by K. F. Breene
Jace picked at the bark for a moment. Who was the right guy for a girl like that? Someone high powered, probably. With lots of money and prospects. A man with all his shit together and something to offer. Peter was close, though. He’d get there. Jace said so.
Peter silently looked away.
“She have any sisters?” Jace let a sardonic smile bloom.
“Just a really super cool brother. And lots of really fabulous friends. You’d really like all of them. You’d get along perfectly with everyone. Maybe you should move down there. To L.A.”
Jace glanced up at the change in tone. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something had shifted. Like Peter’s way of speaking had altered a little, but Jace couldn’t exactly pinpoint why.
“Anyway.” Peter waved his hand through the air. “That’s another conversation, maybe.”
“Jason?”
Peter and Jace turned to the sound of their mother. She stood in the backyard, holding onto the baby. Rachel and Jenn were both organizing chairs in the grass. Nick and Demetri stood staring at the patio table. Cassie stood off to the side in jean-short cutoffs and an airy pink tank with her hair in a ponytail.
“Looks like your woman dressed down,” Jace said as they left the trees.
“She usually gets her way. She’s that stubborn.”
Jace couldn’t help the smile. That sounded exactly like the woman he’d only known for twenty-four hours. She might act like she’d play the good girl and do as told, but that was only until she decided she wanted something else. After that, he wholeheartedly believed she just ambled away and did whatever she wanted.
“Hard to control?” Jace asked.
“She doesn’t get controlled. She gets corralled. And the only person I’ve ever seen do it with any sort of effectiveness is her brother. Sometimes Krista or K-Jaz can. They can usually reel her in to some degree. Cassie has a lot of ex-boyfriends because she’s both demanding and needy. She needs someone that can guide, but also get out of the way. She needs someone to protect her, but then she’ll beat on him. She punches her brother all the time. And you never know which way the winds are going to blow. One minute, angel. The next, villain, laughing all the while. But she’s really fun if you just roll with it. She is absolutely the salt-of-the-earth. One hundred percent gold.”
Smile gone, Jace couldn’t help his eyebrows crinkling. “Doesn’t sound like you want to try to live up to the task…”
Peter smiled that sad smile again, a man in reach of an angel, only able to watch it spread its wings and fly away. At least that’s what Jace would be thinking in Peter’s place.
They finished the walk in silence, each in their own thoughts, until they arrived at the table holding two golden toilets, each on its own red velvet stand. The plaque attached to the stand said, “Royal Winner.”
“Mom, you’ve outdone yourself this time.” Nick gave her a cheesy thumbs up. “Best to date.”
Cassie glided up next to Peter and slipped her hand through his arm. “This is the prize?”
Peter nodded and glanced at the shade where Jenn and Rachel were setting up shop. “I have a surprise for you.”
She looked up at him.
“I’m sitting out, and you are going to win a toilet on a stand.”
A beautiful smile lit up her features, illuminating her eyes from within. That blue grew even more vivid in her delight. Feeling a pang deep in his chest, Jace looked away as a wash of melancholy overcame him. A fallen angel indeed. Let Peter handle that—with the burn of betrayal still hot in his memory, Jace certainly wasn’t going to do anything that could possibly put his brother through the same thing.
He noticed his brothers positioning themselves in front of the trophy before quickly dodging in with a goofy smile. “Photo bomb!”
“Get a picture with the champions,” Demetri said with a wide smile. He held up his camera again. This time Cassie jumped in at the last minute, hands on the guys’ shoulders, head pushed between them. “Photo bomb!”
“Ah ha ha! She’s one of the family!” Rachel yelled, clapping her hands.
“Nice work, Cassie!” Jenn hooted.
“She’s just perfect, see?” Jace’s mom beamed, swaying with the drowsy baby.
Peter smiled and walked toward Rachel and Jenn. “Who wants a drink?”
“Daiquiri,” Rachel called.
“Becky, are you sure you are okay with Emma?” Jenn asked.
“I’m fine. Enjoy your afternoon.” Becky kissed the baby’s head.
“Me too, Peter.” Jenn nodded at Peter before he slipped into the house.
Jace turned to find Cassie slightly behind him, analyzing the net. “You need a drink?”
She spared him a glance. “No, I’m good. I need to wring out my liver a little bit.”
“Sissy la-la.” Demetri waggled his finger at her. “You’re with the big boys now. What’s a vat of whisky among friends?”
“Don’t try to get my partner drunk!” Jace pushed Demetri to the other side of the net. “Let’s get cracking.”
“My, my, you’re all animated. You must be in your element.” Cassie picked up a racquet, seemingly at random.
“Too bad we’re on the same team. You have to spank my brothers, and I have a feeling you won’t take nearly as much pleasure in that.”
She swung her racket. “You’ll want the racket on the very bottom, by the way. It’s the straightest, besides this one. And Jason…” Her direct gaze shot him a warning. “Show up, hmm? I want to win that weird toilet.”
He couldn’t help but laugh as he picked up the racket she’d indicated. “Yes, ma’am. I take it you know the rules?”
