by E. L. Todd
Sean sighed. “Don’t you have something better to do?”
“I said I missed my sister,” Mike said.
“Well, she’s busy with me.”
“Want to get dinner tonight after work?” Mike asked.
“The three of us?” Sean asked.
“Fuck no. Just me and Scarlet.”
“No,” Sean said. “She’s mine. Get your own.”
“I have a car. I’ll drive her home,” Mike said.
Sean stared him down. “My wife has more important things to do than listen to you bitch about your life.”
I put my hand on Sean’s arm. “Don’t be mean.”
Sean kept his mouth shut.
“We’ll go for a bite then he’ll take me home,” I said. “What’s the big deal?”
Mike kept eating the pizza. “No deal at all.”
Sean studied his brother for a moment then turned back to me. “You don’t have to spend time with him because you pity him.”
“I can hear you,” Mike said.
Sean ignored him.
“I don’t pity him,” Scarlet said. “I like Mike. I’ve said that a hundred times. You weren’t there when…the attack happened. He and I are bonded forever because of that.” I always reminded Sean of the incident because it was a true testament to who Mike was. He was selfless and always had Sean’s back. Sometimes Sean remembered the way Mike tried to sleep with me, and he automatically became overprotective.
“Okay,” he said. That was the most I was getting out of him.
Sean gave me a long kiss goodbye before he watched me get into the car with Mike. “She better be home in two hours.”
“I’ll bring her home when I feel like it,” Mike said.
Sean glared at him then approached my door. “Call me if you need me.”
“Sean, calm down.”
I knew it was hard for him. He was naturally possessive me, especially after everything that happened. He didn’t like it when I was alone with any men.
“This is your brother we’re talking about,” I said. Ryan and Cortland were the only men Sean trusted implicitly. It would take time for him to accept anyone new.
“Okay,” he said. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I want to see that lingerie when you get home.”
“Will do.”
He finally turned away and walked into the parking garage to get into his Ferrari.
Mike pulled away from the curb and drove to the restaurant. “Geez, that douchebag needs to lighten up.”
“He’s not a douchebag.” I felt the need to defend my husband. He could be a little excessive sometimes but he always meant well.
We arrived at the restaurant then sat by the window. After getting drunk last week, I wasn’t interested in alcohol. I ordered water and he ordered a scotch.
“How was work?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It’s okay. Sean and I are always so busy. I don’t know how my dad did it by himself for so long.”
“It looked like you were working hard today…”
He smiled. “We don’t normally sit around and drink scotch all day. Or fuck our wives…”
“Almost fuck our wives,” I said. “You ruined that for me.”
“Like you don’t get it enough at home.”
“I never get enough of Sean,” I blurted.
His eyes softened. “He’s so fucking lucky.”
“You’ll find someone, Mike.”
“A gold digger, maybe.”
“I know she’ll be amazing,” I said.
“How?” he asked.
“I just do. You’re a great guy and you deserve a great woman.”
“Well, Sean is a douchebag and he landed you.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s not a douchebag,” I repeated.
“Speaking of fucking…can I ask you something?”
“Yeah.” I wasn’t sure what he wanted to know.
“Are you pregnant?”
I seriously needed to hit the gym. I didn’t realize it was that bad. Sean never said anything. He acted like nothing was different. “No,” I said firmly.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“Yes. I took a test. It was negative.”
He nodded. “I’m not calling you fat or anything. I just noticed you were a little more…plump.”
“Thanks for being so sensitive about it,” I said with a laugh.
“Hey, I still think you’re gorgeous. I’d take you back to my place if I saw you in a bar.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I teased.
He glared at me. “You’d be lucky to have me.”
“You’re only proving your point,” I said sarcastically. “So, you’ve gone out with anyone lately?”
“I met a few girls online but they were soooo dull. I wanted to shoot myself.”
I nodded. “Maybe you should look for someone at the gym.”
“Do you know how hard it is to hit on a girl at the gym?” he asked incredulously. “While they are running with their headphones in? No thanks. I’ll pass.”
“It was just a suggestion.”
We talked about his dating life and my marriage to Sean. I told him about his mom last week and he burst in laughter.
“My mom is such a bitch, I swear.”
“I’m not her biggest fan right now.”
“At least Sean set her straight. I wouldn’t put with that either,” Mike said.
“She hasn’t apologized…”
“She will,” Mike said firmly. “She’ll do whatever she has to in order to see Sean. He was always her favorite.”
“I think she hates you both equally. You both were terrors.”
“Were?” he asked with a smile.
“Are. Definitely are.”
Dinner with Mike was nice. Since everyone was staying at the house with us, it was nice to talk to someone new in a quiet place. Mike had similar features to Sean and that made me feel comfortable. It was amazing how close they were in age and appearance but they were so different.
