Spiked by Love(45)

I pull into a spot and turn off the car. I glance over at Stella, watching her slowly let go of the side of the car like a damn frightened cat with its claws attached to something. “You all right there?”

She isn’t all right. “I don’t like how low this car is or how you drive.”

Emery pops her head in between us. “I thought it was awesome. Can I have this car when you get a new one?”

I give her a look. “I just got this one.”

“Yeah, but you’ll upgrade by the time I’m sixteen. So, I can have it, right?”

I blink. I could argue that it’s only a year and God help anyone on the road with her, but I just nod. “Yup.”

“Cool,” she gushes as she wiggles her shoulders. “So, what are we doing?”

Stella slowly grabs for her purse, and I ask, “I have a question.” They both look at me, and I’m nervous all of a sudden. Maybe I should have brought Aiden? But he isn’t here, so that’s the reason I didn’t call him. Also, he makes huge gestures to make girls feel good, like singing to them and shit. While I’m not about that life, I do want to do something for Ally. “Um, do girls like when you send them songs?”

“Send them songs? Like a mixtape?” Stella asks, her brow cocked.

“You do know it’s not the nineties, right?” Emery asks. “We send nudes on Snapchat.”

I blink as Stella snorts. “If I find out you’ve sent nudes, Emery, I will kill you.”

She grins. “You’ll never know,” she singsongs, and Stella rolls her eyes.

“She’s just messing with you,” she reassures me, and I believe it to be true with the way Emery is now laughing. “To answer your question, though, yeah, girls like it. I had a guy send me a song on Spotify once, and we totally hooked up.”

“Guys don’t talk to me,” Emery says with a shrug. “But if they did, I’d demand all the songs. I love how sometimes words aren’t enough, but when you put them to music, they’re awesome.”

I look between the two of them. What the hell did I get myself into? “I have a lot of thoughts, but I can’t right now.”

They both shrug, like twins. “Okay.”

“I’m having second thoughts.”

Stella has apparently recovered from her near-death experience because she smacks me playfully. “Come on, let us help you. Are you into someone?”

Emery snorts. “Duh.”

“How do you know?” she snarks at Emery, who grins.

“I heard Aiden tell Dad who Asher is sleeping with.”

I gawk at her, and Stella glares. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I was waiting for you to have something I needed, and I was planning to use the information as leverage.”

The girl is going to take over the world. Confused, I ask, “How did you hear? I heard Aiden called Dad.”

She nods. “He had it on speakerphone when he was outside pulling weeds. I listened.”

Stella holds up her hand, and they high-five like Pinky and the fucking Brain. Problem is, I don’t know which is which. “I feel violated.”

“It’s okay,” Emery says, waving me off. “But I think Ally would love a song—”

Before she can even finish, Stella is screaming, “It’s Ally? This is information I needed!”

My head hurts. I cup my face, inhaling through my hands. Emery laughs loudly. “I know, right? Isn’t it awesome?”

“So awesome! Oh my God, I called it. I knew they couldn’t keep up this charade.”

“Right! According to Aiden, though, they just recently started sleeping together.”

“No way! Surely it’s been longer.”

“Nope. She kissed him after he fought Taco.”

“Yes! That’s my girl. Oh my God, this is amazing. Y’all are, like, perfect together. Power couple. And so much better than Shelli and Aiden.”

“Yes, girl, so much better. I bet their wedding won’t be a circus.”

“Oh no, it’s gonna be all low-key and romantic. Ugh, I can’t wait.”

Meanwhile, as my sisters go back and forth, I’m slowly sliding down in my seat until I’m compacted between the wheel and the floorboard. They must have noticed because their words drop off, and Stella leans toward me. “Um. You okay?”

“Fine.”

“What are you doing?”

“Hiding from you two insane people.”

“But we see you,” Emery says simply. “Looking like a dumbass. You know you’re gonna get stuck. And I’m so telling Ally, ’cause she’ll make fun of you.”

