Bender (The Core Four Series)

by Stacy Borel

  Holding out her hand she said, “Hi, I’m Donna. So nice to finally meet you.”

  At least she seemed amused at her son’s playfulness. I shook it and returned the greeting. It wasn’t lost on me that two things have been said that made me take pause. For starters Camden introduced me as his friend. I realized that we hadn’t put a label on whatever this was, but I assumed we’d surpassed the friend category. And second, what has he told her about me? Her use of the word ‘finally’ rang in my ears, so he must have told her something regarding me. None of this sounded promising.

  “Cam put her down, and come give me a hug.” She patted his arm.

  He set me down, and I tried to comb my hair back in place with my fingers. Seriously? Great first impression, Keegan, just wonderful. The hug that he gave his mother was reverent and loving. I could tell in the tenderness that he showed her that he loved his mom very much. I liked that. Boys who loved and respected their mothers always scored points in my book. When she let him go, she smiled back at me and gestured toward the house.

  “Please, come in. Your friend Macie is in the game room with my husband Paul.”

  “Oh God, is Dad showing her his dirt collection?”

  I looked at him strangely. “Dirt collection?”

  Donna took my arm and started leading me into the house. I glanced back at Camden who was now walking beside his brother, and he shrugged. “Cam has told you about all of my boys being named after baseball fields right?” I nodded. “Okay, well we are a baseball loving family, and we try to go to as many games as we possibly can all over the nation. My husband likes to be a rebel and climb down over the wall when a game is over, after most people have left, and collect dirt from the field.”

  “Has he ever gotten in trouble for doing something like that?”

  I heard snickering behind me. “Dad’s not as limber as he used to be,” Wrigley responded. “There was a game where the Cubs were playing the Cardinals, and he couldn’t get himself back over the wall. Mom was screaming at us to help him up before security caught him.”

  I giggled. “Oh I could have killed him,” Donna said in an irritated voice.

  Stepping inside the house was like walking inside a country chic store. Everywhere I looked were little touches of rustic wood, faded paint on furniture, and antiques. It certainly wasn’t like a museum at all. It smelled of cooking turkey, baked apple pie, and cinnamon. It was inviting, like a home should be. Camden stepped forward and placed his hand on my lower back to show me which way to go. Donna took the pies from him and went to the kitchen to keep cooking. I’d offered to help, but she shooed me away.

  The living room was open with exposed beams that ran the length of the ceiling, and worn looking couches sat in the middle of the room. Dodger and Macie were standing in a corner looking at some sort of photo album and hadn’t seen us yet. An older gentleman was sitting down talking to someone who looked strikingly like Camden. I didn’t think it was possible for anybody to beat him in the size category, but this guy did. He was monstrous! When both men saw us coming in the room, they stood up. The older man held a look of pride in his eyes. His eyes resembled Dodger and the other man’s piercing blue ones. The boys all clearly got their build from their father. He was tall with broad shoulders and a wide stance. If I had to guess his age, I’d say he was in his mid-forties, and it was obvious that he took care of himself.

  No words were exchanged between both men when they greeted each other, Camden and his dad hugged each other tightly. After a few claps on the back, his dad pulled back and held on to his son’s shoulders.

  “You’re lookin’ good son. Real good.”

  “Thanks Pop.” Just the look on Camden’s face told me how much his father’s words meant to him. “Oh, I have someone I want you to meet. Keegan, this is my dad, Paul.”

  I was going to shake his hand but when he took a hold of it, he pulled me into a bear hug. “Sorry kiddo, I’m a hugger. And it’s very nice to meet you.”

  A lump was forming in my throat. This was what a dad was supposed to be like; supportive, loving, caring. Not missing from your life for the past twenty years, never caring that you were alive. I hugged him back tightly, almost wishing that I could stay this way a little longer, regardless of just meeting him. I could feel the warmth radiating off of him.

  “Nice to meet you too,” I said, stepping back into Camden and enjoying that he possessively put his hand on my hip.

