Page 21

We’ve been here for three days, three days of waking up at 4:30 AM to go run the same route to the top of the mountain and back down.

Stopping for coffee on the way, then talking as we walk the remaining half mile from the coffee hut to the cabin.

It’s a routine I wasn’t thrilled about but have come to crave.

“Have you gotten any more texts?” I ask as I take a sip of coffee.

She pulls her eyebrows up high like she’s forgotten I know about it. Her head shakes softly .

“No, they stopped.” She takes a sip of her sugar with a splash of coffee, “I think they were just trying to get a rise out of me. Wouldn’t be too off base for them.” I’m not sure I believe that, I mean, what would the end goal of that be?

When we reach the cabin, Monroe is standing on the steps bouncing on the balls of his feet. The ramped up level of excitement coming from him has all my spidey senses tingling, which says a lot because he’s like a dog, full of energy and always happy.

“Finally!” When we get in reach of him, he grabs Abby by the wrist and pulls her inside. I want to smack him, but the smile she gives me over her shoulder lets me know she was expecting this.

“I’m here for this,” my brother says from my left. He's sitting in a white rocking chair just out of view of the front door. I walk over and drop myself into the matching chair next to him.

“Here for what?” I rock back and forth as I take a sip of my coffee. He just watches me for a minute before leaning his elbows on his knees.

“This friendship. I haven’t seen you this relaxed in a long time.

” He looks down at his hands, squeezing them a few times before he looks back up at me.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but I will.

” Here we go again. “Don’t hurt her. She’s a good woman.

Not only that, but she’s also a huge part of our lives.

A bigger strain between the two of you would ruin Hannah. And that would ruin me.”

He gets up and walks toward me. His hand meets my shoulder with a hard slap. “Then I’d have to kill you,” he whispers as he walks off into the house. Well, that last part certainly wasn’t what I thought was coming .

As much as I feel like a scolded child, I get where he’s coming from.

I’ve been anti-friendship, and more specifically, anti-relationship, for the longest time.

I’ve turned into a “grump-a-saurus,” according to him and my mom.

I miss the man I used to be; the man I’ve realized over the past few days has no issue coming out around Abby.

“Tot.” I hear Hannah’s soft voice call from behind me.

I look over my shoulder to see she looks broken, her eyebrows are pulled down so far over her eyes she looks like the dog from Fox and the Hound.

What the heck could my brother have done in the past few minutes to warrant this kind of reaction?

I’m pulling her into a hug before I even register the fact that my body moved.

She wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head on my chest; I feel the deep breaths she’s taking which lets me know she’s trying to calm down. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

She looks up at me with tears in her eyes, and suddenly, I want to punch something.

“That sad puppy commercial was on TV.” I blink at her a few times before I drop my arms and step back, my head falling forward as it shakes with laughter.

This woman is the most empathetic person I know.

There are two things she’d do anything for: kids and animals.

“Tatum! It’s not funny,” she cries as she wipes the tears from under her eyes.

It is, though, because it’s just so Hannah.

She feels everything so deeply. She loves hard, but she also knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of cruelty.

It’s what makes her, her. But it’s also what makes her such a good friend.

She’s constantly checking on everyone else.

It wasn’t until my brother came along that she had someone other than Abby to look out for her.

Now, she’s got a whole squad. Myself included .

“I’m sorry.” I wheeze out. “Have you eaten? Want me to make you a bagel?” Her eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning.

I could use some post-workout carbs. She’s flinging the door open before I can take a step, my smile sliding into place.

It doesn’t feel foreign like it normally does; it feels genuine.

Like the ice I’ve encased myself in for so long is starting to thaw.

I follow behind her, pulling the bag of blueberry bagels out of the fridge and popping them into the toaster.

“Cream Cheese?” I ask as I hold up the tub. She gives me a soft smile and nods.

I mindlessly get out plates and spread the deliciously unhealthy cheese over the bagels before I slide them over the island.

She takes a bite and does a happy dance in her chair.

“What’s on the agenda today?” I ask. None of us knows exactly what’s going on because Monroe has been so tight-lipped about the schedule.

Supposedly, “Mystery adds to the fun of it.” Which it does to an extent, but still, I want to know what I’m getting into before I get into it.

Hannah shrugs as she finishes chewing. “Something about a hike to a waterfall.” Hmm, I like that idea.

It’s easy to be outside here; it’s not humid and ridiculously hot.

The birds are loud, or maybe it’s the fact that it’s so quiet here you can actually hear them.

It’s peaceful, relaxing, even. It’s a slower pace than the life we’re all used to living.

I pop the last of my bagel in my mouth as Abby walks into the kitchen.

Her freshly showered form is a vision of pure beauty.

Her face is clear of makeup, hair pulled into her signature double braids, and her skin is glistening.

I stare for longer than I realize because Hannah clears her throat and looks between the two of us.

Abby stands unbothered in the entry to the kitchen with her arms crossed over her chest. I don’t like it .

I don’t like that she’s hiding the part of her that she’s kept from me all this time. I don’t like that she’s pulling back what she’s offered up on a silver platter over the past few days. I don’t like that she’s back to pretending she hates my guts when I know damn well she doesn’t.

It’s moments like this that I want to be jerk Tate, to give her a taste of her own medicine.

But I rein it in, knowing it’s because Hannah is here, and it’s not a slight on me.

I hurriedly rinse my plate off and put it in the drying rack, allowing myself some time to regain my composure.

When I turn back to the two whispering ladies, I ask.

“Why’d you shower if we’re going hiking?

