Surrendering to Us by Chelsea M. Cameron

as we pulled out of the driveway and waved good-bye to Tate, April and the girls. I was absolutely exhausted. Kids were tiring.
    “It was pretty awkward there at the beginning.” I grabbed another chocolate-covered potato chip and munched on it. It was nearly dinnertime, and I hoped I could convince him to stop somewhere so we could eat. Or at least go through a drive-through.
    “No it wasn’t. You’re crazy.”
    “Uh, it definitely was. I don’t know what you saw, but there was plenty of awkward going on.” He shook his head and slowed down to a crawl through the neighborhood.
    “You were great with the girls. I’m pretty sure you are the princess now.”
    I pointed at him with a chip in my hand. “Damn right. I’m the fucking princess. And don’t you forget it. Wow, it feels good to curse without worrying about ruining impressionable minds.”
    “Once again, you’re ridiculous.” He grabbed the chip and chomped on it. “I’m starving. Do you mind if we stop somewhere?” If I could have hugged him, I would have.
    “I love you.”
    “I know.”
     

     
    When we got back (after stopping at Five Guys Burgers), Sloane was waiting in our apartment, sitting on the couch as if perched atop a throne. Hadn’t we just talked about this? And hadn’t she promised to stop doing this?
    “Hey Mr. Ginger, Mrs. Ginger.” Oh, I was “Mrs. Ginger” now. I liked the sound of that.
    “Hi, Miss Intruder,” I said, dropping my bag. Lucah was carrying the bags of candy and some extra burgers and fries from Five Guys. You could never have too much Five Guys in your house.
    “How was it?” she said, getting up. “Oohh, what did you bring me?”
    “Nothing until we talk about boundaries again. I thought you were going to stop popping in whenever you wanted.” I snatched the bag from Lucah and held it behind my back so she couldn’t get to it.
    “I was watching your valuables and keeping them safe from burglars. So really, you should be thanking me.”
    “Are you fucking serious?”
    “Not really. What did you bring me?” She was worse than Gracie and Fiona, but I thought I’d found the source of her constant pop-ins. Sloane was lonely and she missed me. I couldn’t fault her for that.
    I missed having her around too, even though I loved living with Lucah. There was something about living with your best girlfriend that was completely different than living with your boyfriend. I still wanted to impress him, and keep him under the illusion that I never do things like fart, or clip my toenails. I didn’t have to do that with Sloane.
    “Well, we stopped and got some candy for the girls, so we brought you some mango jellybeans and some fancy chocolate that is up to your exacting standards.” She took the bag and skipped a little.
    “You are the bestest friend ever!” She squealed and I got a strangling hug. It was kind of like Gracie and Fiona when I’d given them candy. But without the crying.
    “Okay, okay,” I said and she let go. “So what’s up? How’s the world of fashion?”
    Lucah took the burgers and fries and put them in the fridge, and then went to go take a shower to give us some privacy. Because he was the prefect boyfriend.
    She was still having problems with her lingerie line, but she seemed more optimistic about it, which was great. She still needed an assistant.
    “I’ve got a bunch of college students I could shove your way,” I said. Lilia would probably be fabulous at it, since she already had excellent fashion sense. But I didn’t want to lose my newfound coding genius. I was going to hold onto her with all my might.
    I was stuffed from the burgers and I could feel a food coma setting in when I remembered what I had to do tomorrow at dinner with my parents. Crap, I should probably call them and inform them that Lucah would be joining us.
    “Listen, I have to call my parents,” I said, hoping she would take the hint. She did, taking her candy and waving good-bye.
    Lucah was still