The Game-Kirsten Backhard

by Shawnte Borris

  She immediately wrapped her arms around me.

  “I’m so tired,” I lied to Liz because I didn’t want her to know my fear of Drew leaving me.

  “Why don’t you go up and take a nap? Then, have a hot shower, and you can come over for dinner when you are ready, okay?” She wiped my bangs across my forehead and tucked my hair behind my ear.

  I could feel Drew behind me before he placed his arm around my shoulder. “Not tonight, Liz. Tonight, Kirsten and I are staying in, alone, and she is going to rest.”

  “But—” Liz started to say.

  Drew cut her off. “Not tonight, Liz.”

  Liz gave me a tight smile and a hug before she left.

  As Drew and I were walking up to the front door, I stopped and looked at him. “I need to see my realtor and sign the paperwork on my townhouse today.”

  “I’ll phone her. She can meet you here at home.”

  “But—”

  “Not tonight,” was all he said before we walked in and Drew shut the door to our home.

  Then, he led me up the stairs to our bedroom.

  Stepping out of the shower, I felt better and more relaxed. I could also smell lasagna. Is that Drew’s mom’s lasagna? My mouth was watering from just thinking about it. I slid on a pair of my favorite lace panties and a hockey T-shirt before Drew opened the bedroom door.

  “Breathtaking,” he sighed while leaning against the door frame.

  I turned around and watched him smiling. “Are you drunk?” I asked with a teasing tone.

  “Only on you, sweetheart. Dinner is ready.”

  “I can smell it. That wouldn’t happen to be your mom’s famous lasagna, would it?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Drew, I’m a very hungry woman. Now is not the time to tease me.”

  “Right, and you standing there in your sexy panties isn’t?”

  “Hey, you are the one who walked in on me. I’m not done getting—”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Drew smirked and tossed me over his shoulder.

  “Drew Parker, put me down!”

  “No way! Not if that means you are putting on more clothes.”

  “Drew!” I laughed all the way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

  When he set me down in the kitchen, I couldn’t catch my breath. I slowly turned taking everything in. I had tears in my eyes again. Crap.

  “How did you…Drew, this is…my dream.” I turned to him, wiping away my tears. “You don’t fight fair.”

  He smiled as he walked toward the kitchen table, and he pulled out my chair. “Dinner is served.”

  After taking a seat, Drew raised his fork with the first piece of lasagna, and he slipped it into my mouth. I had no shame. I moaned as soon as it hit my tongue. When I heard Drew clear his throat, I snapped out of the lasagna coma.

  “Drew, this tastes amazing. Remind me to call your mom and thank her.” I moaned again after putting my own forkful into my mouth.

  “No need. I made it myself.”

  I looked up at him. “What?”

  “Sweetheart, there is more to me than good looks.”

  I raised my eyebrow at him, and he just laughed. It was a good deep belly laugh that made my va-jay-jay shiver.

  “Thank you for dinner,” I said while lifting my glass of milk. That’s right. I drink milk with my lasagna.

  “Dessert?”

  “Really? You prepared that, too?”

  “No, just ice cream sundaes while we watch a movie.”

  “Austin Powers?”

  “Of course.” Drew chuckled. “Why don’t you go into the living room and set the movie up? Also, the realtor stopped by this afternoon with your contract. It’s on the coffee table. I hope you don’t mind, but I looked it over. Everything seems fine. But I gotta tell you that I was surprised at the amount of money it sold for.”

  I swayed my hips into the living room. “I’m a negotiator, remember?”

  “How could I forget? You’re the most stubborn person I know,” he said, lighthearted.

  I yelled from the living room, “That’s what makes me good at my job.”

  I heard him mumble something, but I chose to ignore him as the fireplace drew me in. “Can I turn on the fireplace?”

  Drew poked his head around the corner from the kitchen. “Sweetheart, I’m not going to say this again. This is our home…as in mine and yours—”

  “But—”

  “Not tonight. Tonight and the next night and the night after that, this is your home. Get the picture yet?”

