Page 20 of Inseparable
She kisses my cheek. “Of course. Come on.” She lifts the dish with the potatoes. “We don’t want to be late.”
I take the pumpkin pie and follow her out of the house.
Ayden opens the door to us, and the look on his face is priceless. His jaw slackens, and his eyes almost bug out of his head as he drags his gaze over me. “Wow, Lina. You look stunning.”
Jeez, I really need to do more with my appearance if a bit of makeup, a fitted top, and some heels has everyone noticing. “Thanks. You look nice too.” And he does. His blue, white, and red checkered shirt is open over a plain white top that fits his broad shoulders and muscular chest perfectly, as if it was spray painted on his body. He’s wearing low-hanging dark-navy jeans, and red and neon Air Max. His blond hair is still a little damp from the shower but spiked up in his usual style. Ayden is a seriously good-looking guy and a sweetheart to boot.Why couldn’t I fall in love with him?
“Ayden,” Mrs. Carter says in a chastising tone of voice, “are you going to let our guests in or leave them standing out there in the cold?” She takes the pie from my hands, ushering us inside with a welcoming smile.
“Chill, Mom. It’s not my fault the sight of Lina looking so utterly gorgeous eradicated all logical thought.” He winks, offering me his arm which I gratefully accept. Mom beams at me, sharing a knowing look with Mrs. Carter as we move through the house.
Sounds of laughter greet my ears as we step into the living room. Lucas is laughing with Mr. Carter over by the window, and he lifts his hand in a wave. I smile at him, returning his wave. My heart starts pounding in my chest at the sight of Devin, sitting on the couch with Ayden’s youngest sister on his lap, reading her a story. Ayden’s other two sisters are seated on the couch across from them, hanging off Devin’s every word. Ellie is twelve and Mia is thirteen now, and both are at the age where they are properly noticing boys for the first time. Mia has been crushing on Devin for a little while. Not that I’m in any position to criticize her for that. I feel like pulling her aside and telling her not to waste her energy.
Devin obviously knows we’ve arrived, but he hasn’t looked up from the book to acknowledge me and that ticks me off.
“Hi, Dev.” I practically shout the words.
Ever so slowly, he looks up. Shock is splayed all over his face as he stares at me. A flash of something blazes in his eyes before he composes himself, clearing his throat. “Hey, Ange.”
I offer him a strained smile. Kayla jumps off his lap, running at me. “Lina!” She throws her arms around my legs, and I almost lose my balance, but Ayden is there to steady me.
“Careful, munchkin.” He ruffles her hair. “Don’t knock Lina over.”
I bend down, pulling her in for a hug. “Hi, Kayla. I made your favorite pie.”
She squeals with delight. “Did you put fairy magic in it like always?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I spy Mia throwing her eyes to the ceiling. She forgets she was as fascinated with fairies at age seven as Kayla is. I kiss the top of Kayla’s nose. “Come on? You really need to ask me that?”
She giggles, and I whisper in her ear. “I only put fairy magic in your slice so it’s your job to make sure I cut the pie.”
She holds out her hand. “Deal.” We shake on it, and the feel of her small, soft hand in mine helps erase some of my anger. I remember when Mrs. Carter brought Kayla home and how enamored all three of us were with her. As we got older, I regularly babysat with Ayden, and she feels as much my sister as his. I hate that I don’t have much time for her anymore.
I straighten up, and she tugs on my hand, attempting to drag me back to the couch—back to Devin and her book. Oh, hell to the no. As much as I need to speak to Devin, I’m not doing it with an audience, and I most definitely am not going to sit by his side and pretend that everything is perfect. Extracting my hand from hers, I kiss the top of her hair. “You go back to your book. I need to help our moms in the kitchen.”
Her little face drops, and I feel like the biggest bitch on the planet, but self-preservation wins out. Ayden trails me into the kitchen with a puzzled look on his face. “Can I help?” I ask his mom.
“Relax, enjoy yourself,” Mrs. Carter says, shooing me away with her hands. “We have this under control.”
I shuffle awkwardly on my feet, not wanting to go back into the living room. “Want to hang out on the back porch?” Ayden asks, and I gratefully nod.
The crisp fall weather blasts me in the face as soon as we step outside. I shiver, and Ayden tucks me in under his arm, pulling us both down on the love seat. He drags a thick blanket over us, and I snuggle into him, enjoying the familiar feel and smell of him. He toys with my hair as we sit in silence, both staring out at the manicured lawn. “Did he say something to you?” he asks after a bit.
“No.”
“So what is it? And don’t tell me it’s nothing. I know when my two best friends are avoiding each other.”
I want to tell him, but I’m not sure how he’ll react. If what Dev has alluded to is true—that Ayden has romantic feelings for me—then the news that I’ve been intimate with Dev won’t go down well. And I don’t want him to feel like he has to pick sides. Whatever beef I have with Devin is mine alone. Besides, it’s not like I’m the only one hiding stuff. Devin and Ayden are still frosty with one another, and I’ve no clue why. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, and I’m going to talk to him about it later.”
“Let’s do it now,” Devin says from behind, startling me. He’s lounging against the doorframe, watching us, with his arms crossed and his expression guarded.
“So you’re talking to me now?”
He pushes off the door and saunters toward me. “I was never not talking to you.”
“Oh, puh-lease. Don’t feed me that bull. You’ve been avoiding me for weeks.”
Ignoring me, he eyeballs Ayden. “Can you leave us? I need to speak to Ange in private.”
