by J. L. Berg
It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced since I walked away from my own family years ago—or actually, they’d walked away from me.
Either way, the lines of communication had been severed for far too long.
Much wine and food was consumed as we all sat around the kitchen, catching up on our lives and families. As the merlot began to buzz in our system, the conversation came full circle.
“So, how are we going to get back at Mr. Hot and Sweaty?” Leah asked picking up a brownie from the picked over tray.
I stuck to my veggies and hummus, throwing in some cheese for protein. “What do you mean?”
“You can’t let him win, Liv.”
“It’s a contest?”
“Obviously. Don’t you see that? He’s goading you with the backyard crap, and now, the ball is in your court. You have to do something.”
“That is seriously childish!”
“Well, what do you expect? He’s a man!” Clare laughed.
“So, if I don’t respond, I lose?”
“Yep,” they all answered in unison.
“Men are idiots.”
“What if you replaced all the gas in his car with water?” Clare said, excitedly clapping her hands together.
We all stared at her blankly.
Her ivory white complexion blushed as she looked back at us. “What?”
“That’s just evil and also probably illegal.” Leah just shook her head. “It’s always the quiet ones you have to worry about.”
“Okay, anyone have an idea that won’t cause permanent damage and land us in jail?” Mia asked.
Clare’s head fell to the counter as she laughed hysterically.
“We could TP his house tonight! Declan and I have done that before,” Leah offered.
“Whoa there. Hold up. Is this something you two do on date nights? Do I need to set up security cameras?” I laughed.
She grinned. “It was when we were dating. We TP’d my ex-boyfriend’s house.”
She sighed dreamily, as I rolled my eyes and snickered.
“Okay, toilet paper party it is!” Mia exclaimed. “Let’s go to the store! Clare is driving because the rest of us are wasted!”
Oh boy, this is going to be a disaster.
~Jackson~
My backyard looked like a landscaper’s worst nightmare.
It was fucking awesome.
As I finished cleaning up and putting things away, I couldn’t help the grin spreading across my face. I hadn’t had this much fun in far too long.
I should probably be focusing on the fact that the current shift in my rather boring life all revolved around the type of woman I swore I’d never pursue, yet I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her.
Yeah, I should be thinking about that.
Instead, I continued grinning like a damn fool.
Throwing the last empty bag of bright red mulch into the trash, I threw the lid on top, grabbed my shirt off the patio chair and headed for the back door.
Liv’s house was lit up, an inviting warm glow coming from the first floor. Female laughter seeped out of the walls and into my ears as I caught a glimpse of women standing around her kitchen.
They probably had no idea that I’d seen them out of the corner of my eye, all huddled together by the window while watching me rake out the last of the mulch.
Liv had been no exception. Her eyes had been glued to me as I worked under the hot sun. It had taken every last ounce of my will power I had not to turn around, walk over to the back door and show her just how neighborly I could be.
But every path that started with Liv or any woman like her would end in disaster.
I should know. I was a survivor of one, and I was never going back for seconds.
Letting the storm door swing close behind me, I walked past the laundry closet and dropped off my sweaty shirt that I’d abandoned hours ago into the washing machine. Then, I headed for the stairs and climbed two at a time.
I came to a halt at the first door. “Noah!” I yelled.
There was no answer. I looked around at the clothes scattered across the bathroom floor and the mess of toothpaste and hair products all over the counter.
“Noah Wilson Reid!” I hollered again.
“What?” he answered back, poking his head out of the dark cave he called a room.
“What is all this?” I pointed to the floor and countertop.
“A bathroom?” he answered sarcastically.
I was not amused. “Clean this up—now.” I stalked off into the master bedroom, which was still decorated in pink rose wallpaper, and I began stripping off my shoes and shorts. Walking into the adjoining bathroom, I turned the water on as hot as I could stand it and stepped into the spray, letting it pound against my aching muscles, as I waited for my anger to abate.
It was just a mess, not the end of the world.
I braced myself against the shower wall as memories of my little boy came rushing in. I could see him stacking little wooden blocks in neat piles.
“Why do you do that?” I’d asked as I watched him organize his toys.
“Because I like to know where all my favorite things are,” he’d answered matter-of-factly.
He’d been the neat and tidy one. I’d been the envy of every parent around because the words, Clean your room, never had to be said in our house. His room had been as neat as a pin. He might have been borderline OCD maybe, but my little boy was very particular.
It was no longer like that.
And he wasn’t my little boy anymore—or at least he was trying desperately not to be.
This growing-up thing was driving me into an early grave, and it was ten times harder going through it all alone.
I quickly finished showering and threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before heading downstairs.
This was our first Saturday night in our new home in a brand-new city. I should have planned something.
Instead, I was boiling water for mac and cheese and flipping through the channels, looking for a movie we could watch.
I’d get my shit together next week. After I got settled into my new firm and had a few more boxes unpacked, we’d properly introduce ourselves to the city we’d adopted as home.
For tonight, it looked like comic book characters would be our entertainment.