“She sure would,” Stella agrees

She would. I exhale through my nose, and now I see why Ally didn’t want to tell anyone. The fact that my sisters and dad know has me crawling with nerves. I slide back up into the seat, and when I glance over, they look like two puppies waiting for treats.

“So, what songs do you have picked out?” Stella asks, and I groan as I reach for my phone.

“‘Lover,’ Tay—”

“Ew, no. Everyone is dedicating that to people. Be original,” Emery says quickly, and Stella nods.

I swallow hard, and for the next what feels like a lifetime, we go through all the songs I’ve compiled for Ally. It was totally impulsive, but each song reminded me of her. I feel silly, though, sending one to her. Would she think it’s romantic? Is it romantic or overdone?

“Will she even like this?” I finally ask, and both my sisters look at me like I’m crazy.

“She’ll love it. Promise,” Stella says as she leans her chin on my shoulder. Emery has somehow wiggled her way between the window and my other shoulder, both of them in my phone like it’s theirs.

Suddenly, my phone signals a text.

Ally T: Hey, I’ll meet you at the restaurant. Give me the deets.

I bring in my brows as I type her back, despite Pinky and the Brain watching.

Me: I can pick you up.

Ally T: No, I gotta come home tonight. I got so much shit to do in the morning, and I don’t want to wake you up when I leave so early.

Me: I don’t care if you wake me up.

“You sound desperate. Back off,” Emery advises, and Stella nods.

“Jesus Christ,” I groan as my phone sounds again.

Ally T: Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to you.

“I bet she will,” Stella sings, waggling her brows at me.

What in the actual hell am I doing here?

Me: You better.

Stella nods. “Yeah, she’ll like that.”

“Assertive. Makes you sound like you’ve got big balls,” Emery comments, and I stare out the front window as I take a cleansing breath.

I clear my throat. “Okay, my beautiful, smart, and talented sisters. I don’t know what level you two think the three of us are on, but I’m not comfortable with this cavalier manner of speaking. I still see you two as babies and in diapers. Don’t talk like that.”

They actually roll their eyes in unison. “You’re the baby.”

“Such a baby,” Stella says dryly.

Ally T: What are you doing?

Me: Shopping with my sisters.

Ally T: ???? That’s nice… LOL Did they hog-tie you?

I snort, and the girls laugh too.

Me: No. I needed help.

Ally T: ??? With?

Me: Something for you.

Ally T: Oh, really?

Me: Yeah. There will be a package at the dorm containing the deets and your present. I look forward to seeing you tonight.

Ally T: I’m a little awestruck, Ash B. Speechless, even.

Me: Good. I like you that way.

Stella quickly taps my shoulder. “Send her the song now. It’s the perfect time.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“It’s not my words…I don’t know. I feel silly.”

“So, you wasted our time here. I feel that song is bomb.”

“I don’t. I’m second-guessing it. I don’t want her to hear it and question me.”

Emery blinks. “I’m confused. Question what?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, and shit, I’m having second thoughts. “I think the dress will be great, and then I’ll give her a present at dinner.”

“What present?” Stella asks, and I exhale as I reach into the glove box, grabbing a mahogany box. I swallow nervously when they both take in a deep breath. I don’t even have to open the box for Stella to gasp, “That’s Mom’s engagement ring.”

Emery’s eyes are wide. “I thought you gave that to Jasmine? You can’t give that to Ally. That’s so tacky.”

“I didn’t give it to Jasmine,” I say as I open the box to the ring my mom saved for me. With each kid my mom had, my dad bought her a new ring with diamonds representing each of us. Emery’s may have the most diamonds, but I think my ring is better. It’s an open-concept ring, with one emerald-cut diamond and the other cut in a square shape, and it looks nothing like Aiden’s ring. Well, now, it’s Shelli’s, but that’s not the point. It has an opening in the middle that my dad said meant “No matter the distance, we’ll always be together.” “I bought Jasmine a different ring because I just never saw her wearing this one.”

“But you saw her wearing Aiden’s ring?” Emery asks, referring to when I tried to get my mom to give me Aiden’s ring. I honestly never thought he’d use it. He obviously proved me wrong.