Chaps & Cappuccinos

by A. J. Macey

  I can’t wait until I graduate and I no longer have to deal with that jerk.

  “You look so cute with that little pink blush, Cali girl,” Reid teased, reaching around my shoulders and pulling me into his chest. I stuck my tongue out, not having anything to say to his previous innuendo about me being sweaty and tired from dance.

  “Meany,” I huffed when we reached the front door to Kingston’s house, the heat of the inside washing over me as we stepped over the threshold. The house smelled amazing, like chili and spices.

  “Hi Kingston’s mom, we’re home!” Reid hollered, ending his statement in a sing-song as he drew out the ‘we’re home.’ All four of us stripped off our coats and boots, hanging them in the closet and setting the wet shoes onto the drying mat.

  “Oh, really? I never would have been able to tell. I thought it was just a herd of elephants trampling through the door,” she teased, walking past the opening of the hall and looking at all of us with a knowing smile.

  “We’re not that loud,” Kingston protested as we made our way into the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Chili and cinnamon rolls,” Stella explained, turning on the oven to preheat. Next to her were a few containers of cinnamon rolls waiting to be opened. “Should be ready in a little while. Your father’s on his way home early since he has that morning meeting tomorrow. So, how was school today?”

  “Eh, school,” Reid shared with a shrug, slumping into one of the kitchen chairs after putting his books on top of the table. Kingston and Jesse echoed similar sentiments.

  “How about you, Emma?” Stella asked, her words muffled as she dug around in a cabinet for something.

  “It wasn’t bad. Got a 99.5% on a chem quiz, but I also had a run in with Mr. DeRosa which kind of killed my good mood.” As soon as the assistant principal’s name was out, my guys all looked at me with severe frowns, all three of them talking at once.

  “What’d he do?” Jesse said in a hard tone.

  “What happened?” King nearly demanded.

  “What’d that douche canoe say now?” Reid spat.

  “Reid,” Stella reprimanded gently when they finally stopped peppering me with questions. He grimaced, offering a soft apology.

  “Surprisingly not as much as normal,” I informed them. “Brought up that he’d been ‘informed’ about some PDA and very sternly reminded me that it wasn’t allowed.”

  “What a—” Reid started before being cut off by Stella’s cough and cocked brow as a reminder to keep it somewhat polite. “Poop nugget…?”

  “Well, that certainly is clever,” Stella choked out, laughing openly. “This is the assistant principal that the boys told us about, yes?” Looking away from her with a nod, I multitasked, pulling out my homework while I listened to what she said next. “Well, I’ll tell you what Kaleb and I told the boys. If he continues to give you trouble, especially if it seems targeted or out of line, bring it to us, and we can decide the next step because you have enough to worry about. All right?”

  “Thanks, Stella,” I told her genuinely. With that, the four of us started on homework as Stella continued working in the kitchen. After a little while, Killian came home, joining us at the table with a groan.

  “What is all the grumbling about in here?” Kaleb joked, walking into the house from the garage. As soon as his eyes landed on the table, he nodded in understanding. “Ah, homework, I see. Hey, Love,” he greeted Stella on his way in, giving her a soft kiss as he dropped his keys into their normal spot.

  “How was work, babe?” she asked softly as he shucked his coat and folded it over his arm.

  “Good, got everything prepped for tomorrow. It smells delicious in here! Thank you for cooking dinner.”

  “You are very welcome.” A bright smile appeared, her eyes glittering in her happiness. “It should be done in about another half hour or so.”

  “Perfect. Hello, Emma, glad to have you over for dinner tonight,” Kaleb directed toward me as he walked over to the coat closet.

  “Happy to be here for it, Mr. Bell,” I smarted with an impish grin. From where I was seated at the table, I was able to see down the hall to the front, and at my use of his last name, his head popped to the side. I burst out laughing at his playful glare with narrowed eyes and downturned frown.

  “That was the last time of your five,” he revealed triumphantly with a finger wag. “So, Reid, you get more unpacking done today, or have you been working?”

