We both study Rowe and State who are deep in conversation about the princess play he was supposed to execute on the field tonight.

"The dragons were just too vicious. Maybe next game."

"You gotta get to the castle, State." She wipes her brow exasperated.

"Hey." He sets her in the over-stuffed recliner. "I may not have defeated all the dragons, but I do have this."

He gets down on his knee. "It's for the fairest princess of the land and my best football play advisor. Rowe, with Pop Tarts on top, I want to tell you something."

She claps her hands in front of her chest with a gleam of hope twinkling in her eye.

"I promise to be here with you forever." He flips open the black box to a miniature version of my ring.

"Damn," she whispers before plucking the ring from the box. She slides it on her middle finger and prances around the living room singing to the top of her lungs. She freezes in the middle of a hip pop.

"Wait." She clutches her chest. "Sissy, are you okay with this? I mean he gave me a ring."

I giggle and then lift my hand up to her.

"We're twins." She hops into my lap.

"Yes we are, always." I hug her tightly.

She whispers in my ear, or whispers as much as Rowe can, "Thank you for bringing him to us."

I look over her shoulder to see State wipe at his eyes before resting his palms on his hips.

"He's ours forever." I don't break eye contact when I tell her this.

Twenty-Eight.

"It's just not fair." Rowe stomps her foot in frustration.

No shit, I think to myself as I stuff the skimpy Dalmatian Halloween costume in my bag.

"We'll be back on Saturday to spend the whole day with you and take you trick or treating." I tap the tip of her nose.

"Promise?"

"I promise. Keep State's Shrek outfit safe."

"Okay."

A knock at the door interrupts us. Shayne is smiling brightly on the other side with two large cups of coffee in her hands. She's been over a few times for girl's night and won over Rowe just like State has.

"Shayne." Rowe bolts to her, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Hey, sweetie."

She manages to pass my coffee off to me and sit on the couch, before Rowe is all up in her face. She's assaults her with one-hundred questions.

"Let me grab my bag and let Miss Tami know we're heading out."

Shayne nods to me, but keeps her attention focused on Rowe and her wild story. She's explaining her costume to perfection, State's, and mine.

I hear Shayne giggle when I leave the room. "Baylor will make the perfect Donkey."

I creak open Miss Tami's door and peek my head in. "I'm getting ready to leave."

"Okay, sweetie." She groans sitting up out of bed.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

"Just the lovely effects of old age creeping in."

"Let me help you."

"Get away." She bats me away from her.

"Hush it, old lady."

I help her up and straighten out her night dress, and smooth down her hair. I really don't want to leave her right now. I know she's been feeling under the weather, but will never ask for help. It's funny how the woman gives everything, but refuses any help.

"Get out of here, you sexy Dalmatian."

"I'll be paying you back for that one," I reply.

Her and her friends made my costume for the college Halloween party. I'm pretty sure they had a ball making the skimpy damn outfit. They created a costume for the ages with sparkles, dots, and all.

"Get on the road, girls," she announces when entering the living room. "I don't need State blowing up my phone."

"Oh you know you love being adored by a hot college guy." Shayne waggles her eyebrows.

"Hey, he's mine." Rowe clutches her chest.

I give them lots of loves and kisses before heading outside with Shayne. The autumn sun is high in the sky. The perfect amount of heat and cool breeze mingle together in the air. The trees have long changed colors. The combination of orange and yellow leaves tumbling to the ground. It's simply a beautiful afternoon. I watch the trees blow by as we drive and feel a connection with them. I've changed just as they have, except I'm never going back to the shell I use to call life.

"Did you and Ryder decide on a costume for the party?"

"He's going as a football player and I have a kitten outfit."

"I was going to backhand you if you said you were going as a gymnast."

"Nice idea!"

"Shut your damn mouth when you're talking to me, girl."

We both share a light giggle, but I sense a lingering topic bothering her.

"Are you okay, Shayne?"

She shrugs and pops a few Tic-Tac's in her mouth. "Just a bit stressed about the upcoming trials."

