I should probably have said something, since they were bandying about my future, but I just stood there. It felt so weird having someone else fight for me. Good, but weird. So I stood by, my chest strangely tight but in a good way as they negotiated everything from my hours to my pay.

At some point, Savannah swung her arms toward me and Jen handed her off without pausing their negotiation. Savannah sighed, nestling into my chest. I started to rock her, listening as Bay talked about my “best interests,” which was surprising since even I didn’t know what they were right now, but he apparently had a firm idea as to what they should be. By the time Savannah started snoring, I had a set schedule, decent pay, the possibility of benefits through the shop, and two new jobs.

When all was said and done, Bay reached out to shake their hands but paused, looking slightly sheepish. “All that okay with you?”

“Yes,” I said, the words coming out gravelly. Weight lifted off me so fast I felt dizzy with it, and it wasn’t only because I had work—I also had the sudden understanding of how lucky I’d been to move in with Trick. I’d thought I was moving to Seattle with only one friend at my back and a place to stay, and suddenly I had so much more. I grinned. “Thanks, really, to all of you.”

Bay shrugged, shaking Lara and Jen’s hands. “Hey, I’m just helping you get the foot in the door. Whether you keep the job or not, that’s on you.”

“I’ll keep it,” I said, firmly. “You won’t regret it. None of you will.”

Lara patted my arm. “No, but you might after we have you dice ten pounds of onions.”

Chapter Nine

Lou

Not everyone gets my and Bay’s relationship. A lot of siblings, especially born so close together, fight constantly. And I didn’t know if it was because we had different mothers, or a large family to give us an endless sea of love and attention, or our own natural personalities—we never had to compete like traditional siblings. Oh, we bickered and antagonized, but it was never serious.

There was just no need for any real fighting. We had an abundance of resources to share. We were close enough in age to be twins, and sometimes we acted like it. I know we didn’t share a womb, but it felt like we did. The thin layers that separated us before we were born were so close—our mothers wept, laughed, supported, and lived together. They raged together. They were in each other’s corner from the moment they met and I think Bay and I came out more than happy to keep that pattern going.

If I fell, Bay picked me up. When he had a bad day, I was there with a stack of action movies, a case of beer, and his favorite pizza—which also happened to be mine, too, and I felt sorry for the people who hadn’t accepted hot peppers and pineapple into their lives yet. We did our homework together and learned to drive together. He taught me how to read and I helped him figure out how to double knot his shoelaces.