by Kimi Flores
“Oh, now you stop with the formalities nonsense. You can call me Maryanne, like all these other hooligans do.” She pointed to the tables where Tanner, Alison, and Paul sat. “Now I’m gonna head in to the kitchen and grab a few things. Make yourself at home.” She grinned at Bri then caught Josh by his sleeve. “Joshua, you come help me.”
Before he was dragged away, he gave Bri a quick kiss on the cheek.
Alison got up and headed over to Bri as the guys waved. “Hey, how are you holding up?” Alison hugged her, moving them to the side.
“Fine.” She slowly breathed out. “Just a bit overwhelmed. I’m used to my friend Dani’s mom, hugging me but I didn’t realize...” She laughed, leaving that sentence hanging.
“Oh yeah.” Alison agreed. “The first time I met Maryanne, she picked me up and spun me around. Which would’ve been fine, except when she put me down, we both slipped on the wet grass and fell on our asses with our dresses above our panties.” Alison brought her hands up in front of her, jerking them back and forth. “Thank God nobody was filming it. Maryanne in her granny panties, and me in my barely there thong…I can only imagine.”
Bri laughed even harder, unable to get the image out of her head. That would’ve been so embarrassing. Thankfully, Bri was able to stay on her feet when his mother grabbed her.
The surprise I have for Josh under my dress would not have made a very good first impression.
Alison admitted, “It’s nice to have parent figures get excited when you’re around. Paul’s parents are okay, but the Tuckers are just…special people. Even though I’m not a part of the family, they still treat me like I am.”
Bri knew that Alison didn’t have a great relationship with her mother either and had never met her father. Bri imagined Alison understood how out of sorts she’d felt, walking in this house.
“Come on over, I was showing off the wedding pictures.”
Bri followed Alison, taking a seat beside her.
The pictures were from the wedding and the reception. It was fun seeing the whole thing through the photographer’s point of view. Bri felt kind of bad now. She’d spent the entire time staring at Josh.
Bri looked up at her friend, while she turned the page. “It was a beautiful wedding, Alison. Thanks again for inviting me.”
Tanner, Paul, and Brad started laughing when Josh appeared with a few serving dishes in his hand.
“What’s so funny?” Josh asked while placing the food on the table.
Brad pointed to the book, calling Bri’s attention. Separate pictures of both Josh and Bri covered the spread. The first were of each of them laying on the dance floor, catching the bouquet and garter. There were several sexy dance shots of Josh, Bri sitting with her eyes bugged out. Then the largest pictures on the bottom of the page were of them posing for the photographer, Josh dipping and kissing her.
“Yeah, that was right before Magic Mike ran off with his girl into the sunset.” Tanner sneered.
Alison turned to the side, smiling at Bri. “You’re welcome.”
Confused, Bri asked, “What?” She watched Josh and Tanner punching each other in the arm.
Giving her best shit eating grin, Alison reminded her, “You said thank you for inviting you, and I was saying you’re welcome. I get bragging rights to both times you guys got together.” Alison winked.
“Now you boys stop that right now.” Maryanne appeared, with her hands on her curvy hips. “I swear, you act like it’s acceptable to behave like animals in front of ladies. I know I taught you boys better than that. Now grab yer seats and get ready to say grace.”
Josh and Tanner both put their heads down saying simultaneously, “Yes Ma’am.”
Oh hell, I’m gonna need to learn that trick.
Maryanne took the empty seat next to Bri, patting the top of her hand. “So tell me, Bri. How did you and my little angel,” she put her hand on the side of her mouth, leaning forward as she whispered, “Not…” A smile spread across her lips. “meet?”
“Thanks a lot, Mom.” Josh snorted while placing a plate of grilled meat on the table next to the side dishes Maryanne had prepared as his father sat next to his mom. Josh pretended like he was going to ruffle his mom’s hair, then laughed at her don’t you dare expression and kissed the top of her head instead.
His eyes made their way to Bri’s, and he winked. He grabbed a chair and squeezed between her and Alison. “Don’t believe anything she tells ya about me, Bri.”
Bri just blinked at her boyfriend. Ohmigosh, what planet are these people from? I couldn’t ever imagine playing around with my parents like that.
“I’m sure all of her stories are true.” Bri teased, finally starting to relax now that he was beside her, his hand resting on her thigh under the table.
Puckering his lips, he nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure they are too.” He leaned over, kissing her cheek. “And to answer your question, Mom, we first met back when I was drinking and making an ass out of myself. For whatever reason, she gave me another chance, and we’ve been together since the wedding.” He gave Bri an intimate look. “If it was up to me, it would’ve been sooner, but I’m glad we’ve taken it slow.”
He squeezed her thigh under the table, sending her hormones into overdrive right before his father started to say grace. She was so distracted, she didn’t even hear it.
