by Jodie Larson
I laugh. “Tatum’s good people.”
“Oh, I know. She’s a riot. And she must practically be a saint to put up with Myles.”
“Hey,” I say, feigning offense. “He’s still my brother.”
“He’s a dick.”
Can’t argue with that. “Still my brother.”
“But you’re coming, right? I gave you the invite then never heard back from you.”
“You did?” Confusion mars my face as my mind races to figure out if I’ve seen an invitation or not.
“Yeah, I left it in your mailbox here at work.”
Quinn follows me to the front and I dig through my overstuffed slot. Perhaps I should empty this out every once in a while. Sure enough, wedged way in the back is a small envelope with my name written on the front.
“Oh, hey, lookie there.” I wave the small purple envelope at her. It doesn’t save me from the wadded-up piece of paper flying at my head.
“Bitch. You need to empty that out more often.”
I leaf through the papers in my hand. Oh, there’s that medical alert everyone was talking about in our meeting last month. And probably two months’ worth of paystubs.
When did Janice have a party?
“Don’t judge. I’m tired.”
Quinn only laughs. “What could you be tired from? You’re single.” I quirk a brow at her. “Ish. No kids, one job. You live alone. What is keeping you up late at night if it isn’t Taylor?”
We walk back to retrieve our coats from the employee lounge and make sure all the lights are shut off as we exit out the back. “I have lots of book boyfriends that keep me up late at night.”
“You and Adrienne are perfect for each other. She’s obsessed with books, too. I just don’t get it.” The lights on her BMW flash as she hits a button on her key fob. “But, seriously. Come next weekend. It’ll be fun. We’ll even go out and do something during the week, so you can get to know Adrienne. Sound like a plan?”
I unlock my Altima and shrug. “Fine. Text me when and where.”
Quinn tosses her stuff onto the front seat. “Will do. Oh, and let’s go out to celebrate your newfound singlehood tomorrow night after you ditch Taylor.”
“The usual place?”
Her smile brightens. “Of course. Where else do I get free drinks?”
I roll my eyes and wave her off, listening to her laughter die down when she closes her door.
It’s a short drive from the office to my house. I was fortunate enough to stay in my old neighborhood, which means I’m closer to my parents and can help them out. Not that they’re super old or anything, but they’re getting up there in age. Plus, with as often as my mom makes me come over, it makes the most sense to buy a house close by. And since Myles isn’t home as often as he can be, and Tatum staying with him, I’m all they have left.
Which is why I’m not surprised to see Mom’s face light up my phone as I pull into my driveway.
“Lizzie, sweetie. How was work today?” It’s taken a few years of conditioning, but I finally got her to stop with the ‘hi’s’ and ‘hello’s’ when she calls. Let’s just get to the nitty-gritty of the conversation.
“Long and busy. I must have given fifty shots today.” Still not my favorite part of the job, but at least I stopped passing out or getting light-headed whenever I see needles. That part of clinicals was a bitch to get through.
“Those poor little babies.”
“Not all of them were babies. A lot were seventh graders looking for their boosters that are required before school.”
I unlock my door and enter the darkness of my living room. The space is small: only a couch, an oversized chair, and a pathetic looking end table and lamp occupy the room. The whole house itself is barely over a thousand square feet. But it’s only me, so I don’t need much. The one requirement I had was that it wasn’t my parents’ house. Living at home when you’re twenty-six is not cool. And after a couple years of working at the clinic, I saved enough to purchase this extremely over-priced house.
It’s clean. It’s cozy. And it’s mine.
Tossing the keys and my purse on the kitchen counter, I open the fridge and pull out my chilled bottle of wine as my mom drones on and on about something one of her friends did the other day. I’m about to pour a hefty glass until her voice breaks through my inner thoughts.
“Dinner will be ready in about a half hour. Plenty of time for you to change and get ready, right?”
Dinner? Shit. I forgot I promised her I’d come over tonight. And I know exactly how this is going to play out. Lizzie, when are you going to settle down with someone? We’d like some grandkids before we get too old to enjoy them. That Taylor isn’t right for you.
Well, she’s not wrong there. I’ve heard that on more than one occasion. Guess I was too lazy to care. He was there, and I needed someone.
“Yeah,” I say, glancing at the clock on the stove. “I’ll be there in a half hour.”
Her voice brightens. “Good. Can’t wait to hear all about your day. Love you, sweetie.” She hangs up the phone before giving me a chance to respond. Another point of her training. If I’m going to see her within a few hours, we don’t need to say goodbye.
The bottle in my hand calls my name. One glass before going to dinner. I can get dressed and drink at the same time.
A few blocks over, I park my car in my parents’ driveway and walk up the sidewalk. Not sure why I bothered to fix my hair since the humidity is off the charts today. It’s just lying there like a wet rag now. At least it’s only my parents. They don’t care what I look like.
Before I even reach the door, Mom swings it open, giving me a warm smile. “My baby.”
I roll my eyes. “Mom, please.” We hug as I step over the threshold and dump my purse on the table in the foyer. The whole house smells like apple cinnamon, mixed with whatever creation my mom has come up with in the kitchen. I want to say pot roast, but don’t want to get my hopes up in case I’m wrong.
