“Do we really need to argue over getting drunk?” December asks, exasperated, flopping back onto my bed and grumbling at the ceiling about how annoying we are.
“We argue about everything,” July points out the God’s honest truth. It’s like an unspoken rule in the sister handbook.
Thou shalt argue about every single thing under the sun when in the presence of your sisters.
“Are the girls meeting us at the restaurant?” I ask, changing the subject before we all start arguing about arguing, which is something we would do.
“Yep, they’re already there waiting on us,” July confirms, referring to Jax’s fiancée, Ellie, and our cousins Ashlyn, Hannah, Willow, and Harmony, leaving out Nalia, since she’s in Colorado with her mom and probably won’t be home until Christmas.
“Okay, so let’s go,” I sigh, once I finish putting in my earrings.
“At least pretend to be excited,” I hear murmured from behind me, but I ignore that and head out of the room toward the living room, where I find May, wearing a long black dress that ties at her shoulders, cuddled up on the couch with Ninja.
“I need a man in my life,” she murmurs when she sees us.
“Maybe if you didn’t turn every single guy down when they hit on you, you’d have a man,” April says, picking up her purse from the couch.
“And maybe if you didn’t sleep with every single guy you met, you wouldn’t be a slut,” May replies, and April glares. April and May live together and have always been more like best friends than sisters, so I’m not surprised by their constant badgering anymore.
“Can we just get along for the night?” December pleas, looking at each of us with the same glare our mom used to give us when we were little and misbehaving.
“This is us getting along,” July says, and she’s not wrong. Us not getting along consists of rolling around on the floor, pulling each other’s hair—something we still do from time to time.
“Let’s just go,” I mumble, tucking my slim black purse under my arm as I head for the door, listening to the girls following behind me.
“Jesus,” Wes growls from the end of the sidewalk, where he’s waiting outside his SUV. If I didn’t think he’d be pissed, I would laugh at the look on his face. “Babe, where the fuck is the rest of your dress?” he asks, and July giggles then spins in a circle.
“This is all of my dress.” She smiles, and his nostrils flare and his fists clench.
“Maybe I should go with you guys.”
“You are not coming with us,” April puts in, opening the backdoor. “It’s girls’ night, not ‘girl-and-hot-annoying-husband’ night,” she finishes, before scooting into the backseat.
“Sorry, honey, you’re not invited.” July grins, placing her hands against Wes’s chest, pushing up to touch her mouth to his.
“You’re in so much trouble when you get home,” he grumbles, and I giggle then stop when his eyes slice to me. “I’m guessing Evan didn’t see you in that dress.”
“Evan won’t care,” I mutter, and he raises a brow, making me wonder if I should have worn a different dress. “He won’t,” I repeat, even though I’m not sure if that’s true as I stomp past him to the backdoor, ignoring his chuckle as I follow December into the backseat, followed by May.
“Did you tell them the rules?” he asks July, as he slides in behind the wheel.
“The rules are there are no rules,” April says, and Wes’s head turns to scowl at her over his shoulder.
“There sure as fuck are rules.”
“I don’t know how July puts up with you,” April gripes, glaring at him.
“Let’s just go. I’ll make sure we don’t get into any trouble,” December says, and Wes’s eyes move to her.
“The rules,” he begins, ignoring April’s huff as he backs out of my driveway. “You guys do not take drinks from anyone. You don’t leave your drinks unattended, and you stick to each other like glue.”
“Rules two and three are acceptable, but rule number one is vetoed,” April chimes in, and I start to laugh but bite my lip when Wes’s eyes meet mine in the mirror and narrow.
“You can either follow the rules, or I follow you guys and babysit. Your choice.”
“Whatever,” April grumbles under her breath, but smartly doesn’t say anything else. The rest of the ride is silent, and when we make it to the restaurant, we all pile out onto the sidewalk while we wait for July, who is talking to Wes, doing a whole lot of eye rolling and hand movements at whatever he’s telling her.
“He’s so bossy. How the hell does she put up with that?” April asks, as we watch Wes wrap his hand around the back of July’s neck and tug her forward, until his mouth is an inch from hers.
“You do know that when you find a guy, he’s probably going to be a million times worse?” May asks, and she is probably right. It’s going to take a different kind of man to tame April.
“I think it’s sweet,” December whispers, bumping my shoulder with hers.
“You would.” April rolls her eyes at me then walks over and taps on the driver’s side window, yelling, “Let her up. It’s time to go.”
Surprisingly, Wes lets July go then rolls down the window, looking at each of us demanding, “Be good and remember the rules.”