“Hey, Noah, The Avengers is on!”
That one sentence managed to get him downstairs quicker than anything I’d said in days.
As he settled into the sofa, completely immersed in what was going on in front of him, I shook my head and walked back to the kitchen to assemble our meal.
“Guess I did something right,” I mumbled, feeling proud I’d stuck to my guns and never allowed a TV in his room.
If I had, he’d have no reason to come down here, except to eat. At least I could hold The Avengers over his head, so I could manage to squeeze a few hours in with him even if no talking was involved.
After finishing up in the kitchen, I handed him a large bowl of mac and cheese, and we both dug in. Once we were both equally stuffed, I returned the empty dishes to the sink and began to load them into the dishwasher.
“Hey, Noah, can I get you to take out the trash?” I asked, poking my head out of the kitchen.
“Do I have to?” he whined, his eyes never leaving the TV.
“Would I be asking otherwise?”
He huffed and pressed the pause button on the DVR remote before shuffling his feet all the way to the trash can. After several more frustrated puffs of air, I heard him shuffle out the back door.
Finishing the dishes, I dried my hands and shook my head. Oh, the woes of being a child.
I took the few seconds of quiet time to quickly check my email and go over my agenda for Monday. Although the first reason we had moved up to Richmond was because my grandmother had left this house to me in her will, the second reason was the number of job opportunities awaiting me here.
We had moved from Charleston, South Carolina. It was a fairl
y large area, and since passing the bar after law school, I’d had a great job there, working as an attorney. But I had itched for more, and I’d felt like I was suffocating. I’d wanted something bigger and better. Being from an area where everyone had known my name since before I was born, there had seemed to be this unwritten hierarchy to how life worked—you had to pay your dues, honor your superiors, and wait your turn. Hard work paid off. That was what my parents had always taught me. Then, somewhere along the way, I’d discovered it didn’t always work that way.
During my senior year, my best friend had managed to land the coveted scholarship to one of the top schools. Maybe it was a coincidence that he was also the football coach’s son, but when putting the two of us side by side, I’d beat him every time. Last year, I had been up for a major promotion, and I’d watched as it was handed to one of the cousins of a judge from a few counties over. That was probably another coincidence.
I was sure coincidences like that happened everywhere, in every county and every walk of life, but I wouldn’t be the same person after moving outside of Charleston. Here, I wasn’t the son of Mr. and Mrs. Reid, and I wasn’t the guy who had gotten screwed over by the one girl everyone had warned him to stay away from.
In Richmond, I was a blank slate.
It was exactly what I needed.
I just hoped it would be what Noah needed as well.
I looked up from the papers on my desk and found the couch empty and the TV still paused.
How long did it take for one child to take out the trash?
After walking toward the back door, I turned the knob and stuck my head out, looking for signs of Noah. The faint sounds of laughter whispered through the wind, and I immediately perked up, stepping outside as my eyes danced around the backyard.
I snuck around the edge of the house and then came to an abrupt halt. Under the cover of night, Noah and Liv were huddled together. The moonlight cast a soft glow on her face, illuminating her smile, as she looked down at my son.
“You’re going to TP our house?” Noah asked.
“Well, we were.” She laughed quietly. “Do you…maybe want to help us?”
“No way! Could I?” he asked.
I shook my head in disbelief. Traitor.
“Of course you can! Have you ever TP’d a house?”
He shook his head no, and I saw her smile shine back at him under the moonlight. “Okay then, we need to teach you how to do it first.”
I leaned against the house and watched them.
She was going to TP my house, like a middle school adolescent girl, and now, she was bringing my son in on it. She handed him a large white roll, and he looked down at it, his face lighting up like he’d never seen toilet paper before in his life.
“There’s a certain way to do it?” he asked.
“According to my friend Leah, yes. I’m a first timer as well. Come on, let me introduce you to everyone!”
She took his hand and pulled him along to join her gang of misfits while I continued to lean against the house in amazement.
I had two options. I could follow them, break up the fun, and thus ruin my son’s night. Or I could go back into the house and deal with the royal mess in the morning—and lose to a girl.
I let out a huff as I trudged back into the house.
Liv might have won this round, but it would be her last.
~Liv~
“What is that horrible light shining through the window?” I groaned. Squinting, I pulled the sofa pillow over my head and buried my face further into the cushion.
“That would be called the sun, babe,” Clare replied brightly.
“Someone make it stop!” Mia whined from somewhere across the room.
I lifted the pillow and looked up to find Leah shuffling into the living room.
“I’m seriously regretting that last bottle of wine,” Leah said as she haphazardly pulled her messy blonde hair into a bun. She ducked down to peek out the kitchen window, and a wide grin curved across her face. “But I definitely don’t regret that. Ladies, come look at our masterpiece.”
We all jumped up, even the three of us who were sporting epic hangovers made our way to the window. The Reid house was now a brilliant white spectacle, covered in two-ply as far as the eye could see.
“Damn, we did a good job.” I laughed.
