by E. L. Todd
“The Notebook it is,” Cassandra said. “We should have a Ryan Gosling marathon.”
“Kill me now,” I said.
They settled onto the couch with their blankets. Scarlet grabbed a bottle of wine for Janice and glasses of water for her and Cassandra. I sat at the very edge, about to fall asleep.
“Let’s take a drink every time Ryan Gosling does something hot,” Scarlet said.
“Then you’ll be in the hospital for alcohol poisoning,” Cassandra said to Janice.
“For Ryan Gosling, it’s worth it.” Janice poured the glass.
I rolled my eyes. It was stupid to get jealous over her attraction to a fictitious person, but it still got to me. Sure, other girls were attractive, but I never thought they were hot. All those thoughts went away when she and I got together. I couldn’t explain it.
The movie played, and within the first minute, Scarlet picked up her glass. “Shot.”
They all took a drink out of their glasses.
I looked at the time, wanting the guys to be here already. Having all the girls in the same room was pure agony.
They kept swooning and hollering when Ryan Gosling did anything. Even when he fixed his cap, they yelled. Annoying.
I leaned my head back and started to doze off. I couldn’t watch this movie if someone paid me. At some point, I felt a coldness on my fingertips and distant giggles. I was still asleep, but somewhat aware of my surroundings at the same time. I finally opened my eyes and saw what the brats were doing.
My left hand had red nail polish on my fingers, and Scarlet was almost done with the right hand. I growled then jerked my hand away. “What the hell are you doing?”
Scarlet laughed. “Ryan, you’re so pretty.”
I licked my fingers and tried to rub the color away. It wouldn’t budge. “How the hell do you get this off?”
“I’ll never tell,” Scarlet said.
“You know, I’ve said you’re annoying a lot in our lives, but this has to be when I mean it the most,” I snapped.
She shrugged. “Maybe you should have just watched the movie with us.”
I glared at her. “Get me some remover.”
“Nope,” Janice said.
I threatened her with my eyes. “Do it.”
“You have to say Ryan Gosling is hot first.” Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest.
“Fuck no,” I spat. “I’m not saying that.”
“Then enjoy your nails.” Scarlet leaned back and started watching the movie again.
I cursed then headed to the bathroom. After going through all the cabinets and drawers, I headed to the bathroom in my sister’s bedroom and riffled through everything. I didn’t give a shit about invading her privacy, not after that stunt. I couldn’t find anything. I found ethanol but it didn’t get the shit off my nails.
I stormed back downstairs and grabbed my keys. “I’m heading to the store.”
“You’re leaving us all alone?” Cassandra asked with a scared voice.
“Then come with me,” I snapped.
“Nah,” Scarlet said. “I’m too pregnant.”
“Fine,” I said. “I’m leaving.”
“But then everyone is going to see your nails…” Janice gave me an evil grin.
“Then come with me and get it for me.” I would slap her ass so hard later tonight.
She leaned back on the couch and sipped her wine. “Admit Ryan Gosling is hot and I will.”
“Bitch,” I muttered.
“Then forget it.” Janice returned her eyes to the screen.
“I hate all of you.” I tossed my keys back on the counter and headed to my room. As soon as I reached the top of the stairs, I heard their high-pitched laughter.
“That was awesome,” Scarlet said. “Payback for all those times he picked on me.”
“I think you guys are more than even now,” Cassandra said.
“Now I’m going to have to fuck his brains out so he’s not bitchy tomorrow,” Janice said with a sigh.
“Oh, poor you,” Cassandra said sarcastically.
I cursed then slammed my bedroom door, having enough of the girls for the night.
I decided to take the girls to the airport when Sean and Mike’s plane landed. I didn’t care about them being reunited with their loved ones. I just wanted to get them off my hands as quickly as possible.
I wore a hoodie and tried to keep my hands hidden as much as possible. The red nail polish screamed for attention, and not in a good way.
“I’m so excited to see Sean,” Scarlet said from the backseat. “Three days was too long.”
“Me too,” Cassandra said. “It’s hard not sleeping with Mike.”
Janice placed her hand on my thigh. “Still mad?”
I pushed her hand away. “What do you think?”
“You didn’t seem to be mad last night.” The pride was in her voice.
When she came to bed, she seduced me despite my best efforts to ignore her. When she was on top of me and rode my dick, I was helpless. I let her go to town on me, and I came hard because of it. I wasn’t proud of myself, but I’ve never won a round of sexual politics with Janice in my life. I had a feeling I never would.
Janice chuckled. “I’ll have to change that attitude when we get home.”
I knew she wasn’t bluffing. Sometimes I hated Janice, but I loved her like fucking crazy. It was weird. Our relationship was odd but it worked for us. She constantly challenged me even when I didn’t want her to, in our relationship and in the bedroom.
When we arrived at the airport, I put my hands in my pockets so the nail polish would be hidden. The last thing I needed was to be made fun of by the Prestons.
We moved through the airport until we located the gate. Scarlet and Cassandra couldn’t sit still. They shifted their weight and constantly monitored the flight display.
I rolled my eyes. “They were gone for a few days.”