Dad’s in his favorite recliner, reading the paper with the TV tuned to the local news station. I bend down and kiss his head. “Hey, Dad.”
He pats my hand that’s resting on his shoulder. “Pumpkin. How was work today?”
I take a seat on the couch across from him and sigh. “Busy. Everyone’s getting ready for back to school. And I think there’s a case of Fifth Disease going around a couple daycares because we’ve seen an influx in patients the past few weeks.”
“Oh, that’s terrible. I remember when you had that as a child. You were so miserable.” Mom hands me a glass of wine and pats my shoulder. “Dinner’s ready, you two.”
Dad gives me a sympathetic smile. He knows Mom coddles me more than she ever did Myles. Probably because I was the baby. Or maybe she just wanted to make sure I didn’t turn out like him.
We take our usual seats around the table with my dad sitting at the head and dishing out the roast onto plates. Mom smiles as she passes me the bowl of carrots, which I pile a healthy portion onto my plate. She always throws in extra when I’m coming over because they’re my favorite.
“I hear your brother is coming home next week,” Mom says as she scoops some potatoes onto her plate.
I shrug. “I haven’t heard from him in a while. We don’t exactly have much to say to each other.”
“But you talk to Tatum, don’t you?”
Shoveling some food into my mouth to delay my response, I nod. “Yeah, we talk about once a week, maybe every two weeks.”
“We’ll have to plan a family get-together while they’re back. He still hasn’t allowed me to throw him a wedding party since he eloped a couple months ago.”
That has chapped Mom’s ass to no extent. She’s dreamt of the day when one of us would get married so she can plan everything, regardless of what we wanted. Myles took that away from her when he eloped and she hasn’t let him forget it since. I must say, I’m quite impressed with his diversion tactics. He’s managed to avoid the subject every time she brin
gs it up. But he does have a good excuse. I mean, California isn’t exactly close to Kansas City. And since he lives there while he’s working and doesn’t come home often, he’s been the king of avoidance.
Until now.
Mom has a gleam in her eye. Something tells me she has a plan and he’s not going to like it.
“Yeah, good luck with whatever plan you have in your head, Mom. If you give him any indication you’re doing something, he’ll never come over.” I slide the fork filled with the tender meat into my mouth and suppress a groan. Man, I wish I was a better cook. Or had time to actually make a decent dinner. Then again, I could always set this up in the crock pot before I leave since Mom bought me a fancy one with a timer for Christmas last year.
“He’ll come over to see his mother, don’t you worry. Tatum will make sure of it.”
I wouldn’t doubt it. I look to my dad, who wisely has kept his mouth shut, focusing all his attention on the food on his plate.
“I ran into Kade’s wife, Adrienne, the other day at the store. She looks adorable with her little belly. You’ve met her before, right?”
Bringing the napkin to my mouth, I wipe it quickly before answering. “Kind of. We’ve met a few times because Quinn is her best friend, but we’ve never actually hung out.”
“That’s a shame, considering how close you and Kade used to be. We’ll have to work on that.” Mom gives me a wink.
“Quinn invited me to the baby shower and we made plans for next week to meet up.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fast friends. You have a lot in common.”
I quirk a brow. “Like being married to the band or being a famous pianist?” That earns me a stern look from Mom. She doesn’t always appreciate sarcasm, although you’d think she’d be used to it because of Myles.
“I’d say having things in common is a stretch. The only thing they really have in common is they know people in the band,” Dad finally chimes in. I give him a warm smile for coming to my aide.
Mom pushes the food around her plate, hating being corrected. “Anyway, I was just thinking you two could get to know each other better.”
I sigh and smile at her. “We will. I don’t have to be friends with everyone Myles hangs out with. I’m not that little girl anymore.”
“I know, but all of your friends are gone and you seem to be alone most of the time. And have horrible taste in men.” A frown pulls at her lips. The same frown mars my own.
I blow a harsh breath through my nose and scrape my fork across the plate. “You’ll be happy to know Taylor will be gone after tomorrow. I’m breaking things off when he comes back.”
Her frown should have changed. Instead, it deepens, highlighting the worry lines around her mouth. “No, that doesn’t make me happy. I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
“I’m not hurt.” At least I don’t think I am. “It was time. The relationship, if you could even call it that, had run its course. I’m okay being single for a while.”
Dad clears his throat, bringing our attention to him. “Did you catch the baseball game yesterday?”
And just like that, all talk of my failed relationship—and any other matter Mom wants to meddle in—is dropped. Dad and I talk baseball and how we think the Royals are doing this year, including their longshot of ever making the post-season. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Mom finally smiling because she knows as much as she wants to be my best friend, I’m always going to be daddy’s girl.
After I help Mom with the dishes, I kiss them both goodbye and head home with my small to-go bag filled with every leftover possible. At least I won’t have to make lunch for a couple of days now.
Once inside my house, I plop on the couch and take a sip from my freshly poured wine glass. I debate turning on the TV, but right now, enjoying the quiet is exactly what I need. Reaching for the book on the table, I start to open it when a knock at the door turns my head. It’s eight o’clock at night. Who on earth would be at my house now?