“I can’t believe his kid helped us,” Leah chimed in, shaking her head.
“Helped?” I said. “He was practically the ring leader by the end.”
“He really is adorable,” Clare commented, a warm smile spreading across her face.
“Yeah, he is. He’s really sweet,” I said.
“I can’t wait to hear his dad’s reaction,” Leah chimed in. Someone’s stomach growled loudly and attention quickly turned from the window to breakfast.
I moved around the kitchen, opening several cupboards and pulled out a variety of cereal boxes.
“I’m sure I’ll be hearing from him soon.” I grinned. Maybe he’ll show up shirtless.
“For someone who can’t stand to be around him, you look awfully happy about that,” Mia said, a yawn cutting through her words and making them almost inaudible.
I scoffed, “No, he’s still a jerk. Besides, I don’t have time for annoying Southern boys.”
“Of course not. You have Victor.” Mia rolled her eyes.
“Who’s Victor?” Leah and Clare asked at the same time.
“Her flavor of the month,” Mia said.
“He’s not my flavor of the month!”
“Well then, what is he?” she asked, her eyebrows rising in amusement.
“He’s just a guy I’m enjoying some quality alone time with,” I stated with a slight grin.
“Oh, please!” Leah laughed. “We might all be married, but we’re not dumb.”
“Okay, fine! He’s my flavor of the month. We met in the gourmet cheese aisle at the market. He’s intense and foreign. When he speaks, I can’t understand half of what he’s saying.”
“Bonus!” Mia laughed.
“We have fun.”
“Well, you keep having fun with your mysterious foreign man. Just keep us updated on your hot neighbor, okay?” Clare requested.
“Deal.”
“And one more thing,” Clare added quickly.
“What?” I sighed.
“What the hell is that cereal you’re trying to feed us?”
I looked down at the boxes of all-natural, organic cereals and laughed. “Toast?” I offered.
“Did someone order breakfast?” a male voice bellowed as the front door swung open.
The husbands had arrived.
We all turned to see Logan, Declan, and Garrett walking through the front door, carrying bags bearing the logo of our favorite local café, Phil’s.
“Oh my God, you’re lifesavers!” Clare screeched. “She was about to serve us that weird toast again! I would have starved!”
“Well, we can’t have that,” Logan said.
With a sly grin across his face, he looked up at all of us before returning to Clare. She nodded her head, obviously granting permission for something.
“Gotta keep my girls healthy.” Logan placed a gentle kiss on Clare’s cheek as his hand tenderly cradled her flat stomach.
“Just because you were right about Ollie’s gender doesn’t mean you are a guru at it. We could be having another boy.”
“It’s a girl. I know these things.” He kissed her temple and smiled. “I’m a doctor, remember?”
“You’re crazy.”
“So, what exactly happened next door?” Declan asked, giving his wife a wicked grin.
“Why, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hot Shot.” she answered sweetly.
“I know my wife’s work when I see it.”
“We might have been a little intoxicated.” She held her thumb and pointer finger close together as she scrunched her nose.
He laughed a rich, sexy deep laugh. “Well, you did a good job. He’ll
be cleaning that up for days. Do I want to know what he did to deserve it?”
“How do you know it was a he?” I asked, pursing my lips together.
He cocked his eyebrow and gave me a lazy grin as an answer.
“Fine,” I lamented. “He’s a know-it-all lawyer who destroyed my flowers,”
“You could have just said lawyer.” Declan grinned.
“Hey, where are all your kids?” I asked suddenly, realizing how rare it was to have all of them in a room without a child present.
“With my mom,” Garrett answered not bothering to wait on anyone else as he dove into the bag of bagels and began tearing it apart.
“You left her with all of them?” I asked, feeling very bad for Mrs. Finnegan.
“She offered.” He shrugged, finishing off an entire bagel in a matter of seconds. I didn’t know whether to be amazed or horrified by Garrett’s ability to consume massive amounts of food.
“My dad will be over there helping, I’m sure,” Mia added.
I raised my eyebrow at that, but I quickly dismissed it. Whatever was or was not going on with Laura Finnegan and Derrick Emerson was none of my business.
I really wanted it to be though.
Soon, the house became quiet as plates piled high and orange juice and freshly brewed coffee from Phil’s were passed around. Everyone began filling up on bagels, croissants, and muffins. Once everyone’s bellies were full and breakfast was cleaned up, the house began to empty once more.
“Thanks for hosting all of us last night,” Mia said, giving me a hug. She was always the last to leave.
“Anytime, babe.” I smiled. “Bring my godson over soon. I need some snuggle time.”
“You got it.”
Garrett wrapped his arm around her waist, and I watched the two of them walk slowly to the car. Her head curved toward his shoulder, and I smiled as the sound of her laughter filled the air.
Closing the door behind me, I headed upstairs and entered my bedroom, removing my clothes as I went. I quickly showered, and then I took time in selecting a conservative, flowery dress with very little jewelry. I curled the ends of my hair, and I kept my makeup light.