” She thinks about her answer for a second before a devious smile comes out to play.

“Gotta be ready for anything,” she says with a wink as she spins around so fast her braids go flying. “I’m making a protein shake. Does anyone else want one?”

“I do!” Almost all of Greyson’s teammates say at the same time.

Zeke is sitting in the corner of the living room, watching me with a look I can’t quite decipher.

Did he see me get tripped up when she came in?

That’s the last thing I need. He’d ask fifteen questions a second until he was satisfied with my answer.

I turn just in time to catch the end of Abby’s eye roll.

“That was a rhetorical question; make it yourselves, you big babies.” She huffs.

I take that as my moment to sneak off and shower because now I feel like I need to be ready for “anything.” I take a deep cleansing breath as I get into the bathroom, turning on the water and allowing it to heat up before I end up taking an ice bath instead.

I get my shorts halfway down when the door on her side of the bathroom swings open .

I’m still slightly bent over when I turn my head to look at her, only to find her standing there with two cups in her hands and her eyes locked on my ass.

“Like what you see?” Her teeth bite into her bottom lip as her smile slowly blooms. I stand up and raise an eyebrow, hoping she’ll tell me why she decided to come in here when the shower was running.

She clears her throat as she extends one arm out to me. “I made my shake bigger than normal and split it into two cups once I was in my room. I didn’t want to raise any flags, but you need protein for our hike.”

She made me a shake... Such a simple act of kindness, something I’d expect of my past self, but I’ve never been on the receiving end of. I silently take it from her and take a sip. I let my head fall back and groan as it hits my taste buds. It tastes exactly like a peanut butter cup.

When I meet her eyes, they’re wide and wild.

It’s then that I remember I’m almost naked, and I just grunted like a sex-crazed animal.

“Shoot, sorry,” I say as I put the cup down on the counter, my tongue darting out to clean the remnants off my lips.

“This is really good, thank you.” She just nods as she slowly backs out of the room.

I run my hand down my face when the door shuts behind her.

Way to make a fool of yourself there, mate.

When I’m done, I grab the towel off the hook and wrap it around my waist. Steam clings to the shower door, inviting me to draw some obscene thing for Abby to discover later when she’s in here.

I lower my foot to the bath mat, and the second my foot touches it, I realize there’s something very wrong here.

What was plush and comforting when I got in is now scaly.

And slimy. And slithering. The scream that comes out of me would put a pre-teen at a T-Swift concert to shame .

Throwing myself back through the open shower door, my brain short circuits as I look for something–anything really–to trap the damn thing.

I’d kill it, but then Hannah would kill me, so that’s out.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, both bathroom doors slam open almost simultaneously.

Greyson barreling in from one side, Abby from the other.

“What happened?” Greyson rushes in as he looks over me like he expects to find a severed limb.

Abby, on the other hand, her jaw is on the floor as she takes me in.

I don’t even know if she realizes my brother is here.

If he wasn’t, and there wasn’t a snake in here, I’m sure it’d feel real nice to be on the receiving end of her undivided attention.

The slithery nope-rope picks that moment to move between my brother and me.

The fool literally jumps into my arms, knocking my towel to the floor.

Thus giving Abby the perfect view of my nicely sculpted peach.

Her eyes drop, and her entire face brightens as she tries to conceal her growing smile.

I can feel her committing this to memory. I’m never going to live this down.

“Abby, get it!” I shriek, my dignity hanging on by the tiniest thread as I hop from foot to foot, still holding my gargantuan brother.

“Get off me, you weirdo,” I shout, dropping him onto the floor, directly on top of the snake.

Greyson’s scream is somehow worse than mine. “IT’S TOUCHING MY BUTT!” he screeches while I frantically grab my towel and wrap it back around my waist.

Hannah and Reed pick that exact moment to rush in to see what the commotion is. “What the heck is happening here?” Hannah says as she takes in the absolute chaos that is her fiancè on the floor, me still dripping wet, and Abby doubled over against the sink, wheezing with laughter.

“What’s touching your butt?” Reed adds, looking both confused and horrified. A snort comes out of Abby, her shoulders shaking. She brings her head up to answer Reed, the woman has tears streaming down her face.

“Snakeageddon,” she finally chokes out.

The look of twin confusion on their faces has me smiling, internally, of course, while Greyson is still on the floor. The snake slithers out from under him and toward the little audience who have so nicely come to check on us.

Reed goes pale; my brother scrambles backward into my legs.

But Hannah? Her eyes narrow as she glances between Abby and the snake.

Then, she bends down and picks it up. My brother and I gasped in unison.

Her head shakes as she flips it over. “You morons,” she says, flicking the tiny power switch. The snake's movements stop instantly.

Then, she flings it at my chest. I react like I imagine someone would if a live grenade were thrown their way. My hands fly out to the sides as I step further into the shower. No way, Jose. Fake or not, I don’t do snakes.

It takes a second for my brain to finally catch up, but when it does, my gaze snaps to Abby, who has finally caught her breath. Her bottom lip pulls between her teeth, as her eyes follow the water droplets still rolling down my body.

This was her, I’m sure of it. Her eyes meet mine, shining in victory, and she shrugs one shoulder innocently. “This was you?” I sputter .

Her hand lands on my shoulder, a soft giggle escapes her lips. “My brain needed to keep itself entertained somehow,” she whispers with a wink.

She steps back and is soon flanked by Monroe, matching grins on their faces as they bump knuckles. He then holds up a remote control and wiggles it. Oh, she wants to play? Bring it on.