After another set of knocks, I reluctantly pull myself off the couch to figure out who’s at the door.
The glass almost slips from my hand as I stare into Taylor’s sad, brown eyes.
“Hey, Lizzie.” His normally bright tone is dulled, muted as if he’s trying to choke back the words attempting to escape his mouth.
I lean against the frame and open the door wider for him. “You’re home early. I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”
He doesn’t have any bags with him, which means he must have come straight here from his house. “My meetings got canceled today, so I came home early. Didn’t feel like sitting in that hotel room any longer.” Taylor takes his usual spot on the couch, draping his clasped hands between his knees as he leans on his elbows. “We need to talk.”
Shutting the door, I take a seat next to him and nod. “Yeah, we do.”
Say what you will about celebrity life, but nothing will ever beat the joys of not flying coach whenever you travel. Besides the fact the seats are wider and more comfortable, I don’t have anyone elbowing me in the side, or wanting to make small talk when I clearly want to be left alone.
Unless you count Myles. He does that shit for a hobby.
Pax takes out one of his earbuds before turning my way. “We should probably hit up the grocery store after we land.”
I nod. “Yeah, that’d be a good idea. We’ll need to eat at some point.”
Myles leans across the aisle. “Go to the liquor store. What more do you need?”
I flip him the middle finger. “No one asked you.”
He only laughs. “Just remember, I’m letting you guys stay there so you don’t have to be the thirty-year-old losers still living at home.”
And he will not let us forget it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s letting Pax and I stay for the few months we’re in town. Not like he needs two houses since Tatum wasn’t giving hers up anytime soon. Besides, the house has history. We can’t let it fall into someone else’s hands.
We just need new furniture. I’d rather not think about what may or may not have been going on while Myles was living there.
Giving up our apartment back in K.C. was a no-brainer. Buying my own place wasn’t something I was going to consider as a bachelor. For me, buying a house is permanent; a place to raise a family. Also the reason why Pax and I only have a condo in L.A. Finding a place to put down roots is serious, and I’m not there yet.
Kade turns in his seat, swinging his legs to occupy the aisle. “When do you want to get together? Figured we’d all need a day or two to wind down, relax a bit before the craziness starts.”
“And by craziness, you mean stuck in a room with hormonal women who will all want a baby because they’ll be surrounded by tiny things?” Myles shivers.
“You think Tatum will have the baby itch?”
Myles glances over at his wife, who is reclined and sleeping next to him. “We just got to a good place and want to stay there for a while. Leave things as just the two of us. Besides, if she’s pregnant, it’ll complicate her ability to travel since she’d be considered high-risk. I don’t think my head would be in the game if she wasn’t where I could easily get to her.”
“You know you’re not getting any younger,” I quip.
He shrugs. “Tony Randall had kids well into his seventies. Lots of time yet.”
“Gross. Pretty sure Tatum will argue with that.”
Myles laughs and places a hand on Tatum’s thigh. She stirs slightly, curling into his side as a smile slides across her lips. He kisses her forehead and the first stirrings of life take over when she bats her lashes, slowly coming out of her heavy sleep.
“What are you guys talking about?” Her gaze bounces between the four of us while we try—and fail—to control our snickering and laughter. “What is wrong with you guys?” Pink tinges her cheeks as her face pales slightly. “Was I having a sex dream and talking out loud?”
“Myles says he wants to have kids when he’s seventy,” Pax smi
rks.
Tatum’s eyes widen almost comically before she slaps his shoulder repeatedly. “Are you fucking kidding me? Seventy? My shit won’t work by then! Hell, I’ll be surprised if your shit will still work by then.” Her hoarse voice cracks as she tries to keep the volume barely above a whisper.
“But that’s what they make little blue pills for.” Yeah, I’ll be the dick to add fuel to the fire.
“Hell to the no. I want all our kids born before I’m thirty-four.”
Myles’ jaw drops and his face pales. “That’s in four years.”
“Congrats, you learned how to add. Very proud of you.” Myles flips me off again.
He focuses on his wife, cutting the rest of us off from their private conversation.
The captain announces the current temperature in Kansas City as we make our final descent.
“Hey, you know it’s Wednesday, right?” Pax shoves his phone into his backpack.
“Yeah, and?”
“We should go say hi to Gabe.”
There’s a plan I can get into. Kade looks over and nods. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Did someone say The Warehouse?” Tatum covers Myles’ mouth and smiles.
“Yep. You in?”
She grins, giving us her answer before resuming her argument with Myles. Perhaps their little plan wasn’t as clear-cut as he thought in regards to kids.
“You want to give him the head’s up or should we just pop in?” Pax asks Kade.
“Nah, let’s surprise him. You know he loves when we drop in unannounced.”
I lean forward a little. “You think he won’t figure it out? Quinn knows we’re coming home, and it’s not a secret that we’ll find our way there.”
“True. Quinn spends almost every day with Adrienne, keeping her entertained.”
“God knows what all that entailed,” I say with a smirk.
Kade shakes his head. “The less I know, the better.”
“So, are we riding together or meeting down there?” Pax ropes us back into the original conversation.