  “Uh, just homework so far,” he said, but something in his voice caught my attention. Looking at him, I noticed his smile was forced, and the normal mischievous glint in his gaze was dimmed. My chest ached to see how hard it was for Reid to handle his family rejecting him. Then I had an idea.

  “All right, let’s go,” I exclaimed in a very Reid manner, clapping as I got up from the table. “They have some more stuff to do, but I know we’re done so come on.”

  “What?” he asked, confused. Kingston and Jesse smashed their lips together, picking up on where I was going with this.

  “You didn’t let me drag my feet with unpacking, so turnabout is fair play. Chop chop, let’s go,” I directed with another few claps. This time Jesse and Kingston couldn’t keep their laughter contained. Reid sighed and dramatically got up from the table, swinging his arm out wide.

  “Lead the way, milady.”

  Shooting him a triumphant smile, I moved around the table and toward the stairs. As I did, Stella and Kaleb both gave me a thumbs up when Reid wasn’t looking, the Bell stamp of approval for my methods of getting him to unpack.

  It was a quiet walk to his room, my eyes trailing over the soft gray walls as we made our way there. I loved the one dark green accent wall that his bed was pushed up against, but it was a bit plain and empty since he had moved in. The room only had a bed, a single nightstand, and a small dresser with an unopened tv sitting on top. Scanning the room one more time and seeing all the boxes shoved into one corner, not even touched, my chest ached all over again.

  “Ready, babe?” I asked him, trying to keep my voice lighthearted.

  “Yeah,” he mumbled, eyeing the pile with such sadness that I almost started to cry.

  “Reid,” I started, grabbing his hands and dipping my head low enough so he would look me in the eye. “It’s okay to be sad and grieve and be angry. What happened is honestly bullshit, but I also want to make sure you realize you have a family here with you. One that accepts and loves you as you are.” Reid’s hazel eyes were watery, but a soft chuckle bubbled out of him.

  “The cursing is coming out again,” he murmured, his smile genuine despite the wall of tears in his eyes. “Only when you’re really angry.”

  “Yes, well… what happened to you was dumb, and your parents are poop nuggets,” I countered, enjoying that I could cheer him up even if it was only a little bit. His grin grew slightly, another laugh resonating before he took a deep breath.

  “All right, Cali girl, you’re right. Let’s tackle this,” he agreed, sounding more like himself than he had since slumping down at the table. Before I could step back and start on a box, his hands cupped my jaw and he kissed me hard. The movement took my breath away, the butterflies fluttering in my stomach like crazy with the claiming kiss. After a brief moment, he pulled back. Green and gold irises streaked with hickory brown looked down at me, the warmth glimmering in his gaze making my toes curl. “Thank you.”

  “Of course,” I whispered. The smile that tried to stretch across my face was smooshed between his two palms, breaking the moment in a fit of giggles. “Come on, I think we can knock these out before food.”

  “Whether we do or not, I’m sprinting down to the table for some cinnamon rolls,” he told me with a typical cocksure smile. Shaking my head, I began to open the boxes and pull the items out.

  Poster after poster, I helped unroll and tack them up to the wall. Reid stayed quiet for the most part, save for the occasional ‘does that look okay there’ question, and after only a little whil
e, all his wall decor was unpacked and put up. As he broke down those two boxes, I opened a third one and debated where to start.

  “Most of this looks like clothes, but it seems like there are a few other things mixed in,” I relayed. “Anywhere in particular you want them?” He looked in, digging around before answering.

  “The lacrosse stuff can stay in there. I’ll take it out to the garage and see if they have any empty storage bins. There should be video games and my alarm clock in one of these boxes along with my Bluetooth speaker, so those can go onto the dresser and nightstand for now for me to sort.”

  I started to open the last couple of boxes, noting they were filled with random items, not organized in the slightest. In the last one, I found a small handmade ornament. It caught my eye immediately, not because it was among the video games, books, and other random stuff, but because it was hot pink and glittery. Did Reid make something so girly? I wondered curiously. Glancing over my shoulder, I found Reid’s head buried in the bottom of another box.