  “So, I just turn it on with this remote?” I asked, lifting up a gray one.

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He smiled before going back into the kitchen.

  “That fucker!” I screamed, running upstairs to get my phone. When I noticed it wasn’t in the bedroom, I came back down.

  Drew met me at the bottom of the stairs with my phone in his hand.

  “You knew?” I yelled.

  “We had to make sure your townhouse sold, so you didn’t have a place to fall back on,” Drew said, acting like it was no big deal.

  Then, he walked over to the couch and started eating his sundae as if nothing had just happened. I stood there with my mouth hanging open. “He’s next door.” Drew said in between bites.

  In a moment like this, any woman would go from zero to fucking pissed in two point two seconds. I grabbed the contract and stormed out of the living room. After I was out the door, I headed straight over to Liz’s, ready to kill my brother.

  I didn’t even knock on the door. I just flung it open and ran into Adam.

  “Hello there, beautiful.”

  I pushed Adam out of my way. “Fuck off, Adam. Not now.”

  “Have I told you how sexy you are when you get feisty? Damn, are you only wearing panties and a T-shirt?” Adam said while stocking behind me.

  Liz and Brad were sitting outside on the patio. When I noticed my brother, I flew across the table, ready to choke the son of a bitch.

  “You fucking son of a bitch!” I yelled while I grabbed for his shirt.

  Before I had the chance, I was being pulled off of him.

  “Damn, Kirsten, your ass is fucking hot in those teeny-tiny panties,” roared Adam.

  “Shut up, Adam!” everyone, except for Derek and me, yelled at once.

  Derek and I were giving each other the death stare.

  “Fucking let me at him!” I screamed, trying to get out of the arms of whoever had me.

  “Calm the fuck down!” hollered Steve.

  That was when I looked over my shoulder. I noticed that more people were in the yard than I thought.

  Derek stood up and calmly walked over to me. “What is your problem?”

  “What is my problem?” I seethed. I waved the contract in his face. “This is my fucking problem!”

  I threw the contract on the table and then grabbed Adam’s car keys out of his hand before walking out of the backyard.

  “Hey! Those are my keys!” Adam yelled.

  I opened the front door, slammed it, and hoofed it over to Adam’s car.

  Once I started the car, I heard Derek yell, “Where are you going?”

  Then, Liz came out. “You don’t even have any shoes on!”

  I didn’t care. I went to the only place I knew where someone would always be on my side.

  “Dad,” I said, wiping away angry tears.

  My dad was standing in the garage, cleaning off his hands. It looked like he had just finished changing the oil in my mom’s car. “I take it you found out who bought your townhouse.”

  “You knew?” I asked, puzzled.

  “Yes. I’m the one who set the motion into action.”

  I stood there, stunned. I didn’t know what to think.

  “Good grief, child. Are you not wearing any pants?” My dad examined me.

  I looked down at my legs.

  “Don’t look down. You’re just
giving the neighbors a better show. Get in the house and go find some pants.” My dad shook his head as he mumbled to himself, “Here I thought this stage of my life was over. Damn children.”

  I looked at my dad and grinned. “I don’t have any shoes on either.”

  My dad looked at my feet and smirked as we both walked into the house.

  “Goodness. What happened to you, Kirsten? Why are you not wearing pants?” asked my mom.

  “Hi, Mom,” I sulked.

  “She found out who bought her townhouse,” my dad said.

  “Oh dear, I told you this would blow up in your face,” Mom responded. She grabbed three glasses and a bottle of wine brought it to the table and poured us each a glass, before her and I sat at the table.

  I took a big gulp out of my glass and looked at my mom. “Who all knew?”

  She grabbed my hand and held on tight. “We all did.”

  “As in…” I said, prompting them to continue.