"You'll be fine. What else is bothering you?" I hold up my hand and flash some weird-ass sign to be funny. "Bitch code."

"Ryder," she sighs.

"And?" I push her.

"He's scared of my dad."

"Rightfully so."

"Don't you even dare take his side," she spats.

"I'm not. Open up to me. You never talk about this. We all know it's going on. Hell, I'd bet your dad even knows."

"It's pretty basic. He loves football and doesn't want to piss off my dad."

"Do you want more with him?"

"Yes, I want it all." She glances over at me. "He won't even hold my hand in public. It has to be this big top secret relationship. He knows I want more, but it all comes back to fucking football."

It's the first time, I realize how incredibly blessed I am. State has, from day one, let me know that I'm his number one priority, even over football. At times the fact has gutted me, even made me feel guilty, but now I'm thankful. It's like Shayne is the mistress to Ryder and the stepchild to her father when it comes to football.

"Maybe when the season is over you two can talk about it, and also sit down with your parents."

"Not likely. It's all about football and I'm done."

"Your mom seems to understand you."

"She does, but she's more of the peace keeper." She slams the steering wheel making me jump. "Do you realize he doesn't even come to any of my competitions, not even Nationals last year?"

"I'm sorry, Shayne." I grab her hand and squeeze it because I am really sorry.

It's seems like slow torture to have the picture perfect parents right in front you, but not have a connection with them. The stark opposite of what I experienced. I'm not envious of her situation at all.

"Hey, I have an idea." I offer after thirty minutes of silence.

"I'm not going to sing love songs to you." She rolls her eyes.

"Funny, loser. Let's get ready at your dorm."

"Really? Figured you'd want to make hot puppy love to your firefighter before the party."

"No, let's get ready at your dorm!"

It's the first smile I sport since Shayne left Rowe. She lives in the tower opposite of State. The Halloween spirit fills the campus with decor and rowdy college students. I notice her dorm tower is much less populated. More of the nerdy crowds, my people, fill the open spaces.

Shayne's room is plain. Unless you consider yoga pants and other workout clothes crumpled on the floor as decoration, then I guess it's decorated.

"Do you have a roommate?"

"Theoretically, but she's never here. She bones her boy toy twenty-four seven."

"Gotcha." I plop down my bag and then use her restroom.

By the time, I'm back out in the living space Shayne is already beginning to curl her long brown hair. She showed me a picture of her kitty cat costume on Pinterest. It's a cute combination with a sprinkle of sexy.

"Wait, until you see the damn costume Miss Tami and her friends put together for me."

"Hit me with it." Shayne looks back to me.

I pull the tight black mini skirt from the bag. They've sewn a very tight white tank top from to the top of the skirt. It has carefully placed dots all over it rimmed with rhinestones.

"Dayyyyyuuuummm," she sings.

"Oh, that's not it."

I pull out the spiked black high heels, fish net stockings, and the headband with puppy ears on it.

"Jesus, I hope there's a crotch hole in those fish nets stockings. State is going to jump your bones. Woof Woof."

I fall on the bed in a fit of laughter, imagining my fireman attacking me from behind. Shayne tosses me a light up mirror and gestures for me to start on my make-up. I dab some concealer on my trouble spots, then spread out a thin layer of foundation over my face. Next a perfect swipe of eyeliner and a thick coat of mascara.

"Here let me do your eye shadow. I'm pretty damn good at it." She licks the tip of her pointer finger and presses it to her ass.

"Not too much," I warn her.

"Shut it and close your eyes."

I think about for a second, but soon realize she's not going to give in anytime soon. I close my eyes and relax as she glides the soft pad of the eye shadow brush over my lids. I hear my phone ding off in the distance, but find myself in a hypnotic trance. The movement of the brush goes out past my eye, but I don't dare move.

"Okay, open."

I flutter my eyes open a few times before adjusting back to the normal lighting in the room. I first spot Shayne's huge grin and then I look down into the mirror.

"Holy hell!"

I move my face from side-to-side to view the whole effect of the make-up.