“Depends. Are you going to make me eat salad again?” I nodded and his face twisted in disgust. “Can’t I just eat a few celery sticks that come with the wings?”
“Celery doesn’t count as a legitimate vegetable when you smother it in buffalo sauce and an entire cup of ranch dressing,” I informed him as I glanced down at my phone again. “Do you want the pizza or not?”
“Yeah, sure.” He blew out a long breath, making it seem like I was making him get his teeth filled without getting properly numbed-up first. I didn’t bother to hide my grin as I added the cheese pizza to the monstrous order.
“I want one of those cookie things,” Shane told me as he leaned over my shoulder to snoop at what I was doing. “And extra of those peppers that they always include in the box.”
“Can I have a cookie too?” Harris asked, stepping up beside me so he could look over my other shoulder. “If I have to eat salad I want cookies for dessert.”
I sighed. “I’ll get one for you to share with Lucy.” When the smell of sweat and dirt filled my nose, I pushed Harris away. “Go shower.”
He stuck his tongue out at me. “I came here to shower. Between Jesse, Layla, the twins and Lucy, there wasn’t any hot water left on the bus.”
Jesse took the last two bottles of beer from the fridge and turned to glare at Harris. “Don’t blame me, boy. I was in there maybe two minutes. It’s Lu that runs it all out.”
“Someone call Pock and make him go get more beer,” Devlin grumbled when Jesse handed the second bottle of beer over to Shane. “I’m not putting up with all you fuckers tonight without a little buzz going on.”
Marissa, who’d been taking a shower, came into the living room dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top on. Someone let out a loud wolf whistle and I turned my head to see who had done it. When I realized it was Rhett, I breathed a little easier, knowing that if it had been anyone else they would have been torn in two. Thankfully Wroth was cool with Rhett now that he knew that the guy was gay.
“I’m ready to go when you are,” Marissa assured me as she moved to the fridge and took out a bottle of water.
“Just let me send this and then call them to assure them it isn’t some prank order.” It happened every time I ordered pizza, not that I could blame them. If I had to make four hundred dollars’ worth of food and it turned out to be some kid pulling a stupid prank, I would be pissed too.
She nodded then turned to look at everyone sitting around the living room. “Rules.” She said it firmly, like a teacher about to leave her students to their own devices while she left the room for a few minutes. “Unless this is your bus, you do not go into the sleeping area. The bathroom is to be respected. If I come back to this bus and there is urine all over the floor I will make you take turns scrubbing it. We have a trashcan and plenty of trash bags. Use them. When the can gets full, take the trash out and replace the bag.”
The members of Trance and Alchemy who were there nodded their heads and each said, “Yes, ma’am,” respectfully. I snickered as I hit send on the app and then called the store. Once I’d sorted everything out and made sure that the delivery driver knew which bus to deliver to, I glanced at Jesse. Out of everyone, I trusted him to be the most responsible.
“Scribble my name on the credit card slip when the food gets here, and make sure he gets a good tip,” I told him.
Jesse nodded his bald head. “Of course.”
I gave him a smile in thanks before turning to Harris who was still standing in the kitchenette. “Shower.”
He rolled his aquamarine eyes at me. “Okay, Mom.”
I punched him in the arm. “Are you and Lucy going to hang out?” Jenna was planning on having a girls’ night in with us, and Lucy was invited when the movies were appropriate. Tonight, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be. Which meant that Lucy either had to hang out with Felicity and the smaller kids, or with Harris.
“We’ll probably watch a movie on the bus or play a few video games,” he assured me.
“In the living room, not the bedroom.” Jesse was quick to make that clear.
“Yes, sir.” Harris nodded his head courteously. It was no secret that Jesse scared the shit out of the sixteen-year-old. “In the living room, with the lights on.”
I hid my smirk and pushed Harris toward the hall. I followed him through the sleeping area and into the bathroom where I pulled a towel from the linen closet along with a washcloth. “Just leave your clothes in your dad’s laundry basket and put on a pair of his sweats.” They would only be a little baggy on him, since he was still shorter and leaner than his dad, though not by much.
Harris nodded. “Okay… Wish you’d gone with us today, Nat.” He sighed and shook his head, making me notice that he was in need of a trim. Harris didn’t keep his hair long like his dad did. He didn’t like for it to get too long. I made a mental note to set him up an appointment to get it cut.
“Me too, buddy. Next time, no matter if I have a headache or not, I’ll tag along. Okay?”
He nodded and reached for the hem of his T-shirt. I gave him a small smile and left him to it. When I closed the door to the bathroom, I wasn’t surprised to find Devlin leaning against our roost. I’d been hoping that he would come back here so that I could kiss him before I left for the evening.
“I wish you’d been with us too,” Devlin told me, letting me know that he’d been in there long enough to hear his son. He opened his arms and I stepped forward so that they could wrap around me. His lips pressed against my forehead and I had to close them tight to keep the sudden sting of tears away. “How’s the head?”
“It’s good,” I lied. I was actually in need of more Tylenol, but I didn’t want to worry him any more than he already was. Devlin had already voiced his concerns with my constant headaches and I’d promised him I would see a doctor for them as soon as I could.
“When will you be back?” he asked, his lips trailing from my forehead down my nose and skimming softly over my lips.
“Late.” I leaned up on tiptoes and pressed a deeper kiss to his lips before reluctantly stepping back. “Don’t let the others wreck the bus.”
He grimaced and nodded. “If your head starts hurting again, text me. We can go out. I’ll take you to a hotel and you can sleep peacefully tonight.”