  My father chirped in. “It started with Drew coming to talk to me. He told me about the secret dating, the drunken Chrissy night, you running and him buying a house. Like I said he told me everything before asking for your hand in marriage.” My dad took a deep breath and sat at the table. “Then, I asked Derek to buy your townhouse, so you wouldn’t have a chance to run again. Might I add, little girl, he paid an arm and a leg for your place.”

  I just looked at my dad. I was completely shocked. Drew asked my dad to marry me?

  My dad kept rambling. “Kirsten, we love you, and we’re very proud of you. You have accomplished many things in your career that others can only dream of. But goddamn it, you are the most stubborn woman I have ever met. When are you going to get your head out of your ass?”

  I looked at my dad, stunned. “Drew wants to marry me?” I breathed while staring at the table.

  My mom replied in a soft tone, “Yeah, baby girl, he does.”

  I gazed over at my mom, I started weeping. “I’m scared.”

  My mom brought me in for a hug. “I know, sweetheart, I know. It’s okay to be scared.”

  I got up from the table and gave both my parents a hug. “Thank you.”

  “We love you,” my dad said. “Child, find some pants. This is starting to get awkward for your old man.”

  I laughed.

  “There are some shorts on top of the dryer that might fit you,” my mom replied.

  Walking into the laundry room I saw the shorts sitting on top of the dryer and put them on. Afterwards I went into the bathroom and washed my face before returning to the kitchen.

  “Mom?”

  “Yeah, honey?”

  “Do you think we could just sit outside and eat ice cream?”

  “I thought you’d never ask,” she said.

  “That was quite the performance you put on,” my brother snarled as he entered the backyard.

  “Derek,” my mom warned. She grabbed our empty ice cream bowls and headed inside.

  “How did you know where to find me?” I asked.

  “Twin thing,” Derek said, acting like it was nothing.

  “Oh,” I said.

  “And you weren’t wearing pants…or shoes!” Derek laughed as he came and sat beside me. He handed the contract to me. “I guess we should talk about this.”

  “What shall we talk about first, brother? The fact that you of all people went behind my back…or how you and dad came up with this stupid plan…or how Drew asked Dad for my hand in marriage…or, geez, how about the fact that I ripped off my brother with the price of my townhouse? That brings me to another good point. Why are you buying my townhouse?”

  “Are you done?”

  “I think so.”

  “First, let’s get a few things straight. We needed to go behind your back because you are stubborn as fuck. What you have with Drew is something special, and I know it scares the shit out of you—so much so, that you are willing to walk away from it. Of all people, Kirsten, how do you not realize that you are worth it?”

  I just sat there, not saying a word, so Derek kept on going.

  “Kirsten, we needed to intervene before something happened, like you moving away to the other side of the world. With the way your career is going and how people are demanding that you work with them. It’s only a matter of time before a bigger company takes you away. Call me a selfish bastard. I don’t care. I cannot live far away from you.”

  “Derek, with your career, you know we’re not always going to live near each other right? What’s going to happen when you are up for a new contract or they all of a sudden trade you?”

  “That’s what you don’t see, Kirsten. As of right now, there are only two places where I’d play hockey—here, in Toronto, and in Chicago. Guess what those two places have in common? You. I’d rather not play if it means I’ll be separated from you. You are my best friend, Kirsten. You always have been and always will be.”

  I started the ugly cry and went to give my brother a hug. “I love you,” I said, wiping snot onto his shirt.

  “I’m glad you do because we need to talk about how much money I’m spending on that townhouse.”

  I hiccuped. “The townhouse is only worth three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

  In a flat tone, Derek replied, “I’m aware.”

  “So, how about we cross out the three eighty-nine and put in three fifty?”

  “I would have paid the full price if it meant you would stay here,” my brother said softly.

  “I know, and I will always love you for that.”

  Derek and I sat on my mom’s swinging bench in the backyard. We were just leaning on each other, not saying a word until we could see the moon over the trees.

