Addicted After All(87)

“Better,” Rose tells him.

Lily watches Sadie, intensely, and she scuttles back onto the bed, picking her legs off the floor. I get her paranoia since Sadie has hissed at her multiple times.

Connor sits next to his wife, and then she stretches out, resting her legs on the couch like it’s a chaise, and he places a hand on her calves. She looks ten-thousand times more comfortable. And I’m ten-thousand times more aware that this isn’t going to be a short discussion.

Rose has her phone in hand, scrolling through her own notes. “Before we discuss Sadie, we need to talk about the cliques in this house.”

What the hell is she talking about? I tilt my head at Connor for answers.

He scratches behind Sadie’s ears, and I can’t shake how submissive a normally hostile cat is in his care. “We called both of you to see how Hale Co. went, and no one answered.”

Lily raises her hand like she’s in class. “I rarely answer my phone.”

“Yeah,” I say with a deeper frown. “We barely talk on the phone with each other.” I motion between my body and Lily who is now sitting behind me. She holds onto my waist and peeks from behind my bicep, seriously avoiding this damn cat.

“It just feels like we’ve been left out of important discussions,” Rose says without blowing a fuse. I bet they both prepared and talked out this entire conversation before bringing up the subject. “Like the other day, Ryke mentioned how Lily’s been having a hard time with her addiction. Where was I for this talk?”

I open my mouth to respond, but she already has an answer.

“I’ll tell you where.” She leans forward. “Downstairs.”

Jesus. This is not the first time she’s complained about room arrangements. She’s the one who chose the master on the main floor. The biggest room with the biggest bathroom with the biggest goddamn closet. Ryke didn’t care. Daisy didn’t care. Lily didn’t care. I cared on principle, but I let it slide after I saw the amount of pressed shirts Connor owns.

Now she’s worried about being “isolated” from the rest of us who room on the second floor. I ask, “You really think it’s an issue of proximity?” Maybe she’s bitching because Lily and Daisy are getting closer, and it scares her—being on the outs. Turning into Poppy Calloway who’d rather be with her husband and child than spend time with her sisters.

Rose doesn’t want that. She’s made it vitally clear.

She raises her hand to silence me. “If it’s not proximity, then it means you both favor Ryke and Daisy over us, and I’m giving you both the benefit of the doubt.”

I look to Connor like come on. He can’t agree with her.

“I don’t believe you’re playing favorites, but it’s frustrating, even for me, to receive information later than I like.”

I scan the room with my arms outstretched. “I don’t see Ryke and Daisy anywhere for this conversation.”

Rose sits straighter. “That’s because we’re on the second floor.”

Lily pipes in, “Do you want to switch rooms with us?”

“No,” Rose says.

Connor adds, “That solves nothing.”

I recognize now that we’re what bridges Ryke, Daisy, Connor, and Rose together. I feel Lily kneel behind me, her lips close to my ears. She whispers really quickly, “We’re the popular ones.” The surprise in her voice almost makes me smile uncontrollably.

I can’t ever remember being this in-demand.

“This is not amusing,” Rose says, crossing her arms in a huff. But she can’t really do the action with her baby bump, and she growls in frustration.

Connor rubs her ankles, and she calms down some.

I kind of feel badly. I mean, we’re not intentionally trying to shut anyone out of our lives. When we were at the height of our addictions, we did it purposefully, all the time. Now we’re actually trying to be inclusive. “You two usually just insert yourselves,” I tell them.

Rose folds her hands on her stomach. “It’s harder when you can go run to other people with your issues.”

“And just to remind you,” Connor says in his fluid tone, “Rose and I are certified geniuses. We can solve problems faster than the average human brain. If you’re smart, you would take advantage of that.”

“I don’t take advantage of people until the third date,” I banter.