  “Anything else I should be aware of?” I questioned as I started to pull the video game cases from inside and stack them on the dresser. He can let me know what he wants to do with the bright Christmas decoration when he’s done deep sea diving in the clothing box. I giggled at the picture my thought had conjured.

  “Well, I have porno magazines, lotion, and lots of old crusty socks in one of these boxes.”

  My jaw dropped, my attention whipping to him.

  Holy crap.

  Did he seriously just go there?

  It wasn’t until he burst out laughing hard enough for tears to streak down his cheeks that I realized he was teasing me.

  “Oh my… god… your face,” he struggled to get out between his laughter. I stood there, trying to stay stern, but I couldn’t, cracking up along with him.

  “You’re so mean to me,” I whined, but I knew my smile gave me away.

  “Aww, Cali girl, you know I could never be mean to you,” he cooed, scooping me up into his arms. “You’re just so cute when you blush that I can’t get enough.”

  He didn’t wait for me to say anything else, pressing his lips to mine. It wasn’t hesitant or sweet but confident and strong. A calloused palm cupped my cheek, the soft sweeping of his thumb a nice contrast to his toe-curling kiss. My hands ran over the front of his shirt, the fabric warm from his heated torso. Relaxing into him, I felt my own boost of confidence at his boldness. His tongue darted out, but before it could brush the seam of my lips, I met him halfway. The hold he had around my waist tightened slightly as our tongues tangled around one another.

  “Reid! Emma! Dinner is about done!” Stella’s voice reached us from downstairs, the sudden reminder that we weren’t alone startling us apart. The adrenaline that had flooded me made me feel like I was being pricked with a thousand needles, and the butterflies that had soared with Reid’s passionate kiss only fluttered more.

  “Coming!” Reid hollered, his gaze warming when I felt my cheeks start to burn. “Come on, Cali girl, I’ll be polite enough to not sprint down the stairs to claim the best cinnamon roll as it comes out of the oven.”

  “Oh, how gentlemanly of you,” I teased.

  “No, it’s how knightly of you, milady,” he countered with a smirk. Rolling my eyes, I started down the stairs with my hand nestled in his. As soon as we reached the kitchen, Reid practically squealed in excitement and darted toward the fresh cinnamon rolls. As he neared them, Stella swatted at him with a dish towel to keep him from eating all of them. Shaking my head, I made my way back over to the table where Kingston and Jesse were finishing packing up their stuff. I didn’t know what came over me, whether it was the confidence Reid had kissed me with, or the sense of family that filled me when I was surrounded by my guys and the Bells, but I walked up behind Jess and King and curled my arms around their necks. Pulling one to me, then the other, I kissed Kingston then Jesse.

  “Ugh, gross,” Killian groaned, but I ignored him and just started talking.

  “How was studying?” I asked, enjoying them curled in my arms despite Kill’s comment.

  “Good, got everything done and I'm feeling confident about upcoming tests. How’d unpacking go?” Kingston questioned, the last portion of his statement whispered so only Jesse and I could hear.

  “A bit rough at first, but we got all the boxes open and over half of them unpacked,” I told them quietly.

  “Thank you for doing that, Em,” Jesse murmured, kissing me on the cheek.

  “Of course. I don’t like seeing him so sad,” I explained, a conspiratorial smile spreading across my face. “And the fact that once he’s unpacked he’s stuck with us forever definitely doesn’t hurt.”

  “Exactly what he told you when you first arrived.” Jesse put two and two together with a laugh. “Clever girl.”

  “Yes, she is,” Reid added, dipping down far enough to kiss me on the cheek. “Also, you three need to work on your whispering skills.”

  “Says the person who’s one of the least subtle people known to man,” King challenged with a brow raise.

  “Actually, I find Lyla to be more obvious than Reid,” I countered, laughing as I remembered our ridiculous conversation earlier in the week.

  “Yeah? What’d she do now?” Reid asked, sinking in a chair at the table. My cheeks flared, but before I could fail miserably at coming up with a decoy story, my phone started to ring. Digging out my phone, I saw my mom was the one calling, and my good mood immediately tanked.