When we finished dinner, Mike paid for it then drove me home. I was tired from the long day so I leaned back and listened to the radio. Mike glanced at me a few times but kept his silence. Unlike the rest of my family, Mike and I spent more time not talking than actually talking. We could stay in companionable silence for a long time, and neither one of us felt awkward. Mike was constantly joking, but I knew he was a serious guy underneath. He dropped the façade when he was around me, and I knew he needed that.
“You’ll tell me the moment you know you’re pregnant?” he asked from his side of the car.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’m really excited to be an uncle. I doubt I’ll have my own kids, so this is the closest thing I’ll ever have.”
“Yes, you will,” I whispered.
“I’m still excited to be an uncle either way.”
I patted his hand. “I’ll tell you.”
When we pulled into the driveway, Sean came out like he was searching out the window the whole time. The fucking weirdo. He opened my door then helped me out.
“Have a good time?” he asked.
“We did,” I said.
Sean grabbed my bags then held my hand. “Thanks for driving her home.”
Mike leaned against his car then waved. “Good night.”
“Night,” I said.
Sean pulled me inside then took my bags upstairs. He never let me do anything.
Everyone was sitting on the couch, so I approached Ryan. “I heard you found a place?” I asked.
“Yep. We’re moving everything tomorrow.”
“I’ll help,” I volunteered.
“No,” he said. “We’re hiring movers. In New York, it’s just easier that way.”
“Well, let me know if you change your mind.”
Sean appeared at the end of the staircase. “Baby, let’s go to bed.” I could tell he needed me by the sound of his voice.
I said goo
dnight to everyone then followed him upstairs.
“How was it with him?” he asked when we were alone.
I felt my irritation emerge. “You need to get off his ass, Sean.”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “What?”
“You should be happy I have a close relationship with your brother. There’s nothing between us, there will never be anything us. Isn’t my marriage to you, and his genetic relationship to you enough? You need to stop acting like this. I trust Mike and I love him. I don’t care if it bothers you. You need to grow the fuck up and get over it.” I didn’t realize I was yelling until I was done. “I know you’re protective of me and that’s fine, but you’re borderline crazy.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked like he was going to say something but he didn’t.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said quickly.
“Sean, what are you thinking?”
He stared me down. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll knock it off. I just love you, okay? You can’t get mad at me for that.”
“I’ll never get mad at you for that,” I said gently.
“Now put on that lingerie and let me fuck you. I’ve had a damn hard-on all day.”
After Mike’s comment, I wasn’t in the mood to display my body in lingerie. I didn’t feel sexy—at all. In fact, I felt like a whale. “Actually, I’m pretty tired.”
“Then lay on your back. I’ll do all the work.”
I turned off the light so we could barely see each other. Then I took off my clothes so he wouldn’t see me.
“What are you doing, Scar?” We usually had sex with the lights on. I liked to stare at his body and his face. He felt the same way.
“The lights are too bright for my eyes…”
He turned on the lights again. I quickly pulled the covers over my body and tried to look casual. “What?”
“Just turn off the lights.” I tried to play it cool.
He eyed me suspiciously then undressed himself. I stared at his perfectly chiseled body. Normally, it turned me on, but now it just made me feel worse. He was gorgeous and I was…a whale. He grabbed the covers and tried to pull it down, but I gripped tightly and wouldn’t let him. “Scar, what’s going on?”
“Nothing…”
He wrapped his arm around me and held me close. “Talk to me.”
He could see right through me. “I know I’ve gained weight…”
“You’re perfect.”
“But I…”
“Shut up. You’re perfect.”
My eyes started to water. “Everyone keeps asking me if I’m pregnant. I didn’t realize it was this bad. I guess I just ate a lot on our honeymoon and have been eating out a lot during the move.”
He shook his head slightly. “You gained a few pounds. So what? It’s not a big deal.”
“I just…don’t feel attractive.”
“I’ll make you feel attractive,” he said as he moved on top of me.
“I’ll start running tomorrow. I don’t want to be fat.”
“You aren’t fat,” he said firmly. “You’re sexy as hell.”
“You’re just saying that…”
He grabbed my hand and wrapped it around his cock. “You think I’d be this hard up if you weren’t gorgeous? I’ve been thinking about fucking you all day. No one else—just you.”
“Okay…”
He kissed my forehead. “I hate to ask, but are you sure you aren’t pregnant?”
I nodded. “I checked twice.”
He sighed. “Okay.”
“What if I was?”
He gave me a serious look. “I’d be very happy.”
“You would?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“It’s a little soon.”
He kissed my nose. “I’m happy no matter what happens. We can have six kids or none at all. As long as I’m with you, my life is good.”
Sean was so sweet. And it meant the world that he was only sweet to me.
“I wanted to fuck you, but now I need to make love to you.” He pressed his lips to mine and separated my legs. He pulled the blanket down so he could see me. I only saw love and desire in his eyes when he looked at me. He moved inside me deep and fast. We made love for a long time, longer than usual. My soul touched his, and his touched mine. Nothing else mattered.
13
Ryan
Janice was acting weird all day.
