Flip (Next Level Book 2)

One year later…

Erin pats her pumpkin. “I can’t wait to carve this baby up.”

“You’re a very violent woman.”

“You knew that when you met me. Remember the turkey?”

“How can I ever forget? I think you stabbing that thing and cussing it out for being too dry was when I started crushing on you.”

Erin’s house is kitted out with enough spider webs and bloody appendages to stock a movie set. Thanks to a timer, it comes to life every night at seven o’clock and is hands down the spookiest home on the block. The inside looks like a haunted house she should charge people to tour. My girl takes this holiday seriously.

Very. Seriously.

As I lay out various carving knifes and bowls on the dining table, Glitch sets a huge pumpkin at each seat. “I’m winning the carving contest this year.”

This is an annual tradition.

I cock my eyebrow. “Says who?”

“Says the defending champion from last year.” Glitch takes one of the larger knives and stabs his pumpkin through the top.

“I bet Trey’s going to win this time.” Erin hands a spoon to Beetle. “What do you think, kiddo?”

“Nope. It’s gonna be me.” Beetle waits for Erin to cut off the top of his big pumpkin. “I have the best idea this year.”

“I can’t wait to see it!” Erin ruffles his hair. “Put all your seeds in the green bowl. I’ll roast them for a snack later when we start the horror movie.” She carves into the pumpkin with no mercy and rips the top off. “There you go, buddy. Gut it.”

I watch, fascinated, as Erin makes quick work of her own pumpkin next. Instead of using a spoon to scoop the seeds out, she always uses her hands. “You’re still a monster, I see.”

She leans over and whispers, “Maybe after you’re done rearranging your pumpkin’s guts, you’ll take me upstairs and rearrange mine.”

God, I love this woman.

We start dumping our seeds into the huge bowl and halfway through carving our masterpieces, Erin goes into the kitchen and grabs a few more beers. Halloween songs play in the living room and Ara dances while she paints her pumpkin instead of carving it.

I love that we do this every year.

Looking over at Glitch, I see he’s working in secret with an entire container of toothpicks. He glances up when he senses me staring at him. “No peeking.”

“The hell you doing with all those toothpicks, man?”

He shrugs and keeps working on his carving. “It’s part of my method.”

Doesn’t surprise me. With the time and care he puts into everything else I have no doubt he’ll be the champion of the carving contest tonight. He’s won the last three years in a row, fucker.

But he’s not the only one working in secret. We all are. No one can look at anyone else’s carving until the very end when we’re all finished and do a big reveal. Then it goes to a vote. Winner gets to pick the horror movie.

We’re an hour into carving when Erin finally puts down her knife and sighs, “Well, I’m done.”

Beetle looks up from his pumpkin. “Can you start roasting the seeds now?”

“Sure!” She’s in the best mood tonight and I love seeing her so happy. I think she looks forward to this contest every year the most.

Once Erin grabs the bowl of seeds, there’s a collective pause as she walks away with it.

I look at Beetle, then Glitch, then Ara. They’re all staring back at me.

My heart’s in my goddamn throat.

I hear the water running and a cabinet door closing with a thud. My hearing becomes so acute, the sound of all the seeds pouring into what I assume is a colander is loud in my ears. Then the water shuts off.

I think I might pass out.

Erin walks, ever so slowly, back into the dining room, holding what I’d snuck into the bowl of seeds an hour ago when she refreshed our drinks.

“What… what is this?”

The silence in the room is as loud as a scream.

“Trey?” She walks over to me, and I see her hands are shaking.

I get up and close the distance between us. Then I go down on one knee.

Taking the small box from her trembling hands, I open it to reveal a ring. “Erin…”

She cups her mouth, her eyes huge and teary. She’s got pumpkin stuck to her fingers and her nails are stained orange.

My beautiful, chaotic, fierce queen.

On cue, everyone turns their pumpkins around to face her.

Beetle’s says “Will You”

Glitch’s says, “Marry Me?”

Ara’s says, “Yes or No.”

Her knees start to wobble, and she bursts into tears.

Holy shit, I hope they’re happy tears.

