“I don’t know how to respond to that.” I spread my arms and then on impulse, hugged her. The fierce clutch of her arms told me it was the right call. “Just don’t forget that they love you,” I whispered. “Even when you’re fighting. Or maybe especially when you’re fighting. Try to hear what she’s saying even without words. And my door is always open…”
“Except when my brother is there,” Trina said with a sniffle. “’Cause I really don’t want to walk in on you or hear you. That’s gross.”
I laughed.
Then I kissed her forehead like she was ten years younger than me rather than just four. Fourteen had been a shitty age. Thirteen hitting fourteen hadn’t been much better. But Trina was right, I’d had the guys. I’d had my best friends. Guys who hadn’t even complained when I stood in the feminine products aisle and read every box at the age of twelve to figure out what I needed. Coop had called his mom when we ran into issues.
Why I hadn’t asked Maddy…well, I didn’t wonder about that one anymore.
Wiping her eyes, Trina pulled back and then opened her mailbox. “Okay, I need to go home. I’m still grounded.”
I frowned, retrieving my own mail. There was a stack of it in there. “I thought you would have gotten off of it over Christmas.”
The corner of her mouth tilted just a fraction higher, and mischief sparkled in her eyes. “I might have stayed out all night with friends and forgotten to call Mom.”
I groaned.
“Yeah,” she admitted. “Probably not my smartest call, but we were having fun.”
Dammit.
“Trina, you’re not having sex yet are you?”
Her whole face flushed pink, and she dipped those gray-green eyes so much like Coop’s, even as her hair swung forward to hide her face. “Not…exactly.”
Oh, I hated my life. Were there rules that said I had to tell Coop if I knew? Was there a line? “Not exactly?” I prodded, because yes, I was a masochist.
With a cough, she gave a little shrug. “We played a kissing game. No one did anything, you know, really dirty, but one of the guys kind of…you know, felt me up.” She was beet red.
“Did you enjoy it?”
Owl-eyed she stared at me. “Well…yeah?”
“Okay then.” I should probably offer other advice. I mean, we’d had this talk before but… “Just don’t leap. Wait for the right guy to make it special for you.”
“Like you did?” she snarked, and I just met her stare until the rebellion in her expression eased.
“That’s exactly what I did. And I’m glad for it.” Another shrug. “Anyway, I gotta go. I’m not going to judge, but if you ever need to talk, you call me, and if you ever get stuck somewhere and want to leave and don’t want to call Coop, call me.”
She’d gone back to chewing on her lower lip and gave me a little nod. I didn’t make it a couple of steps before she said, “Don’t tell Coop?”
I glanced back at her.
“About me thinking about moving in with Dad or about making out…?”
“Yeah, I don’t think telling him about the making out is a stellar idea.” Not if she wanted the boy to live. Just the image of Coop hearing that and then telling Jake… Nope. Just nope. I didn’t want Archie to have to get either one of them out of jail.
At that bit of advice, Trina burst out laughing, and some of the gloom in her expression dissipated. The cold added to the pink flush of her cheeks. “I’ll talk to him about Dad and about Mom…and I’ll talk to you before I make any decisions. I just wish…”
Facing her, I waited and then prodded, “You wish?”
“I wish she trusted me like she trusts Coop. He stays over with you all the time, and I know you guys have to be having sex. Not!” She held up her hand abruptly. “Not that I want any details. Like none. Zip. Zero. My brother does not have a dick.”
It took everything in me not to laugh my ass off. Then again, I didn’t really want to discuss his dick with anyone, so she was safe there.
“Give her a chance,” was all I said. “And maybe give her a break. High school is a marathon, not a sprint.”
“And you’re almost to the finish line.”
Yes, we were. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Deal. And, Frankie? Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
I was shivering despite the coat by the time I got back to the apartment. Ian was already there, and he and Jake both stared at me as I shuddered my way in the door. “I was just about to come looking for you,” Jake said. “You okay?”
“Just talking to Trina,” I told him as he slid his hands under his jacket and tugged me against him. Oh. Warm. Very warm.
Ian rescued the mail from my chilly fingers and then stripped me out of the coat. It let the heat of the room surround me, and then he settled right up against my back as I tucked my hands under Jake’s shirt.
“Fuck your hands are cold,” Jake swore, but he didn’t move away. Nor did Ian, and I grinned as I snuggled there.
“But this is nice,” I admitted. He chuckled, a sound Ian echoed, and the rumble just made me sigh. A hand settled on my hip and squeezed, but Ian made no move to hide the steadily growing erection pressed against my ass. Oh, this would be fun if he would…
A knock at the backdoor had Jake pulling away with a mutter. “Pizza is here.” He dropped a kiss on my nose, and Ian wrapped around me and pulled me firmly back against him.
I had been down at the mailboxes longer than I thought. Ian nuzzled at my ear. “Don’t think I don’t know what was going through your mind,” he whispered. Then his teeth scraped at my ear. “I’m not ready for that, Angel.”
I shivered and rubbed my hands to his. “I know,” I murmured. “Doesn’t mean a girl can’t dream.”
“Or get spanked?” He bit my earlobe, not hard enough to really damage, but I definitely felt the sting. “If you’re in need, Angel, we can make arrangements.”
I groaned. “You’re a tease.”
He smiled against my neck and then bit down lightly before whispering, “Then behave next time.” The hand on my hip slid over and landed the lightest of slaps to my denim clad ass as he slipped away to meet Jake with the pizza. I laughed. Still, that was a promise he would deliver on later, and I was ready to talk about that some more.
Well, talk and other things.
No longer half-frozen, I toed off my shoes before collecting the mail. The first couple were just statements on bills Archie had already paid. The third was a credit card bill for Maddy. Pfft. I needed to add return to sender on that, since she no longer lived here. Would serve her right if they canceled all her credit cards.
I waited for the sense of guilt to stab at me, but it wasn’t coming. Shrugging, I flipped through to the next couple of sale offers, a loan offer for improve your credit blah blah, and as I sat down on the sofa, I froze on the last one.
It had Harvard in the corner.
It was a small envelope. I’d gotten worried at the first small ones I’d gotten, thinking they were automatic rejections, but so much was done online now, they didn’t always send more than the form letter.