Plates were passed as they each served one another from whichever dish was in front of them. When her plate made its way back to her, it had barbeque beans, cole slaw, corn bread and grilled chicken. Yum. She was starving and always ready to eat a home cooked meal.
Maryanne lifted her arm, waving at Tanner who was dishing up some food. “Not too many beans on my plate there. I don’t need my backside havin’ more to say later than my mouth does.”
“Yes please, Tanner.” Wayne agreed.
Maryanne smacked his arm and rolled her eyes.
We would’ve never talked about that kind of stuff, let alone at the table. Instinctively, Bri wanted to be offended but then she relaxed when she realized, Josh’s family was so comfortable and laid back with each other, this was just another way they showed their playfulness.
Refocusing on something that had caught her eye earlier, Bri took a forkful of mouthwatering food, then asked, “Is that a corn hole board? I haven’t seen one of those since college.”
She remembered it not being the most exciting game, until they added a little alcohol.
Josh shook his head. Brad and Paul rubbed their hands together in unison.
“Yeah, it is. You know the game?” Maryanne’s smile grew.
“One of the guys in our dorm had a homemade board at the end of the hall. When there weren’t any parties, we’d make our own by getting everyone to play. We’d even decorate our own bags.” She grinned, remembering. Her favorite was the pink material she embellished with a purple pirate patch.
Paul blurted out, “Yeah, but ours involved a lot of drinking. Do you remember how to play, Bea?”
Nodding her head, Bri puckered her lips. “Enough to kick your butt.” She stopped just short of saying ‘ass’, not sure if that would be appropriate.
Maryanne leaned over the table. “You can say ass, darlin’. We don’t take offense here.”
Josh cocked his eyebrow. “Don’t encourage her, Mom. Not only will she kick his ass, she’ll probably kick the rest of ours too and then cuss us out.”
A Cheshire cat grin covered Maryanne’s face. “Oh, this I’ve gotta see. I’m the only girl in the house that can mop the floor with these boys.”
“Well, she’s not kicking my ass because she’ll be on my team,” Wayne said, claiming her as his teammate before anyone else had a chance to.
Jumping out of her seat, Maryanne waved her finger in the air. “Uh-uh, I don't think so. Bri will be on my team, and we will kick all yer asses.”
Reaching past Josh's shoulder, Bri tapped on her friend’s arm. “Come on, Alison. Us girls can switch off.”
Alison smiled and s
hook her head. “No way, I suck at that game. And they always make me wear the Corn of Shame.”
“What’s that?” Bri chuckled.
Wayne stood. “Hold on. I’ll show you.” He headed over to the media cabinet against the wall and reached for something on the top shelf. “Here they are.” He held up a couple of what looked like huge foam corn on the cobs, with a hole on the side of each one.
Alison explained, “The losers have to wear those hats for the rest of the visit. I always get stuck with one of those stupid things, then they take pictures and post them on all of my social media pages. No, thank you.”
Bri got up, joining Maryanne. “Well, I have no intention of losing, so I’m in.”
Maryanne hooted. “Get some music goin’ while you’re over there, Wayne. As soon as we’re done eatin’, we’re playin’ us some corn hole.” She added, “Put some of that Usher on. I like him.”
Bri stared in awe. Yeah, this family is definitely from another planet.
His mom stood at the doorway, calling Bri and Josh into the house. They passed Brad and Paul, who were sullenly wearing their Corn of Shame hats as they washed the dishes.
Maryanne pointed, calling out to them. “Now I don’t wanna see one spot left on those dishes, fellas. You hear me?”
Paul’s foot came up from behind, landing on Brad’s ass. “You hear that? No spots, dipshit.”
Moving to the side, Brad barked out, “What the hell, you’re the one that leaves spots.”
Josh spoke under his breath, “I wouldn’t blame you if you ran away from me now that you’ve met my side of crazy.” But I really hope you don’t.
Her hand ran up and down his back. “Josh, you’ve met my side. I’m surprised you haven’t ran.”
While his mother led them down the hall, Josh snuck a quick kiss. “Never.”
When they turned the corner, he realized where they were headed. “Mom, do we really have to show her this?” Josh had spent years avoiding his famous Hollywood days, but his mom insisted on a room where she could display all of his and Brad’s awards, honors, and accomplishments.
Opening the large door, exposing his past, his mom said, “There ain’t nothin’ wrong with a mama bein’ proud of her boys.”
Sighing in defeat, he rested his arm on Bri’s shoulder. “But there are a lot of bad memories in here too.” He cringed when he saw Bri’s eyes darting around the room, taking everything in.
Maryanne placed her hands on her rounded hips. “You listen here. No matter how many times you messed up or made mistakes, your daddy and I always loved and supported you.” Raising her hand in the air, she motioned around the room. “All these things are part of what made you into the man you are now. You see all the mistakes. I see the milestones. Regardless of anything else, you’re a very accomplished young man. There were plenty of good things going on too, and I’m very proud of you.”