“When I’m not home by six, you freak out,” Janice jabbed.
“That’s different. I’m looking for my dinner.” That was a lie but I was going for it anyway.
“Whenever you call me to chew my head off, you never ask about dinner,” Janice said.
I stopped talking. I could never win when it came to Janice.
People started leaving the gate with their luggage. Scarlet and Cassandra kept scanning every face, waiting for their men to finally appear. The guys didn’t know we would be here, so it would be a surprise for them. I was just anxious to hand them over because they were fucking annoying.
Sean and Mike appeared with their bag over their shoulders. They were talking and laughing, with Andrew and Diane coming behind them. Scarlet saw them first and immediately bolted toward Sean.
Sean looked up and saw his wife running to him. A large grin spread on his face and his eyes beamed with delight. He dropped the bag without looking then wrapped his arms around her, immediately sealing his mouth over hers in an inappropriate kiss. Scarlet’s arms wrapped around his neck, and Sean’s handed moved down to her ass and squeezed it.
Their public display of affection made me want to gag.
Cassandra walked to Mike, unable to run due to her stomach. Mike dropped his bag just as quickly and brought her against his chest, cupping her face and kissing her. Now both couples were making out right in front of the gate.
Gross.
Andrew came to me then patted me on the shoulder. “Thanks for watching the girls.”
“No problem.” I deserved a medal for what I did. “How’d everything go?”
Andrew nodded. “It went well. We’ve decided to have the surgery. As a family, we think it’s the best option.”
“I’m sure it is,” I said. “I’m glad everything is okay.”
We all looked at the couples still making out.
“Keep this PG,” Andrew called.
They finally broke apart then walked back to us. Sean’s arm was around Scarlet, and Mike held Cassandra’s hand. They constantly had
eyes for each other.
“It’s been three days,” I said sarcastically.
“You couldn’t be away from me for three days,” Janice jabbed.
“That’s different,” I said. “We’re in love—even though right now I can’t remember why.”
“And what do you think they are?”
“Horny,” I said honestly.
Andrew chuckled. “I admit it was a nice break being around my two sons without them sticking their tongues down a girl’s throat.”
“I missed you,” Scarlet said to Sean.
“I missed you too.”
“I’m glad everything is okay.”
He kissed her forehead. “Me too.”
Mike’s hand moved to Cassandra’s stomach. “Everything okay down there?”
“Yep. I laid around and did a bunch of nothing,” Cassandra said.
“Ryan take good care of you?” Mike asked.
Cassandra gave him a mischievous smile. “Yes, he did. We had a lot of fun.”
I glared at both of them. “I’m not watching them again. They are a bunch of terrors.”
“Terrors?” Sean asked with a laugh. “What could they have possibly done?”
“They are little devils,” I snapped.
Mike stared at me like I was crazy. “Wow. They really got under your skin.”
Scarlet and Cassandra both laughed.
“They played a bunch of practical jokes on me,” I said. “They put Cling Wrap on the bowl so pee got everywhere, and then they made me watch The Notebook.”
“That’s it?” Sean asked.
“Yeah, what else did we do?” Scarlet pressed, a smile on her face.
Janice pulled my hand out of my pocket, exposing my red nails. “We painted his nails and refused to give him nail polish remover until he admitted Ryan Gosling was hot.”
“Which I never will,” I said immediately.
Sean and Mike both laughed.
“Wow, you got played,” Sean said, still laughing.
“They totally took you for a ride,” Mike said.
I glared at them. “Well, next time you want me to watch them, forget it.”
“Let’s do his toes next,” Scarlet said.
“Yeah,” Cassandra said with wide eyes. “That would be cute.”
“Fuck all of you,” I snapped.
Andrew kept smiling. “In their defense, the color really brings out your eyes.”
I turned around and stormed off, hating my family for being a bunch of assholes.
“You really aren’t mad, are you?” Janice said when we got home.
I glared at her. “You tell me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Stop being such a baby.”
“A baby?” I asked. “You three gained up on me.”
She shrugged. “It was fun.”
I grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and downed it. “We have nail polish remover?”
She smirked. “I’ll give it to you…if you do something for me.”
“You’ve got to be joking.”
“Nope.” She lay on the couch then extended her arms to me.
“I can’t get in the mood when my nails are painted. Sorry.”
“You didn’t have a problem last night,” she snapped.
“Get this shit off and maybe I’ll consider it.” I stared her down, telling her I meant business.
“Fine.” She sighed then headed to the bathroom. When she came back, she held the bottle and cotton balls. She kneeled at my feet and scrubbed the paint off. “Better?”
“Much.”
She finished then patted my hands dry. “Now you’re a man again.”
I sighed in relief then leaned back. “I’m so glad that fiasco is over.”
“Shut up. It was fun.”
“Maybe for you.”
She sat beside me then rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m sorry I teased you so much.”
“You’ll have to apologize a lot to get me in the mood.”
She turned on the TV then kept rubbing the back of my neck. It felt good so my eyes started to droop. “For what it’s worth, even when your nails are painted, you’re still the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Hotter than Ryan Gosling?” I jabbed.