  “You going to introduce me, little man, or are you afraid I’ll steal this beautiful creature from you?” Camden’s almost identical twin said, approaching me.

  “What is it with my brothers trying to take my girl?”

  “Well if you were giving her what she needs, then it wouldn’t be an issue, now would it?” He looked at me. I was immediately drawn to his blue eyes. His compliment caught me off guard, and I blushed a deep shade of red. I didn’t know if this was normal banter between the two of them or not. Both of their faces were serious, but slowly a grin slipped onto Camden’s face.

  “Asshole,” Camden growled. “Keegan, this is my older brother Turner. Turner, this is mine,” he stated possessively.

  Their dad chuckled. “Nice to meet you Turner.” I tipped my head at him, thinking better of shaking his hand like I had with the rest of the family.

  He noticed and smiled. I gulped loudly. The resemblance was uncanny minus their eye color.

  I felt a presence sidle up to me on my other side, and I looked up to see Dodger. He flung his arm over my shoulder, and he tipped me over to kiss the top of my head. I loved that he felt so comfortable with me. “Lookin’ good beautiful. Where’s Sarah?”

  Oh crap, in my moment of distraction, I’d forgotten where my sister was. “She’s in the kitchen with Mom. I think she’s having her help make sweet tea,” Camden answered for me. I let out a sigh of relief.

  Macie had sat down on one of the couches and was thumbing through a magazine when she lifted her eyes and smirked at me. I bet she could sense how awkward I was feeling. I rolled my eyes at her and leaned my head onto Camden’s shoulder. If we weren’t in front of his family, I would kiss him so hard right now. I loved that Turner pushed him to stake his claim on me. And I love that he did it in front of the people that meant the most to him. Hello warm and fuzzies.

  “Well.” Paul rubbed his hands together. “Hopefully your mom is almost done cooking ‘cause I’m starving! Cam, why don’t you take Keegan and show her around the house. We can catch up when we sit down to eat.”

  “Wanna see the house?” he asked softly.

  “Sure I’d love to.”

  I gave a small wave to everyone in the room, because they were watching me intently. I briefly wondered if I was the first girl Camden had brought home before. They sure seemed to be intrigued by me. Camden had taken my hand and started leading me through the house. He showed me everything downstairs from the dining room that was set up for dinner, his parents’ master bedroom that made me drool with their beach theme and four-poster bed, to the laundry room that could make washing clothes seem like fun. When we started going up the stairs, Camden’s mom called him to come help her with something real quick. He left me standing there so I took advantage of the alone time to look at all the photographs hanging on the wall. There were family pictures from vacations they had taken, school pictures, and ones of the boys playing sports. They all looked so happy. I had a pang of jealousy run through me. I wished I could give Sarah something like this, but I knew it wasn’t going to happen. Pushing it aside, I continued up the steps one by one reveling in each smile and action shot. They seemed like the picture perfect family. Almost at the top of the steps, one photograph caught my eye. It was of Camden during his high school graduation. He was wearing his cap and gown, and the smile that was on his face took my breath away. But what had caught my attention the most was the girl he was standing next to. She had dark hair and sea-blue green eyes. Her tanned skin almost matched the color of Camden’s. She was strikingly b
eautiful. What threw me was the hold he had on her. She was looking at the camera, while he beamed down at her. It seemed so intimate. Who was she? He’s never told me about an old girlfriend, but we’ve also never discussed our pasts. Something about it wasn’t sitting right. I’d seen who he’d brought in and out of our apartment before; this girl was different, this one was special.

  Only a few minutes went by and Camden came up the stairs taking two at a time. When he reached me he kissed my nose in typical Camden fashion, melting my heart and making me forget my worries. I was sure whoever she was it wasn’t a big deal. And if she was, well maybe he’d share at some point when he felt like it. We continued on through the rest of the tour. His parents still kept each of the boys’ rooms exactly the same since the day they left. Granted, Wrigley still lived at home, because he was still in high school. But he’d be graduating this year and going off to college. I loved seeing each of their individual styles. Turner was only a year older than Camden, so he was twenty-six, and his room was decorated in plaid bedding and collegiate posters. Camden had weights, trophies, and an overall sense of a typical guy’s space. Dodger’s room had a couple of guitars and some pictures of girls in bikinis. Wrigley’s space was trashed. He had clothes laying all over the place, it smelled like a high school boy’s room, and the walls were riddled with baseball things. Yep, pretty typical boy’s room. Out in the hallway I pushed Camden up against a wall. He looked down at me in amused surprise.

