Rowdy || 18+ || RH

Chapter 37

Emersyn

Fowler hits play on the remote. The movie starts on the big TV screen. Valarie and I carry bowls of popcorn and plates of cookies to the couch. We sit down, one on each side of Fowler.

Fowler throws his arms around our shoulders. He grins from ear to ear. "Wow, what a day," he says. "First, I get to see you lovely ladies prancing around the beach in your tiny bikinis all day. And now, I get to cuddle with the two of you for a movie. Does life get any better?"

Valarie rolls her eyes but smiles. "Careful, Fowler. Your life's peaking too soon."

I giggle and add, "Yeah, don't spend all your luck in one day."

Fowler laughs, a hearty sound that fills the room. "With you two, I'm already the luckiest guy on Earth."

The movie rolls on, but none of us are really watching it now. The room is filled with the scent of popcorn.

"So, Fowler," Valarie starts, breaking the silence. "Em has told me a bit about you, but we've never really had the chance to chat. What do you do when you're not being a third wheel or playing video games?"

Fowler grins, his eyes sparkling. "Well, when I'm not charming beautiful women like yourselves, I work as a nurse at a pediatric hospital. I'm basically a big kid taking care of little kids."

Valarie looks genuinely interested. "That's awesome. I work at Willow Grove Medical Center. I'm a nurse, too."

"Yeah, Emmie told me," Fowler says. "Nurse buddies! We should totally trade war stories sometime."

Valarie laughs. "Only if you promise not to faint. Some of my stories are not for the faint of heart."

Fowler pretends to wipe sweat from his brow. "Phew, challenge accepted."

I chuckle, enjoying the easy banter between them. "Fowler, you have no idea what you've signed up for. Val's stories can be intense."

Valarie nudges me playfully. "Oh, come on, Em. Don't scare the guy off before we even get started."

Fowler looks at me, then back at Valarie. "I'm not easy to scare. Try me."

I feel Valarie's hand squeeze mine, still resting on Fowler's stomach. "You asked for it," she says with a wink.

Valarie leans in closer to Fowler, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Well, there was this one time a patient came in with a—"

Just then, Fowler's phone buzzes. He picks it up and reads a message. His face turns serious for a moment.

"Sorry, guys," he says, standing up. "I've got to take this. Hospital stuff."

Valarie and I nod. "Go ahead," I say. "We'll pause the movie for you."

Fowler steps out of the room, phone pressed to his ear. His voice lowers as he talks, moving out of earshot.

I turn to Valarie. "He's a good guy, right?"

I need Valarie to like Fowler. They're my two best friends, and I need to know that my judgment of people isn't off. I did spend a large portion of my adult life in a relationship with Lyle. And if that doesn't say something about my judgment then I don't know what does.

I feel safe here, in this home, with these men. Even Marx, with his distance, I feel safe. I've never had a group like this. One where I felt like I belonged. I never had many friends growing up, besides Valarie. My home life was never that great, either.

Yeah, I was somewhat close to my brother and father growing up, but we weren't exactly a picture-perfect family.

Don't get me wrong, I love Val. She's my best friend. She knows me inside and out. Literally and figurately. But I can't make her the center of my life, if that makes sense. I would suffocate her with my needs.