“Yeah. Both of their friends challenged them to make the other fall in love with them within a month. Kind of coincidental, I know, but hey.”
“I’m guessing they both succeeded.”
“God, you’re clever today.” She grins at me.
I smirk, tugging on a lock of her hair. “Don’t start with me, Jenkins.”
“Or what, Smith?”
“Or this.” I grab her and pull her against me, holding her tightly.
“I don’t see the problem.” She relaxes into my hold.
“Huh. I guess that kind of backfired, right?”
“Yep.” She laughs. “Okay, um, something you should know about Braden.”
“This doesn’t sound good.”
“No, it’s not bad. He’s just… Well, he’s kind of obnoxious if I’m honest. He’s the guy you love to hate.”
“Fuckin’ hell, my reputation precedes me again,” a guy’s voice says from behind Abbi.
“Dollar,” Maddie’s voice demands. “Now.”
“Mads…”
“No. One dollar, Braden.”
Braden sighs, digging into his pocket, and looks at Abbi. “You heard this crap, Abbi? She’s making me pay every time I swear. My girlfriend and my mother are conspiring against me.”
“So she should,” Abbi replies. “You swear too much.”
“Thank you.” Maddie takes the dollar from Braden’s hand and tucks it into her own pocket. “Don’t worry, it’s going to a good cause.”
“Sure as hell isn’t,” Braden mutters.
“Hey, if you stop swearing now, you won’t have to take me to dinner at all.”
Abbi snorts. “You’re making him take you to dinner with the money you’re taking for him swearing?”
Maddie beams. “Yep. I debated a pair of shoes first, but thought he should see some of it. Although, the shoe thing is totally plausible. The amount he swears, it’d only take a couple of months to save up for some Jimmy Choos or something.”
“You’re not buying fu-“ Braden pauses. “Fudging shoes with the money you take off me for swearing.”
She narrows her eyes, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “I’m debating charging you fifty cents for an almost swear.”
I smile into the back of Abbi’s head, understanding why Maddie is Abbi’s best friend. The girl is bloody brilliant.
“Don’t make me threaten you, Stevens,” Braden threatens.
“Honey…” Maddie places her hands on his chest and gazes up at him. “There’s nothing you could threaten me with that wouldn’t hurt you more. Sweet of you to try, though.” She pats him and winks at me. “Hi, Blake. Meet my caveman, Braden. Caveman, this is Blake.”
“Alright, mate,” I say, and we shake hands briefly.
“I will be soon. Abbi, tell me your dad has beer in that house.”
“Of course he does. It’s the fourth of July. What do you take him for?” Abbi scoffs.
“I told you.” Maddie pokes his arm. “Now you and Blake can go inside and find her dad and do guy stuff.”
“Tryin’ to get rid of me, Angel?” Braden looks at her.
“Me? Never.” Maddie turns to me. “Between you and me, I am. He’s done nothing but talk about how this is the first Independence Day he’s spent not on the beach, the poor baby.”
“I swear, Maddie…”
“Yes, Braden, you do. You swear a freakin’ lot. We all know.”
He takes a deep breath but there’s a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You know what? I’m gonna go get that beer.” He looks at me. “Comin’?”
Go and get a beer, or stay with what looks like Double Trouble. No brainer. “Yep, I’m coming.”
We all walk into the house, Abbi and Maddie heading towards the stairs and us to the garden.
Maddie pauses. “Braden?”
“Yes, Angel?” He turns around, a smile on his face.
She twists her lips into an amused smirk. “Be nice.”
“I’m always nice.” He grins.
~
Abbi was right. The guy is obnoxious, but you can’t help but like him. He’s honest and has no issues with saying what’s on his mind when it’s on his mind. Quite like Maddie, so I’m not surprised they have an almost constant comfortable banter that entertains everyone around them.
And, since beer loosens people’s tongues, she’s already added seven dollars to her collection from him.
“I carry one dollar bills around for that reason,” he grumbles, handing over the ninth. “She better pick a damn expensive restaurant, I tell you that.”
“She’s a girl. She’ll have no problems there,” I reply.
“Ha! True that.” He leans back on the chair. “Better the restaurant than the shoes. She has enough, and half of them are in my freakin’ bedroom.”
I smirk. “So you guys are at college in California, right?”
“Yeah. I grew up there.”
“Why didn’t you stay down there for this weekend?”
“Almost did. I would have if it wasn’t for Maddie. Fourth of July was her mom’s favorite holiday when she was alive. It didn’t feel right asking her to stay with my parents when I knew she really wanted to be here. Besides, she misses Abbi like f**kin’ crazy when she’s at college.”
“Abbi’s the same about her.” I look over at them giggling like two kids.
“They’re joined at the damn hip when they’re together. I remember the first time I came home with Maddie and she introduced us. Abbi was a total different person, but the second those girls got talking she turned into the girl she is right now. I’m pretty sure she hated me at first, if I’m honest.” He pauses. “In fact, I’m not entirely sure she likes me that much now.”
We both laugh.
“She does.” I watch her as she tucks her hair behind her ear, exposing the side of her face to me. “She’s comfortable with you, at least. I can tell.”
I can feel Braden’s eyes on me, as if he’s deciding whether or not to say something. The silence lasts only a minute.
“She’s told you.”
Not a question.
I nod.
“Everything?”
“In as few words as she could.”
“Shit the bed.” He exhales and takes his eyes from me, turning them in the direction mine are in. On the girls. “She trusts you.”