  “Thinking about getting frisky, Blue?” he teased.

  “Nah.” I playfully rubbed up against him.

  Chuckling he said, “Okay, then what did I do to deserve the rough treatment.”

  I brought one of my hands up and touched his lower lip. He parted them, and his pupils dilated. “I wanted to say thank you.”

  He licked his lips and his tongue touched the pad of my thumb. “For what?”

  “For saying what you did downstairs. You called me your friend to your mom, and it was a sucker punch, but I get it, we don’t have labels. Except, when Turner pushed, you staked your claim. Not only that, but you did it in front of your brother and dad. So thank you. It made me feel wanted.”

  “You are wanted, Keegan. More than I think you know. And I’m sorry about my mom. I wasn’t sure what your comfort level was, so I didn’t want to push the issue. If you are wanting to define us, then we can do that.”

  I shook my head. “No I don’t want to force you into something you might not want to do.”

  He furrowed his brows. “What the hell are you talking about? Am I with you right now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then what about that says you’re forcing me? Nobody forces me to do anything. You should know that more than anyone.”

  Sighing I looked down. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to start a fight.”

  “Are we fighting? Pretty sure if we were, you’d fucking know it.” He tipped my chin up with his finger. “But, if we are, I’m ready for the make-up sex. It’s my favorite kind.”

  Now I was the amused one. “I thought gym sex was your favorite.”

  “That too.”

  “Mhmm…”

  He brought his lips down to mine and kissed me so softly it felt like a feather’s touch. The delicate sensation of this kiss gave me butterflies; it made me feel like I was floating, it made me wonder how deep my feelings were for Camden. What began as a slow caressing of our mouths shifted into something more. I leaned into him, pressing my full weight into his chest and stomach. His tongue glided along the seam of my lips wanting access to more of me. I could feel his arousal against my front, and I let myself forget where I was and who was downstairs. Camden made me lose myself whenever he kissed me like this. He consumed me.

  “Turkey’s ready!” Sarah yelled from the bottom of the steps.

  My sweet brooding man tenderly pecked my mouth once more and smiled down at me. I pouted at the interruption. The look in his eyes seemed different. More loving and open. I knew every wall I had was crumbling down, and I felt my heart pick up its pace. I was falling for Camden Brooks, and the “L” word was trying to sneak itself into my vocabulary. He made me very happy, happier than I think I’ve ever been. I needed to slow myself down though. There was no way, despite how it seemed like he was seeing me right now, that he could be feeling anything but like. Camden didn’t do love, and least of all, not with me. I’d have to be more careful with my emotions around him so that I didn’t slip and say something that could make him walk away. The “L” word would ruin everything.

  “Come on, let’s go eat. I swear I could hoover a whole cow right now,” he said, breaking up my thoughts.

  “You mean turkey,” I corrected.

  He laughed. “You’ve never seen one of my mom’s Thanksgiving spreads. I meant cow. Come, I’ll show you.”

  He tugged my hand, and we went downstairs to join the family at the table.

  “OH MY GOSH SOMEONE IS GOING to need to wheelbarrow me out to the field,” Paul said, rubbing his distended belly. “The turkey was delicious dear, you outdid yourself again.”

  She beamed at him.

  “Yeah, I feel like a stuffed bird. Get it? Stuffed….bird?” Wrigley joked, trying to be sarcastic.