He glanced over at Bri, who was smiling, hope in her eyes as if she were saying aloud, “Focus on the good.”
Damn, I knew those words would come and bite me in the ass at some point.
He watched as her attention zeroed in on the pictures of him at different premiere parties that were scattered on the wall and wondered what she was thinking.
She noticed his stare, then said, “My mom wasn’t into saving anything. All my stuff disappeared after I left for college. You should be thankful she saved all of this.”
Maryanne turned around, seeming to catch the weightiness of their conversation. Smiling warmly at Josh, she said, “I’ll leave you two alone so you can show her everything.” She ran her hand lovingly down Bri’s arm on her way out of the room.
Once the door was closed, Josh threw his head back. “I fucking hate this room. I get what you guys are saying, and why she has this, but it’s filled with my past. Too many bad memories.”
“Show me.” Bri bit her bottom lip, swiveling her shoulders back and forth. “Please.”
Grumbling, he took her hand, leading her to the wall where his awards and trophies sat on a couple of shelves. “These are for the teen choice awards.”
She touched one of the awards and read out loud. “Hmmm. Best actor. I’m impressed.”
Irritated, he explained, “It’s all bullshit though. It’s based on popularity, not acting ability.”
“What are these for?” She pointed to the only trophies he actually had enjoyed earning.
Smiling, he admitted, “I worked my ass off for those. Tanner, Paul, and I met because we all raced bikes together. Those are my awards. Brad was in a younger division. His trophies are over there.” He pointed to the wall opposite them.
She cocked her eye, giving him a seductive look. “Now I’m really impressed.”
“Yeah, that’s where the talent scout first approached me to start acting. He said I had the right look. Of course, at the time all I heard was, ‘famous superstar’. I didn’t care if they thought I could actually act. Dad was my bike coach, so he naturally transitioned into my agent. It was all so new to us. We had plenty of growing pains along the way.”
She pointed to the pictures she’d been looking at when they first entered the room. “What about these? I recognize some of the actors, but is that...the president?” Her eyes shot wide.
Snickering, he shook his head. “Yeah, that was election year. He was looking to get the younger voter’s support. He was pretty smart, asked the whole cast to come to a dinner and took publicity pictures with us.”
Her eyes scanned all of the framed pictures, including a few with Kai and him, then she stopped in front of something that did in fact make him feel proud.
“Are these what I think they are?” She asked with a smile in her tone.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “My sobriety chips. Once I reached my first year, I gave all the other chips to my parents. Without my mom and dad, I would’ve never earned those. I only keep my most recent one with me. All the others go right in there.” He pointed to the long, white frame that displayed the coins on a single line.
“Where do you keep the latest one?” She looked at him curiously.
He reached into his pants pocket, pulling out his wallet. “Right here, next to my driver’s license.” He saw the serenity prayer on one side of the solid bronze medallion then flipped it over to see the ‘V’ within a circle and the circle within a triangle that represented his fifth year of sobriety. Smiling proudly, he read, ‘To Thine Own Self Be True’ then set the coin in her palm. “I got in the habit a long time ago, since I figured I’d have to show proof of my age if I decided to drink.”
Josh put everything in its place after she ran her thumb over each side, smiled up at him and handed it back.
Bri took a few steps toward him with that look in her eyes, the one he strived to put there as often as possible—mostly love, partly naughty.
With a sensual smile, she circled him, running her fingers across his chest then his back until she stood in front of him once more. “To me, this room sounds like it’s filled with some things you are really proud of, but I wouldn’t mind giving you another great memory in here.”
His body went stiff. Oh shit. I can’t ever turn her down. “Babe, my parents are in the house.”
Facing him, she narrowed her eyes. “Not that kind of memory, you perv.” She leaned up on her tippy toes, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I meant this kind.”
Her fingers ran through his hair, tenderly massaging his scalp as she softly pecked on his lips. She kissed one corner of his mouth, then the other before sucking in his bottom lip.
Already feeling like he was losing his mind, he spun them and pinned her against the wall, his arms caging her in. Opening her mouth with his own, he deepened their kiss. His hands made their way under the hem of her skirt, where he felt a different texture.
Pulling away, he snuck a peek at the pink see-through material barely covering her ass. “What’s that?” He lifted his head, looking into her hungry eyes.
Breathless, she g
ave him a sheepish grin. “It was supposed to be a surprise for later. I wanted to convince you that you could in fact love pink.”
Grunting, he placed his lips on the side of her neck as she threw her head back moaning. His hands continued to trail up her outer thighs, ass, hips, waist and ribs until he was cupping her breasts. Unable to resist, he tugged on the tie of her top, sneaking another peek at the pink lingerie. “Your boobs look like they want to pop out of your shirt.”
“It has a push up bra,” she panted, then laughed. “You like?”
He attempted to catch his breath. “If we don’t stop, I’m going to show you how perverted I can be. You gotta give me a minute, though, before I can go out there.”