I asked Beetle permission to ask for Erin’s hand in marriage last night and talked with Glitch about it this morning. They were both so happy, I didn’t think twice about this being a flop. But now, Erin’s got me worried.

She just keeps crying.

“Yes or No, Mom.”

I look over at Beetle, and, fuck, his cheeks are turning red. He’s as nervous as me and I’m sure seeing his mother cry is messing with his emotions.

Erin steps back from me.

I hold my breath.

Instead of taking the paintbrush Ara’s holding out for her, she grabs a knife instead.

Then she walks over to Ara’s pumpkin and starts carving for what feels like ages.

She won’t let anyone see it.

I’m still on my goddamn knees.

Letting out a long exhale, she locks gazes with me and spins the pumpkin around with her answer.

YES has a heart carved around it.

“Yes?” I stand up and rush to her. “You’re saying Yes?!”

“YES!”

I scoop Erin into my arms and spin her around in circles. “I promise I’m going to make you and Beetle so happy.”

“You already do.” She smashes her mouth to mine and kisses the soul right out of me.

I set her down and we turn to face everyone. “Well, looks like I get to pick the horror movie tonight.” Because clearly I’m the winner. I turn my pumpkin around and let her see what I’ve carved.

I love you, FLIP.

Erin gawks at it. “FLIP? You’re calling me Flip now?”

“You flip your shit, you flip houses, and you flip off everyone who pisses you off.” I cup her face and kiss her again. “It suits you.”

Besides, she has nicknames for everyone else—mine can’t be used in public, by the way—so I think she deserves to have one too.

“Flip,” Ara says. “I like it!”

Glitch laughs, his deep rumbling voice hitting us all in the chest. “It’s does suit you, Er.”

She proves my point by flipping her brother off.

“Hey!” He tosses a hunk of pumpkin at her. “Beetle’s in the room!”

Erin flips Glitch off with both middle fingers this time. Then she grabs her son and hugs him tight. “You knew about all this, huh?”

“Yup. I helped pick the ring out.”

This is the happiest day of my life and as I sit at the stained dining room table with pumpkin chunks, slimy seeds, and paint scattered across it, I can’t imagine a better place to be. Her family has been part of mine for so long, it’s like we’ve always been together.

“Hey, can I go to Jackson’s sleepover now?”

Erin’s brow furrows. “Now? I thought we agreed you could go to his sleepover after our family night. It’s only six o’clock!”

“Mom.”

“But what about the movie? The snacks?”

“We always do horror movies and snacks. I have all the best ones memorized anyway. Please, can I go to Jackson’s now?”

“I’ll take him,” Glitch says. “We’re going to hit the road too.”

“But…” Erin looks at each of them like they just took away all her toys.

“I’m sure you’ll find something to occupy your night with,” Ara says with a wink.

Erin doesn’t even try to hide her smile. Her attitude flips so fast she goes from disappointed to excited in a blink. “Right. Okay, yes, you can totally go to Jackson’s now but I’m picking you up at nine am sharp because we have to go see a new house we might put a bid on and you’ve got soccer.”

I kiss her neck and wrap my arms around her middle. “I’ll hold her back, you guys run! Save yourselves!”

Beetle cackle-laughs as he races out of the house. The boy doesn’t even grab his overnight bag.

Glitch picks it up off the floor and gives me a salute. “Have fun, you two.”

Ara giggles when he smacks her ass as she walks out.

The door closes, and suddenly it’s just the two of us.

The way we can go from chaos to calm in a blink is wild. I love it.

“So,” Erin says, tugging my hand. “About that promise you made me.”

“Promise? What promise?” I let her lead me out of the dining room and up the stairs.

“The one about wearing the Ghostface mask and making me scream while I come around your big dick.”

Ohhhh that promise.

I stalk after her. “Well, I don’t break promises now, do I?”

“Nope.” Her face lights up and she dashes into the bedroom with me hot on her heels.

“Get on your knees, dirty girl.” I pull off my shirt and toss it to the floor. “I want you to scream my name until all the neighbors know who you belong to.”

I slide on the mask and make good on my promise.