“I’ll make sure I buckle up every time I get in a vehicle, okay?” I turn back to him as he concentrates on the road. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I try not to,” he mumbles. “But I find it hard as shit.”

I know that feeling well, because I feel the same way about him.

When we arrive at Tara’s, me and Alex jump out at the exact same time and meet at the front of his truck. He places his hand on my lower back as we walk to the door.

Tara is standing by the TV on her tippy toes, attempting to hang a picture when she notices our entry. “Tripp.” She inches a little higher, still struggling to get it hung. “Glad you’re here. How about some help?”

I hear Alex chuckle before walking up behind her and helping her hang it and straighten it. “Good thing she brought a man along,” Alex says.

Tara turns around and greets Alex with a warm smile. “And I was starting to miss this man.” She squeezes his arm teasingly. “These muscles come in handy.”

Alex flashes me his dimpled smile. “Told you,” he says in a cocky tone.

I throw my arms up. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You win. Apparently everyone misses you when you’re away.”

Laughing, Tara walks over to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Jealous much? Don’t worry . . .” She pinches my cheek. “I missed you too.” She turns away and whispers to Alex. “Not as much as I missed you though.”

Nudging her with my arm, I move past her and make my way into the kitchen. “Did you make my favorite brownies? I need a stash for work today.”

I start looking through her cupboards, not finding what I’m in search of. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see Tara open the oven and pull out something wrapped in foil.

“Oh calm down. You know I always have some ready for you when you ask.” She tosses the brownies to me and reaches to pour herself a glass of wine. “You’re just lucky I was in the baking mood last night and that I was bored out of my mind.”

Tara was only twenty when my parents disappeared, leaving her to watch over me. She wasted all of her young adult life raising me as her own and I can never be more thankful to her. I owe her so much. She just turned thirty-three a few weeks ago, but she doesn’t act a day over my age. I guess she’s making up now for all her lost years.

Not even two seconds after Alex walks into the kitchen, Whisper—the cat that Alex gave me when I was fifteen—runs up to Alex’s leg and digs her claws in, asking to be picked up.

I swear that cat is in love with him. Even though I raised her, she always clings onto Alex whenever he’s around. I find it to be adorable and sickening at the same time.

Without hesitation, Alex picks Whisper up, burying his face into her fluffy, white fur while rubbing under her chin. “Hey girl. You missed me too, huh?”

I roll my eyes, but laugh to myself. I love seeing Alex so happy and full of love. He’s in a much better place than he was over six months ago, before his brother Memphis returned. I wouldn’t trade seeing Alex happy for anything else in the world. He deserves it more than anyone.

He’s been through more pain and suffering than anyone I know and he’s still open to happiness, always thinking of others first. I, on the other hand, get abandoned by my parents and can’t even manage to let anyone in. Well, besides Tara and Alex. Trusting just doesn’t come easy to me. That’s why Lucas and I have the arrangement that we do.

It’s worked well so far . . . I guess we’ll see if we can make it past this year mark.

“How’s the living arrangements working out,” Tara asks while sipping on her wine. “Must be nice living with two guys. I really need to find myself one of those.”

I laugh while shoving the brownies into my purse. “It’s fine. Too bad you missed our party last night. There were plenty of hot guys there. You just need to get out more.”

“Had to work. I always have to work. It doesn’t leave me much time to go looking for dates at a party.” She turns to Alex. “Don’t you have an older brother or something?”

Alex gives her a little smile. “You’re a little late on that. He’s taken now.”

“Well shit.” Tara refills her wine glass. “Oh well. I’ll find me a hunk sooner or later. I get a vacation in a few weeks. Maybe you two can hook me up.” She raises an eyebrow. “As long as he’s over the age of twenty-five and looks half as good as Alex, I’ll be happy. Oh and he has to have a job too. I won’t be anyone’s sugar mama.”

Alex flashes his dimples, but doesn’t say a word while he pets Whisper.

“I’ll get right on that.” I tease.

We hang out with Tara for the next hour, talking and having a good time before saying our goodbyes and heading back to the house.

I have to be at work in less than twenty minutes now, so I need to be able to grab my apron and throw my hair up.

Alex stops at the bottom of the staircase, yelling up at me as I dash into my room. “I’m going to be at the parlor until around six. How about I just drop you off and then I can meet you at Dax’s when I get off?”

Dax is the newest bar here in Crooked Creek. It opened up about four months ago and Dax, the owner, asked me if I wanted to start out as a cocktail waitress and work my way up to bartending. It seemed like a fun time, so I said yes. I love getting to interact with the customers, and just have a good time so it seemed perfect.

“Yeah, sure.” I scream down to him while tossing my hair into a loose bun. “I’ll meet you at your truck in five. I just need to find my . . .”

I look up at my doorway from shuffling through the pile of clothes on my floor, to see Alex holding my apron. “This? I saw it laying in the bathroom last night, so I threw it in the washer with my clothes this morning.” He tilts his head to the side. “Let’s go. My truck’s running and ready to go.”

Grateful, I jump back to my feet and grab my apron out of his hand. “Always thinking ahead. You’re too damn good to be true, Alex.” I throw an arm around his neck, in a quick hug, before jogging down the stairs. I need to be at the bar in time to do all of the opening procedures and we’re really starting to push for time. The night waitresses never leave the station stocked, so I end up spending most of the time refilling sauces and crap.