“I’m here to brain storm paint colors,” I announced, walking to the kitchen while Raven struggled into a bra hanging from the staircase.
Vaughn combed his messy hair with his fingers. “I want beige.”
“Beige?” I said, rolling my eyes. “It’s like you’re not even trying. Why paint at all?”
Grinning, Vaughn flopped onto the leather couch they bought the week before.
“I like what I like.”
“You have no taste. Even bad taste would be a step up.”
Vaughn squinted at me. “How’s it going with Bacon Boy?”
“Fantastic. Our love is epic. Someone should write a book about it, so other people can be jealous.”
Raven walked past me and joined Vaughn on the couch. “I remember when our love felt that way.”
“Are you saying we’ve lost our spark?” he asked, playing with her ponytail.
“You did just bang me on the coffee table.”
“Yeah and that took the kind of skill a man doesn’t have in the beginning of a relationship. Balance like that only comes from a fully committed man who likes beige.”
Raven grinned. “I want to paint three walls a nice green with a darker green as an accent wall.”
“We can call it the booger room.”
“We already named the other rooms. Why not this one?”
Vaughn and Raven proceeded to share one of those annoying couple moments where they stared at each other and spoke with their hearts. I was both violently nauseous and glaringly jealous. They only noticed the latter.
“Don’t worry,” Vaughn said softly as if I’d believe his next words were genuinely supportive. “I’m sure Bacon Boy will stare at you one day and agree to a snot-colored room.”
“Nick doesn’t need to wait until a far off day to do what I want. He worships me now.”
“Pansy, huh?”
Raven grinned, but at least she didn’t laugh at me. Unlike her man.
“He’s all man,” I grunted, “and I worship him.”
“Sounds great,” Raven said, gesturing for me to sit down. “He’s bowling with us tonight?”
Still feeling defensive, I only nodded.
“I talked to Nick a few times when I was fighting at the Thunderdome. He seems really nice.”
Defensiveness gone, I smiled. “He is. In class, he’s always sharing his notes with other people. Even idiots who missed class because they were hung over. Nick doesn’t make them beg like I would. He’s a generous person and wants everyone to do well. He also fought off some pig that was roughing me up at a party. He wasn’t even as bulked up as he is now, but he didn’t care. He defended me.”
“Nice, smart, tough, and smells like bacon,” Vaughn said while sniffing his woman’s neck. “He’s a catch, Bailey. Don’t let him get away.”
“I don’t plan to. He’s mine and I’m keeping him.”
Raven and Vaughn looked at me for a moment then burst into laughter.
“Shut up or I’m leaving,” I muttered.
Raven left her giggling man and joined me on the chair. “Don’t be upset. It’s sweet seeing you get so sweet on a guy, you know?”
“Nick is special, but Coop beat on him and I worry he won’t feel comfortable with my family or friends. You guys need to be nice to him.”
“We will,” Raven soothed, caressing my head.
Vaughn grinned. “My woman is practicing for motherhood.”
“But it’s not like we’re rushing into having a lot of kids or anything,” Raven said then started laughing.
Vaughn laughed too and I figured it was an inside joke.
“Vaughn, you’ll be nice too, right?”
“Sure. The guy isn’t in the club. He’s just a normal guy who gets pounded on for cash. Someone average like him can be easily intimidated.”
I glared at him, but he only smiled. “If you scare him off, I’m kicking your ass.”
“Sweetheart, I would love nothing more than to get you a man. You know how I feel about pitying others and you’re breaking my heart with your lonely girl routine.”
Even rolling my eyes, I was relieved to have them cool with Nick. I knew my brothers planned to be overly protective assholes. Farah’s big lips would be there too, but I reminded myself how Nick didn’t want my pregnant sister-in-law. Everything I feared about his feelings for her weren’t true. He really could be mine. I just needed to figure out a way past his walls.
Raven had returned to the couch where she and Vaughn whispered about green walls and missing panties.
“Do you guys think I’m easy to talk to?”
Vaughn started laughing first while Raven tried to make him stop. Finally, his laughter proved infection and she started giggling too. I flipped them off and walked outside. They laughed for a while longer then I think maybe they doinked because Raven didn’t appear until an hour later with a flushed face.
“Bailey, don’t be mad,” Raven said, sitting next to me on the porch.
“I’ve been sitting out here a long time. A good friend would have left her stupid man to console me.”