“How many times do we have to tell you that you’re family?” Remi gets up from her end of the couch and moves closer to Grey. She plops down hard onto the cushion, bouncing both of them.
I can’t help the grin that comes over my face when I hear Grey laugh. I haven’t heard that laugh in fourteen years, and it’s music to my ears. It’s the same musical sound I’ve thought about often, but now hearing it for real, it’s even better than I remembered.
I wish I could tell her now she’s more important to me than family. That she’s more than that. But that’s another conversation we need to wait till Addison is here to have.
The waiting is going to kill me, but I know dropping this information on Grey without her aunt present would be too much for Grey to understand. I hope she doesn’t freak out too much when she learns the truth. But I also know there’s going to be an adjustment period.
“I’ll go help the twins get packed up. Be ready to leave in twenty minutes, okay?” I reach over and squeeze Grey’s shoulder. “It’s going to be great,” I say with a quick wink, loving the shade of pink her face turns.
9
Pruitt
“Why don’t you ride on the back with Ryker?” Remi suggests as she pulls her t-shirt off, revealing a bright yellow bikini.
We made it to the campsite by riding in on four-wheelers, then spent the next hour setting up our things and unpacking the large bags of supplies Margot had sent with us. You would think we were spending a week out here based on the amount of food and provisions she packed.
The bulk of the time had been spent setting up the biggest tent I’ve ever seen in my life. It has to be able to fit at least ten people, and it has rooms in it. What kind of tent needs rooms? I was told Remi and I will be in one room while the boys are in the other.
And now we stand in our bathing suits on the lakeshore, getting ready to take the jet skis out. I’m wearing the black and white striped bikini Remi loaned to me and trying my best to not feel self-conscious. The Weylyns all look like they walked off the page of a fitness magazine, and I suddenly wish I hadn’t spent most of my days hiding away in my art studio because I’m so pale, I nearly glow in the dark.
“What? Are you crazy,” I hiss at her, not understanding why she would suggest such a thing. I’ve been doing everything in my power to not gawk at a shirtless Ryker Weylyn for the past ten minutes, and now she wants me to go wrap myself around him on the back of a jet ski?
“You should ride with Ryker,” she repeats, like it’s no big deal.
“Are you kidding me?” I squeak.
“Don’t act like you don’t want to. You and I both know you want to saunter your pretty little ass over there and hold onto him for dear life.” She smirks. “I’ve seen you staring at him, and a couple times, I think I saw some drool… Actually, I think you’ve got some right—”
“Oh, my God! Stop it.” I slap her hand away from my face with both of mine when she mockingly tries to wipe my face of imaginary dribble. I narrow my eyes at her when she starts laughing at me. “It’s not funny!”
“Honey, we so don’t care if you have a thing for my brother. Trust me,” Remi says after getting herself together. “And if it makes you feel any better, he’s been staring at you too.” She looks behind me at something, and I turn to find Ryker walking in my direction with a life vest in hand.
With wide eyes, I turn and look back at my friend, who just grins at me. “Go get ‘em, tiger,” she whispers before slapping me on the ass as she darts away.
“Ready to go?” his deep voice comes from behind me, and I gulp before turning to face him. He looks good in his clothes, but holy shit, he looks even better shirtless. Every muscle on his chest and stomach is defined and strong. The roadmap of various tattoos swirls over his tanned skin.
“Yep!” I quickly nod, trying to hide my nervousness. “Is that for me?” I point at the black and blue life jacket in his hand.
“Yes. Everyone is required to wear a life jacket on the water. I thought I’d help you since the buckles can be tricky,” he explains as he holds it out to me. I swiftly put my arms through the armholes, and his hands make quick work of loosening and tightening some straps and connecting buckles.
It fits snuggly across my chest, and I laugh. “Lucky, I don’t have big boobs, or this would be really uncomfortable.” I immediately regret what I say and want to slap my hand over my mouth or go drown myself in the lake. “Please just ignore me. It seems I can’t control my words when I’m around you.”
Ryker’s hands still from working the buckles, and his gaze meets with mine. He stares at me so intensely I swear he’s looking at my soul. One of his hands rises from where it held the vest and softly pushes a strand of blonde hair behind my ear.
“You’re perfect. Don’t ever think differently.”
I bite my bottom lip and nod because I don’t trust myself to speak right now. I know I’ll say something that will ruin the moment.
He takes my hand and leads me to the waiting jet ski. Just like before that electric current shoots up my arm, and I find myself holding his hand tighter.
We stand in about a foot of water as Ryker climbs on the jet ski in one graceful motion that I’m jealous of since I’ve never been very coordinated. He puts one hand out and