When we got to the apartment and start unpacking, she was quiet and hardly looked at me. Last night, everything was fine. She and I had mind-blowing sex. I tried to replay the morning in my head but I couldn’t think of what I did to offend her. And Janice wasn’t the type of girl to downplay her feelings. If she was upset, she told me.
“Baby, everything okay?”
She folded her clothes and placed them in the drawer. “Yeah.” She didn’t look at me.
I knew something was up.
I grabbed her arm then forced her to look at me. “Janice, talk to me.”
“There’s nothing wrong,” she said immediately. “I’m just tired…”
I still felt like she was hiding something. “If there’s something on your mind and you don’t want to talk about it, I’d rather hear that than a lie. Now, I’ll ask you again. Is everything okay?”
She held my gaze for a moment before she looked away. “I don’t want to talk about it…”
I took a deep breath. She confided everything to me, but I couldn’t push her to be open with me. “Okay.” I returned to the boxes and started unpacking our stuff. Janice went back to work like our conversation never happened. My mind worked in overdrive as I brainstormed what could be bothering her, but I came up with nothing. She’d talk to me when she was ready. But for now, there was nothing I could do.
When we caught a ride with Mike to Scarlet’s house, Janice was still quiet. Her silence was killing me. What could be bugging her so much that she couldn’t confide in me, her boyfriend of a year? Now I understood why Cortland was so frustrated with Monnique.
Mike and I talked about sports and tattoos. Janice sat in the back and didn’t participate. It was like she didn’t exist.
When we came into the house, a circular table was in the living room. The poker chips and cards were laid out, including horrendous snack food Scarlet and Janice both wouldn’t approve of. Since it was guys’ night, Scarlet must have let Sean have his freedom. I was surprised to see Andrew at the table.
“Hey,” Andrew said as he hugged me. “How are you?”
“Great, sir. How are you?”
“It’s Andrew,” he said firmly. “Sir makes me sound old.”
“Of course,” I said with a laugh.
He hugged Janice then Mike before he returned to the table. I turned to Janice and gave her a kiss. Her affection was cold and lifeless. Now I was getting really worried.
“I’m going to Scarlet’s office,” she said quietly.
“Okay.” I wanted to ask what was wrong but I held my tongue.
“Have fun.” She walked up the stairs and disappeared.
I joined the guys at the table.
“Let’s deal,” Sean said.
Andrew shuffled the deck then passed the cards out. They all joked while they drank their beers. Andrew kept winning every hand, and Mike and Sean kept glaring at him.
“No fair,” Mike said. “You’re super old so you have a bunch of experience.”
“No, son,” Andrew said. “You just suck.”
I was so upset I didn’t even laugh. I wasn’t playing very well because I couldn’t get my head in the game.
Cortland eyed me from across the table. He could read me pretty well, almost as well as Scarlet, but he didn’t question me in front of the group. I was thankful because I wasn’t in the mood to talk about my relationship problems. I didn’t even have anything to say because I had no idea what was going on. Maybe Janice was pregnant but she was scared to tell me? But she didn’t look pregnant…
I walked upstairs and searched for Scarlet’s office. I’d only been in the bedroom I slept in with Janice so I didn’t know where anything was. When I heard the girl’s voices, I knew what door they were in. Monnique was at work so it was just Janice and Scarlet. I raised my hand to knock on the door when I heard Janice speak.
“Scarlet, I don’t know what to do. I have to tell him the truth…”
That got my heart pounding. I had no idea what she was talking about. I felt guilty for eavesdropping but I couldn’t stop myself. What was Janice talking about?
“Now we’re in our new apartment,” Janice said. “And I know he’s going to propose soon…I just can’t hide it anymore.”
I placed my hand on the wall and steadied myself. Did she cheat one? Was there someone else? The worst possible scenarios were going through my head.
“Janice, calm down.” My sister’s voice was calm but firm. “There’s no point in telling him. It’s in the past. Just let it go.”
What? Why would my sister discourage her for being honest with me?
“All you’re going to do is make Ryan upset, and make everything awkward. My brother is really happy with you and I don’t want him to ruin it. I have no idea how he’ll react.”
Janice took a deep breath. “I don’t know, Scarlet…I tell him everything. There’s nothing he doesn’t know about me and he’s always opened up to me. I don’t think I can keep this secret for the rest of my life. And if we get married soon…I should tell him now.”
Scarlet was quiet for a while. “I can’t make this decision for you, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I don’t know what else to do…”
I couldn’t listen to this anymore. I stepped away from the door then headed to the stairs. My vision was blurred from the shot of adrenaline in my body, and I tripped. I fell down the stairs, thudding against the wooden beams. When I finally landed on the tile, I rubbed my head and sat up.
“Dude, are you okay?” Sean came to me and helped me up. “Anything broken?”
The office up the stairs opened. Janice appeared at the landing and her eyes widened. She dashed down the steps then fell to her knees in front of me.
“Are you okay?” she asked with concern. She reached for me but I pushed her arm away.
