The bastard beat me to it. The tears fall in earnest now as I stare into the eyes of my first. “And I love you.”
He kisses me again. This time, I know what I need to do even if it’s going to kill me in the process.
“Let’s call Nate.”
He studies me again. “Are you sure?”
I nod, afraid that if I attempt to say anything else, I’ll break down. They don’t need a hot mess right now. They need me to be strong, and for them, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure this whole plan goes off without a hitch.
The twins walk into the room, take one look at Cole and me, and plop down onto the floor next to us.
“Group hug?” Levi asks with a grin, though his green eyes are studying me with an intent that’s unmistakable.
I sniffle and nod. “Group hug.”
Before Cole can stop them, both brothers wrap their arms around us, a little tighter than I anticipated until we’re all squished together. Cole grunts before grumbling, “Back off a little, fuckers. We need to breathe.”
“What the fuck is happening right now?” Knox asks as he enters the room, but he’s smiling at the sight of the impromptu love fest on the carpet.
“Come on, Knoxie boy, join our group hug.”
“Uh, I think I’ll pass, thanks. That looks painful.”
“Oh, c’mon, Knox. You know you wanna join us down here on the hard ground while the big fuckers squish the ever-loving shit out of us,” Cole snarks.
“Wow. You do sarcasm well. I didn’t know you even had it in you,” I retort.
He boops me on the nose. “Oh shut it, you.”
“Guys.” Macklin comes running into the room and skids across the tile as he takes in the group of us. “Uh. What’s going on here?”
“Some sort of weird group sex experiment,” Knox deadpans.
“Huh. I’ll join in just a second,” Macklin says, earning himself a round of cheers from those of us on the floor. “But first…I found her.”
I gasp, crawling out of the pile of huge male limbs. “You found Asher?”
“Yes. She’s in Oregon. A small mountain town that’s barely on the map.”
“Oh my fucking god. I love you so much right now, you sexy nerd,” I shout as I hop into his arms and kiss him hard. His hands come up, grabbing my ass and spinning with me.
When we finally pull apart for air, the other guys are surrounding us, their hope practically a tangible thing. It burrows into my soul, and for the first time in days, I feel like I can breathe again.
“Looks like we’re going to Oregon, boys. Grab your shit and be ready in an hour.”
“Okay, well. That was interesting,” I mutter, picking bits of food out of my hair and pulling on the sleeve of my now completely soaked shirt.
“I warned you that us removing our necklaces was a really bad idea, but you said, and I quote, ‘It will only be for a few minutes, Knox. What’s the worst that can happen?’ Well, little ghost, you’re looking at the worst right now.”
The trip through the ether was an eventful one to say the least. Knox made Macklin cry, hence most of the wetness on my shoulder. Then Cole kept accusing everyone of thinking outrageous things, which pissed Knox off, which in turn set off the twins.
Imagine, if you will, a massive food fight complete with flashing disco lights that blinded everyone during the melee and a shadow schlong that wanted to get a little too friendly with all of us.
Did I mention the food came from the basket of goodies I was bringing to woo Asher since Nate conveniently had something urgent come up and couldn’t make it? I’m guessing he just chickened out, which I will give him shit about later. But for now, these fuckers ruined perfectly good donuts and chocolate. Not to mention the wine and alcoholic ice pops that have completely destroyed my shirt.
I quickly go ghost and change into a fresh shirt. This one is red and says Ghost girls wear red to hide the blood stains in black letters. It’s totally not aimed at the sexy as shit Fearsome Five with me. Nope. Not at all.
Thad chuckles when he gets a good look at it. “You got something to say, woman?”
“Yeah, totally a great way to make a first impression on someone who may or may not know who the fuck she is. That won’t scare her off at all,” Cole mutters. He’s never appreciated my graphic tee obsession.
“For fuck’s sake. Fine.” I go ghost once again, changing to a plain white t-shirt, leather jacket, and skinny jeans with my shit kicker boots. “Better?”
“You look great, Fate. Don’t let these ass munchers tell you otherwise.”
“Ass munchers, Mack? Really?” Thad snickers. “What do you know about ass munching?”
“Lord save me from these jackasses,” I mutter.
“In case you’ve forgotten, there is no one to pray to, sweets.”
“Oh, fuck off. All of you.”
I stomp out of the forested area where we purposefully landed, leaving the guys to figure out their own attire, and take in the quiet, picturesque town nestled into the mountains. The entirety of this place is one main street dotted with adorable businesses and restaurants, their doors open in greeting. Cute little benches are placed outside every other shop as if beckoning visitors to sit down, stay a while, and make themselves at home.
Walking onto the sidewalk, I’ve got to admit the town is quaint, with a kind of charming quality you don’t see in many places these days. Residents sit on the benches, chatting and waving to passersby.
“Well, hello there, pretty lady,” an older man says as he stares at me through glasses that have to be a couple inches thick. He’s wearing suspenders with his pants pulled up to his chest and a tweed cap on his head. “You ain’t from ‘round here.”
I smile because he’s as adorable as this town. “No, sir. I’m actually here looking for a friend.”
“Saw you just walk out of the forest. You some sort of elvish creature or something?”
Chuckling, I shake my head. “No. We just had car trouble a ways down the highway and had to walk a bit. My...other friends should be meeting up with me shortly once they figure it out. I got a head start so I can find Asher.”
The second I say her name, his grin vanishes. “Sweet girl. Such a shame what happened to her mom all those years ago. You ain’t here to hurt her, are you?”
“No, of course not.”
He studies me for a moment, his smile returning. “I believe you. I have a sense about these things, you know.”
“I believe that. I’m Fate, by the way,” I say, extending my hand to shake his weathered one.
“Pretty name for a pretty girl. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fate. My name’s Gus.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Gus. Don’t suppose you could point me in Asher’s direction?”
“How about I do ya one better? I’ll walk you there myself.” Grabbing his cane then using his free hand to push off the arm of the bench, he stands and adjusts his hat. He’s at least half a foot shorter than I am, and I decide I kind of love him. In a grandfatherly sort of way of course. Turning to me, he offers his arm, the other maneuvering the cane. “Allow me, milady.”