Free Dirty Friends (Beautiful Friends #1) by Paige Steele

three of us. His mother has it decorated just like a storybook. She took her time placing things in all the right places over the entire house. We all agreed that Ryan’s going last whether he likes it or not. Though really, it’s the same every year. Cooper always goes first because well, he’s a brat, then me and lastly Ryan. We’re talking about Ryan’s move and what his schedule is going to be like. He says he has three months to ride with the team to see if he can hang with the top guys. If he can, then he’ll be signed to a three-year deal with a sign on bonus, as well as other bonuses for taking a hole shot and making it on the podium. The hole shot means he needs to be the first guy coming out of the gate and around the first corner.
    “Are we going to open presents tonight, or what?”
    “Oh my God, you are such a kid, you know that?” I stand, walk over, and grab his presents first. I’m giving them the frames with our picture in them after all of the other presents are opened. He tears open the wrapping paper, getting to the gift in record time.
    “Holy shit, Ans I love it. “ He’s holding up one of the t-shirts I bought him. It has a saying on it. “ When in doubt, throttle out.” Then, he reaches in and pulls out the next one. This one has a picture of a dirt bike on it, with a rider and a girl in a bikini behind the rider. Ryan hands him his next. Again, Cooper tears in to it. He gets a calendar with all the Hyped Energy drink girls. The pictures are of them sitting on dirt bikes, or laying on the seats dressed in teeny tiny bikinis, or what I like to call scraps of material.
    “Hell, yes, you both rock. I fucking love these. And Ryan, I can’t wait to visit you at a race to see these hotties up close and personal.”
    “I’ll drink to that.” Ryan clanks his beer bottle to Coop’s.
    “Ok, Peanut, you’re next.” Ryan picks up his present to hand it to me but Cooper beats him to it. I laugh out loud at how much of a child he really is during the holidays.
    “Here, open mine first.”
    He looks so serious all of sudden, and I can’t help but look in his eyes. “Get to it, girl.”
    I pick it up and open the gift bag slowly. The present’s carefully wrapped so I know he didn’t do it. He’s the type of wrapper to fold the paper and tape it wherever. I take out the little box that’s in it.
    “Coop, what did you do?” I slowly open the box and it is a necklace with a little dirt bike hanging off it. Both the necklace and charm are made out of white gold. The charm has little diamond chips in the center of each tire. I love it. He gets an allowance from his parents, so he must have been saving for a while for this.
    “This is too much.” The tears are pooling already.
    “No, it’s not. This way every time you wear it, you’ll think of us.”
    “Ok, my turn.” Ryan now hands his over.
    It’s another gift bag and once again I pull out a box. I immediately look up at him. He’s smiling back at me. Tilting my head sideways at him, I smile back. As I lift the lid, I notice the matching bracelet. Yep, four, three, two, one…the tears fall.
    “You two are brats. Seriously guys, these are beautiful, but they are too much.”
    “Nope not at all. We love you, girl.” Ryan put in hours helping his dad at the construction sites, so he must have been stashing some money away too. Ryan walks over to help me put them both on as Cooper sits there staring at me. I get up after and walk over to the mirror that is in the entryway by the front door. I put my hand to the necklace then look in the mirror as it hangs there and sparkles. Lifting my wrist, staring at the same charm that dangles, I walk back over and give them both a huge hug.
    “Ryan, I hope you like mine. I really tried to find something that would help you not forget us...little people.” I try to not sound so sad.
    “How could I forget my brother and then there’s you. You are like a sister to me. I could never forget a