  A napkin was chunked at his face, and there was a round of grumbles. In the short period of time that I’d been at Camden’s house, I’d learned that Wrigley liked to tell the cheesiest jokes. What made them even funnier was how he delivered them. Being the baby of the family, he got the most flack but could get away with anything. Turner, the oldest, was the practical one. He’d gone off to college at LSU on a baseball scholarship, then was picked up by a major league team. However, he chose to come back home and work on a doctorate degree. Their parents were very proud of him despite loving the idea of one of their boys joining the big leagues. I think they were actually holding out hope for Wrigley. Scouts had their eye on him, and it was his last year in school. Camden was the serious brother, the one that took on the role of family protector. During dinner I listened to him grill his brothers on the things going on in their lives, letting them know that he’d be there if they needed it. Always my broody man. Dodger’s personality was easygoing. He was the most passive of the four of them, but I knew from the Halloween party that he had a strong side that didn’t take shit. He was like the quiet storm that brewed out at sea. I could easily see how someone like Dodger was good for Macie. He let her get away with things when necessary, but reeled her in when she needed to be caught. I loved all of their individual personalities, and yet they somehow were all the same, because they were the product of their parents. Parents who looked on with pride while we ate. This was a family who was close and supported each other no matter the battles. I envied them.

  “Ready to get your asses whooped?” Dodger stood up from the table and pulled out Macie’s chair.

  I had been slightly shocked that their parents weren’t offended by some of the things that their boys talked about, but I realized that not a lot really bothered them.

  Turner barked a boisterous laugh. “In your dreams Wild Thing.”

  I leaned into Camden who was grinning from ear to ear. “Wild Thing?”

  “Yeah, Dodger here, thinks that he has the best pitch in the family. Except he can’t get it over home plate for shit. He started calling himself Wild Thing after Charlie Sheen’s character in the movie, Major League. He even has some of those black frame glasses around here somewhere,” he replied.

  “My pitch is awesome, you fuckers. Keegan, you can be on my team, that way you know what winning feels like.”

  Camden shook his head. “She goes to bed with me every night, so I’m pretty sure she already knows what winning feels like.”

  “Camden!” I scolded. Could he embarrass me any more today?

  Paul chuckled when Camden shrugged. “No worries honey, we all know Cam’s all bark.”

  Oh boy they had no idea there was certainly more than a bite that went along with his bark
. He looked down at me, confirming that he was reading my mind. Winking at me, he got up as well. “We’ll divide the teams when we get to the field. Let’s go.”

  I started picking up my plate to take it into the kitchen when Donna put her hand on my forearm and said, “Don’t worry about that, we always clean up after we play.”

  I smiled at her and set it back down. Out in their garage were two golf carts and a couple bat bags sitting next to them. We all loaded up, Paul driving one cart, and Turner driving the other. Sarah sat on Dodger’s lap since there wasn’t enough room for all nine of us to ride over there. I was sure she was thrilled. We went about two blocks over and stopped at a baseball field that was well maintained but looked like it wasn’t used often.

  Camden spoke into my ear. “My parents bought this acreage when I was a kid because they wanted a place that they could take us to practice and not worry about us slamming any balls into the neighbor’s windows. They made it into a baseball field and opened it up to anybody that wanted to come use it. We still come out here after every family dinner and play. It’s been our tradition for over fifteen years now.”

  Unloading, we all stood near the fence that ran along the catcher’s position. “Alright time to choose teams.” Turner was taking charge. “I’ve got Mom, Dad, Keegan, and Macie. So Cam that leaves you with Wrigley, Dodger, and Sarah.”

  “Sounds fair.” He nodded.

  “Y’all can bat first. Macie, how’s your arm?”

  “Honestly, I kind of suck at throwing balls.”

  He smirked. “I’m sure you’re better playing with them.”

  She laughed, but I heard Dodger growl. “Watch it asshole, or Wild Thing might peg you in the face with a fastball.”

  “Alright, play nice boys, and Turner cut it out with the wisecracks,” Donna chided.

  “Sorry Mom,” he said. “Okay since Macie can’t pitch, how about you Keegan, can you toss a ball? You don’t have to do anything crazy, just underhanded softball pitching.”