  “Hey, Mom,” I greeted, letting the guys know it was her.

  “Are you on your way home?” No hello or ‘how was school’ like Stella did. My lips thinned in irritation, but I held back the urge to snap.

  “I wasn’t planning on it quite yet. Is there something you need?” I tried to ask as politely as I could.

  “Yes, I need you home in the next little while. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes, and I expect you there,” she told me sharply. The tone wasn’t surprising, but the actual content of her statement shocked me.

  “Uhm, all right, I’ll head home now. See you soon,” I said, but my mom cut me off with a snappy ‘good’ before hanging up. Grinding my teeth, I pulled my phone from my ear and straightened fully. “Being called home for food with my mom so no dinner for me. Thank you though!”

  “All right, dear, we can either save you some or make it again in the next weekend or two!” Stella called out as I gave the guys quick hugs before darting to the front hall. As much as I wanted to take my time saying goodbye, I knew I shouldn’t poke the bear, so I hurriedly grabbed my things and got into my car.

  Please let my mom not have some kind of grounding or other punishment up her sleeve, I mentally pleaded.

  I don’t know if I can handle another grounding.

  10

  February 20th

  When put to the test about the boys, it seems Sam doesn’t judge. At least that makes one of my biological parents.

  #ClarkFamilyDinners #LikeFatherLikeDaughter #ThankfulThursday

  The drive home was quick, yet for whatever reason, I couldn’t seem to relax. It could have been that conversations between my mom and me ended in an argument more often than not—and her tone had definitely not been pleased on the phone—or it could have been that everything seemed negative lately. Whatever it was, I tried my best to take a few calming breaths as I pulled onto our street. As soon as I did, I realized why I had been called home. There was an unfamiliar car in the driveway—a Dodge Durango. If I had to guess, I’d say it belonged to Sam.

  “At least I finally get to have dinner with her,” I grumbled under my breath as I put my car in park. “Sucks that it only happened because I need a ‘model father figure in my life.’” My tone and words were begrudging and mocking as I paraphrased what my mom had told me last week. Shoving the irritation away, I got out and headed inside.

  “Ah, good,” I heard my mom say as I shut the door. “Food’s finishing up now.”

  “What a
re we having?” I asked as I shed my coat and boots.

  “Taco salad,” Sam answered. I was glad I was still on the small landing of the front door where they couldn’t see my lips curl down in a frown.

  Chili sounded so much better.

  Even if Nebraskans are weird and eat it with cinnamon rolls.

  “It’s good to see you again, Emma. Would it be weird if I asked how school was today?” Sam questioned with a small chuckle, looking as lost as I was on the whole ‘small talk’ thing.

  “You too. It was good, nothing special,” I spouted, skipping over the run in with the assistant principal. There is no way in heck I’m bringing that up to my very strict mother.

  “Emma, can you set the table, please?” my mom cut in before either Sam or I could say much else. Nodding, I got to work, but every few seconds I was either running into my mom or having to shift out of Sam’s way.

  Note to self, have a decent-sized space when I live with the guys.

  At that thought, I paused. It was something that was such a big step and it floated so casually through my mind. We’d only been together for a few months at this point, yet it felt like they were such an integral part of my life that I couldn’t imagine a future without them. It was crazy, and I tried to chalk it up to being young, being surrounded and supported by them at such a vulnerable point in my life. Except I knew it was deeper than that.

  Realizing I was just standing there staring into the abyss, I finished setting the table. Sam finished whipping up what looked like chocolate pudding and stashed it in the fridge before joining my mom and me at the table. The meal was good, and thankfully my mom kept most of her judgmental glances and snide comments to herself. Before I knew it, dinner was done.

  “Oh, this is Travis from the Parvin project. I’ll be back. Feel free to start on the dessert,” my mom explained as her phone started to ring. Even though her words made it seem like she was talking to both of us, her eyes were only on Sam, and I couldn’t help but notice a regret in her eyes that I hadn’t seen directed toward me in months. Good to know that she only feels bad about missing out on time with Sam but not me.