He chuckled. “Welcome to my world.”
“You guys have the weirdest family. You know that, right?” I realized as soon as I said it how rude that was. “Sorry, man. I—”
Shane just barked out a laugh. “Oh no, I get it. Everyone looks so normal until the crazy starts leaking out. You get so used to it that you don’t realize it isn’t how everyone else’s family behaves.”
“But your mom has been really nice today.” I tried to think of something else positive to say. “And she’s super excited that Jonah is Jonah. She didn’t realize he’s an artist?”
Shane frowned. “I’m not sure how Tanner introduced him when he mentioned his friends to her before.”
“She’s really wound up over some paintings he did of murder plots or scenes or something.” I shrugged as Shane gave me a blank look. “I don’t know. She just talked about the bidding getting too high and not being able to buy one.”
“Oh, yeah, those paintings.” It was Shane’s turn to glance around the yard for Jonah.
Where the hell had he gone?
“Jonah is that Jonah? Okay, that makes sense, then. Tanner really needs to work on Jonah’s introduction.”
Yeah, us too.
And I was going to have to learn to ask more questions because Shane’s mother could not know him better than we did.
“Speaking of Tanner.” I gave Shane a teasing grin as he glanced back at me. “I’ve been asked by several relatives if I know when you’ve set the wedding date for? They’re all frustrated that you won’t give people enough notice to plan. Is there something you wanted to mention?”
“For fuck's sake.” Shane rolled his eyes and started shooting dirty looks at nosier members of the family that were starting to inch closer. “No, there’s nothing to tell. They’ve lost their minds.”
Yes, we’d established that.
“Well, when you do get around to popping the question, I’d suggest telling these good people first before the papers because otherwise, they might kill you.” It was sweet that they liked Tanner, but their level of persistence about a wedding that didn’t even have the engagement started yet was odd.
But then, the family did everything else in their own way, so I shouldn’t have expected anything else.
And these were the genes I wanted to pass down to future generations.
Was insanity hereditary or did you just get it from exposure?
Was it genetic or some kind of virus?
Chapter 19
Jonah
“You’re really sure this is a good idea?” I started pacing through the living room again, looking out at the backyard. “I can go take my pill and it’ll start working almost immediately. That’s what the doctor said. I mean, the timing is right. I wanted it to be a month from the day I moved in, but now…”
“Oh, it’s a great idea.” Austin sighed, a dramatic, needy sound. “The best ever.”
“You’re such a bad influence. This is all your fault.” Austin and Silas had disappeared for a long weekend a few weeks ago. We’d thought it was just to get away from the photographers, and now politicians who were constantly calling, but they’d actually decided to hide away so Austin could explore heat sex with Silas.
He’d come home exhausted but absolutely raving about how incredible it had been.
So he’d gotten me thinking…which was always a bad thing.
“I’m a fabulous influence.” I could hear the grin in his voice over the phone. “It’s the ultimate way to give up control and just the sheer desperation was incredible.”
I’d been off my suppressants for too many days for him to talk to me like that. “Stop that. You’re making me horny.”
Austin giggled and for some reason, it sounded dirtier than usual. “Everything is making you horny right now.”
Wasn’t that the truth.