  “Drew asked Dad if he could marry me.”

  “I know. He asked me, too.”

  I looked up at my brother. “When?”

  “When you and Liz went to New York. That was when the plan went into motion.”

  “I see.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Derek.”

  “Just once, can you call me big brother?”

  “Nope,” I said, smiling. I started to stand up. “I guess I have to go find Adam and return his car.”

  “I gave him a ride here. Dad gave him his keys back already.”

  “Then, I guess I better talk to Liz and Brad and apologize for disrupting their evening.”

  “I don’t think that is necessary either. You gave everyone a pretty good show with your panties.”

  I looked at Derek with my sorry face.

  “You’d better be sorry since all I’m gonna hear about in the locker room is how hot and sexy my sister’s ass is.”

  “You are screwing my sexatary,” I reminded him.

  “Touché.”

  “Wanna talk about that?” I asked.

  “No, I think one sharing circle for the night is enough.”

  “Fair enough.” I opened the screen door to head into the house.

  “Kirsten?”

  I turned back to my brother. “Yeah?”

  “Can you fix the price on the contract and sign it?”

  I laughed. “Yes, give it here.”

  After Derek and I said good-bye to our parents, he drove me back home.

  “I guess this means I’m moving in with Drew.”

  “I guess it does.” My brother smirked.

  I softly punched him in the shoulder. “Shut up.”

  When he pulled up to the house, I opened the door, got out of the truck, and squared my shoulders.

  “Kirsten, put down those damn shoulders!” Derek yelled.

  Fuck, I hate this twin thing.

  I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I hadn’t thought Kirsten would take it that hard. I set down my bowl of ice cream and walked over to Brad’s.

  When I opened the door, I heard Kirsten yelling.

  I took a hard swallow and loosened the T-shirt collar around my neck. Fuck, I think my plan just blew up in my face.
r />   “Damn, Kirsten, your ass is fucking hot in those teeny-tiny panties,” roared Adam.

  “Shut up, Adam!” everyone yelled at once.

  I smacked him hard on the back of his head.

  He looked at me while rubbing the spot. “What the fuck?”

  I didn’t answer him. I didn’t think there was a need for it.

  Thank God Steve had muscle on him because I was sure it was taking all his strength to hold her tightly.

  Kirsten stopped struggling and took a look around the yard.

  Derek stood up and calmly walked over to her. “What is your problem?”

  “What is my problem?” she seethed. Kirsten waved the contract. “This is my fucking problem!”

  Without another breath, she threw the contract on the table and grabbed Adam’s car keys out of his hand before storming out of the backyard.

  “Hey! Those are my keys!”

  I just stared at her, not knowing what to think or do. I’ve seen Kirsten pissed before, but never this pissed. Derek and Liz went after her.

  When they came back into house, I looked at Derek, “Should I go after her?”

  “She has my car,” whined Adam.

  Derek walked up to me. “No, man. Let me go.”

  “Will she come home?”

  “I’ll make sure of it, Drew. Dad and I both will.”

  I looked at Derek. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think this would happen.”

  Derek let out a small laugh. “Dad and I did.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Let’s give her some time then I’ll go talk to her.” Looking over at Adam, “We’ll get your car then.”

  I looked over at Liz with panic all over my face. “I’m sorry.”

  She walked over to me and hugged me. “This is Kirsten. She’s just upset that she lost.” Liz cupped my face. “She’ll come back.”

  I gave Liz a weak smile and went home.

  Once I opened the door to the house, all I could smell was Kirsten, and I knew this was where she absolutely belonged. I was not going to give up on her.

  I finished cleaning the kitchen and poured the melted ice cream down the sink. I went into the spare room and gathered some boxes that I’d picked up from her storage unit with her dad. I brought them into our room and started putting her clothes away in her side of the dresser. I also came across her treasure box and made sure it was handy in case we needed it in a quick hurry.