“Way hotter.”
Okay. This was getting better.
She pushed my forward gently until I was on the floor in front of the couch. Then she came behind me and rubbed my back and shoulders. “You want another beer?”
“No,” I said with a moan. “This is good.”
Janice kept rubbing my back, massaging my sour mood out of my skin.
My phone rang so I glanced at the screen. It was a number I didn’t recognize but I took it anyway because it was probably related to the shop. “Hello?”
Silence stretched on the phone for a few seconds.
“Hello?” I said again.
“Ryan.” The female voice drilled into my ear and painted a perfect picture. The huskiness of the voice reminded me of winter days when her lungs were more congested than usual. I actually smelled the cigarette smoke in the air. I suddenly felt the throbbing pain of my skull where an ashtray landed years ago. My heart raced and my fingers became damp. I’d recognize that voice anywhere because it was the subject of my nightmares, my terrors.
“Sarah.”
A light chuckle played over the phone. “A child never forgets their mother’s voice.”
Why the fuck was she calling me?
Janice picked up on the tension because her hands stopped massaging me. “Everything okay?”
I ignored her, too absorbed in the conversation. What the hell did she want? How did she get my number? I realized I needed to respond. “Nor does he forget the sound of the devil.”
The scent of alcohol moved through the receiver. It was all in my imagination, but I swear I smelled it.
“How are you, Ryan?”
I wasn’t going to play catch up with this life-sucking bitch. “What the fuck do you want?”
Janice stilled at my roar. I’d never spoken that way to her, even when I was boiling in rage. I could only reproduce this voice with one person—my mother.
“Did I call at a bad time?” she asked with an amused voice.
I said nothing, too angry to speak. I should just hang up.
“I heard you have a shop in New York. It sounds like it’s doing well.”
Was she stalking me? “What do you want?” I repeated.
“I’ve recently fallen on hard times. Since a child’s duty is to their mother, it’s your obligation to help me.”
Money. It was always the same thing. “No.”
“No?” she asked, laughing. “You never say no to me.”
“Fuck you.”
“Ryan, I need it for medical bills.”
“I hope you have lung cancer.” I meant it. I didn’t give a shit if she was my mom. She was an evil person.
“I know you don’t mean that, dear.” She kept her cool over the phone. “Now please help me.”
“When your body goes in the ground, that will be the greatest day of my life.” I hung up then turned off my phone. I tossed it on the ground then breathed hard, unable to control my anger. No one pissed me off like my mom. She tortured me during my childhood, and she treated Scarlet even worse. Just when I thought I was free of her, I wasn’t. Until she was in a coffin, I’d always be looking over my shoulder. I wouldn’t give her a dime. I worked hard for that money, and I wasn’t going to give in. Even if she was telling the truth about her medical bills, that wasn’t my problem.
Janice moved to the floor beside me then held my hand. I knew she heard the conversation since she was so close to the phone.
I stared straight ahead, replaying the conversation.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“Why?”
“You don’t deserve that.”
I breathed through the pain in my heart. When I thought about how horrific my childhood was, it made me d
epressed. When I remembered Scarlet’s scars, I wanted to cry. But I refused to let it bring me down. I stood on my own two feet and became an adult as soon as I hit puberty. Now I had a life anyone would envy. I made my own family and I had the most amazing woman as my partner. In that respect, I was very fortunate.
She ran her fingers through my hair. “You did the right thing.”
“I know I did. I’m not giving her shit.”
Janice rested her head on my shoulders. “I’d kick her ass if I ever saw her.”
“And I’d know you would win.”
She kissed my cheek and continued to comfort me. “Are you going to tell Scarlet?”
I should. What if my mother hits her up next? But then again, why didn’t she go to Scarlet first? She was the one who was rich. My mom probably knew she wouldn’t get anymore out of the Prestons. “No.”
“Really?”
“I can’t stress her out. Now that she’s pregnant, I can’t do anything to upset her or make her lose the baby. All it will do is make her feel scared and unsafe. And if my mom wanted money from her, she wouldn’t have asked me at all. I don’t think it’s necessary to say anything to her.”
“Okay.”
I shook my head. “I’ll never be free of her.”
“That’s not true.”
“I’d kill her if I could get away with it.” I meant it. And I wasn’t ashamed to admit that.
“And I’d help.” Janice kept holding me close, acting as my crutch. She was always the rock I needed when times got rough. When I couldn’t take care of her, she took care of me. That support meant the world to me.
I wrapped my arms around Janice’s shoulder and held her close, knowing she was everything I’d been missing my entire life. I’d get through this. I always did and I always would.
3
Flynn
“So, did you tell Hazel?” Johnny asked while we sat on my couch and watched the game. Hazel wasn’t around, so it was just me and the guys.
“About what?” I asked.
He popped a chip into his mouth. “About that producer wanting to sleep with you.”
“Oh yeah. I did.” I remembered the way she flipped out. But at least she calmed down afterwards.
“What happened?” Ian asked.
“She was upset and I ended up hitting the bar. After I came home, she calmed down and said she was overreacting.”
