will still be our room. Just all of ours.”

Casey narrowed his eyes. “You think this is funny, but I will make sure your side of the new bed is next to Waylon’s feet.”

Waylon huffed. “I have excellent foot hygiene, thank you.”

Owen didn’t look away from the road, but his voice softened just enough that Casey caught it. “I think it’s a good idea.”

“Are you sure?” Casey asked.

Owen nodded. “These last few days have reminded me how important this is. What we’re building. What we are . If we’re doing this, I want it to feel real. I want Mia to know she’s not just a guest in our space. It’s hers , too.”

Waylon practically bounced in his seat. “Okay! New plan. While we’re at PR training all week, we prep. Quietly. Make decisions. And when we go visit Luca’s parents?—”

“I’ll call my cousin Brooke,” Casey interrupted. “She can oversee the redecorating while we’re gone. She owes me, and she’s got an actual eye for layout and design.”

“I’ve got one question,” Luca chimed in. “What about our current rooms? What will we do with those?”

“We leave them alone for now. This way, we all have a place to retreat when we need some time alone, or alone time with Mia. And she has her own space, too,” Waylon explained. “Eventually, maybe Mia would want to convert her room into an office for herself. Maybe a bedroom or two for babies.”

Casey’s eyes widened, and Owen almost slammed on the brakes.

“Whoa. Babies?” Luca sputtered.

“Don’t tell me you three don’t want to have children with our girl,” Waylon challenged.

Casey just shook his head, but no one argued.

Because Waylon was right. Again.

They weren’t just tangled up in feelings and sleepovers anymore.

Casey knew they all envisioned a future with Mia. One where they expanded their family. Hell, Casey had a dream about it the other night, though he wrote it off as a moment of insanity.

“Why don’t we start with a family bedroom?” Owen said, trying to redirect the conversation. “Let’s keep this plan quiet. She’ll suspect something if we start acting weird.”

“So…we just act normal,” Luca said.

Casey snorted. “Define normal in this house.”

“We act like…” Waylon paused. “Well, shit. Maybe we’re better off just acting weird.”

Everyone laughed, and Owen nodded. “That’s a better idea.”

And just like that, somewhere between media prep and gearing up ‘meet the parents’, they were planning something bigger than just a shared space.

They were recreating a home.

Their home.

The next day, Brooke showed up at the house while Mia was on campus. Armed with iced coffee, a measuring tape, and a leather tool belt she definitely didn’t need but wore like it was part of her everyday wardrobe.

“Someone called in a favor that guarantees I get to create someone else’s Pinterest dream?”

Casey pulled her in for a hug. “That would have been me.”

“Liar,” Waylon playfully smacked Casey upside the head. “This was all my idea.”

“Might have been your idea, but I called in the favor,” Casey defended, rubbing the back of his head.

Brooke rolled her eyes but smiled as she looked around. “Alright, so what are we doing? Redecorating? Rearranging furniture? Or are we talking full-scale ‘I saw it on TikTok and now I have a vision board’ kind of chaos?”

Casey gestured for her to follow him up the stairs. “We want to convert our room—mine and Owen’s—into a shared bedroom for all five of us. Giant bed, cozy lighting…”

Brooke paused on the landing, blinking. “You want to what?”

“We’re building a family bedroom,” Luca said, stepping into the hallway from his room .

“And before you say anything, it’s not weird,” Waylon added. “It’s sweet. Wholesome. We’re like five otters forming a cuddle raft for emotional stability.”

“What the hell is happening in this house?” Her mouth dropped open. “I knew you all loved the girl, but damn .”

Casey slung an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t think too hard about it. Just know we trust you with the vision.”

Owen came up the stairs with a tape measure of his own and a floor plan sketched on the back of a takeout menu. “We’ll be out of town for a few days next week visiting Luca’s family.”

“I’ll be here,” Brooke said, flipping open a notepad she’d pulled from her back pocket. “Just give me your blessing, the Wi-Fi password, and your credit card.”

Casey pulled out his wallet, but Waylon beat him to it, handing Brooke his card instead. “Take it and run, you terrifying design goblin.”

“I’ll make you think, goblin, Waylon Ryan,” Brooke said, tucking his card in her pocket and pulling out a notepad from her tool belt.

Brooke jotted notes as she walked into their room, evaluating the layout. “Okay, okay. We’ve got space. A big one-wall headboard setup would work if we combine frames. I can order a custom mattress—or push together multiples with a seamless top layer.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ve already ordered a custom mattress. It will be here no later than Saturday,” Waylon told her.

“We should make it impossible to know whose side is whose,” Luca said.

“We should build a platform with storage underneath,” Brooke said, now fully in design mode. “Keep your clutter out of sight. Add sconces, soft floor lighting for middle-of-the-night snack runs...”

“I like her,” Waylon whispered.

“Alright. I’ll draft a mood board tonight. Text me anything Mia likes—colors, textures, stuff she comments on when you’re watching design shows.”

Luca opened his phone immediately. “She has a Pinterest folder called ‘Dream Sleep Den.’ Want me to share it?”

Brooke snorted. “Of course she does. Yes. Send it.”

Casey sat down beside Waylon, grinning. “This is gonna be so good. She’s gonna freak.”

“She’s gonna cry,” Luca said softly.

“Worth it,” Owen murmured.

Brooke stood in the middle of the room, looking like she was already mentally gutting the place. “When are you heading out?”

“Thursday,” Luca replied. “We’ll be gone four nights. Is that going to be enough time?”

“Absolutely,” she said, clapping her hands together. “I cannot wait to get started.”

“Do not spill a single detail to her,” Owen warned. “Got it?”

“Yessss.” Brooke rolled her eyes. “Jeez. You act like I can’t keep a secret.”

Casey snorted. “Uhuh. Now, you should get going before she comes home from class.” Casey got up and slung his arm around her. “You still have my spare key, right?”

“I do.” Brooke nodded.

“Oh. Troy is coming by Friday morning to pick up Skeeter. But Mia thinks you’re dog sitting and that’s why you’ll be here when we leave,” Casey added .

Brooke blushed at the mention of Troy’s name. “Oh. Uhm. Okay.”

“You always were my favorite cousin, Brookie.”

“Right. I’ve heard you tell the others that, too,” she laughed. “Either way, I’ll be here. Thursday morning.”