“Yes. I did this in high school. On a team and everything. No idea why, but…there you go.”
He sauntered closer as Roger got situated in his chair near the net, the self-appointed judge for the day. “You’ve played a lot of sports, then?”
She nodded, glancing at Peter as he came out of the house with two frozen drinks in hand. She gave him a pleased smile before directing her gaze back to Jace. “Yes. You name it, I’ve played it, one way or another. Not always on teams, but if not, I’ve played with my brother, random teams, neighborhood kids…”
“You just like being active?”
She shrugged. “I’m good at it. Don’t you like doing things you’re good at?”
He nodded slowly, watching as his brothers did a huge mock stretching routine. “I do, yes. Sometimes you lose sight of what you’re good at, though.”
Her sigh drifted on the breeze. “Yup. You eventually find it again. You just have to recognize it when it shows up. That’s the trick. I hope.”
“I almost feel like writing some of this down. Such profound scrapes of wisdom should be savored…”
She laughed and gave him a light shove. “Stick around, kid. I’ll delight you with my philosophy. None of which is true or correct.”
Chapter 7
The game started like any other--with loud, jarring yells from the “cheerleaders” who didn’t much care who won or lost as long as they were kidless and had drinks in their hands, and with a shrill, rusty whistle Roger didn’t really get the hang of.
Nick served, face shut down in concentration. These guys joked and had a ton of fun, but when it came to those god-awful trophies, they got in the zone.
Cassie felt the elation bubbling in her chest. She loved this—the beginning of a competitive tournament. When the player first soused out her opponent and each strove to get a toehold in the game. The rush of adrenaline as the body prepared for battle.
Nick hit the birdie over the net, nice and easy. Testing the waters. Making sure the first serve hit its mark to set up the rest of the game. It flew toward Jace in a lovely arc, cresting the net in a soft, white blur. Jace stepped forward almost lazily, and then smashed the thing back down over the net, bee-lining it toward the ground at Demetri’s feet.
Demetri stared at the little ball with plastic webbing for a moment, bef
ore he looked up at Jace with a huge smile. “It’s on, Donkey-Kong!”
“Trial run, Demetri,” Nick yelled with a smile. “That’s all, trial run.”
“Yeah, well, it’s go time, dude. We gotta crush this loser. No offense, Cassie, but you landed on a team with garbage.”
Cassie couldn’t stop the delighted smile as Demetri threw the shuttle toward Jace. Jace caught it with one hand and turned to her, holding it out. “You want to serve first?”
She shook her head no. Let the opponents think she was scared to commit.
His beautiful brown-gold eyes sparkled, reading her easily. A grin lit up his face, that dimple showing, making her heart pound and her breath speed up. She shook her head for a different reason this time, turning back to the waiting brothers on the other side of the drooping net.
The shuttlecock whizzed by her, dropping just over the net. Demetri lunged for it, but instead of batting it up and over, he smacked it right at her. A stinging plastic shuttle zapped her thigh.
“Crap!” Demetri swore.
“Crap daddy!” Michael echoed from the trees beyond the grass.
“Demetri!” Rachel yelled. “Daddy is a bad boy, baby. Don’t say that word.”
“Crap!” Michael repeated, louder. Three kids giggled from the trees.
“Bad boy, daddy!” Nick admonished, looking at Cassie.
Jace stepped up to her, peering into her eyes. “You okay?”
She stared back seriously, dropping her eyebrows into pout. “No. That really hurt.”
Jace’s gaze traveled her face before dipping down to her leg. She felt a warm hand around the back of her thigh and a thumb trace over her skin with a feather touch. Ignoring the delicious tingling in her body, and the goosebumps taking over her skin, she aimed her pout at a worried Demetri, who had ducked under the net to give his apologies.
“We’re going to have to amputate.” She traced a pointer finger down her cheek as she said, “Single tear.”
“Ooohhhh!” Demetri pointed at her and turned to Nick. “She took a dive on that one, bro.”
“Joke’s on her—there are no penalties in this game for foul play!” Nick laughed jubilantly.
“Don’t do that, Cassie, you scared the life out of us!” Rachel yelled.
“I knew you were okay!” Jenn started laughing.
“That’s because you have Peter giving you play-by-plays,” Rachel said conversationally to Jenn, her voice traveling across the grass.
“Oh, you know the lingo,” Peter responded. “I always sound stupid when I talk about sports.”
“All the time, actually.” Nick guffawed.
Cassie lost track of the merriment as Jace straightened up, so close. His eyes delved into her, an expression within them she couldn’t read. His brow slowly furrowed before he turned away without a word.
A burst of warmth flooded her body as the whistle blew. “Play on,” Roger yelled.
“Uh oh, wasting time.” Nick tsk’ed at Cassie. “I call an audible.”
The boys suddenly braced, and sure enough, the shuttle flew past her head and over the net. Demetri got there this time, batting it back Jace’s way. He stepped forward easily, lobbing it back. Nick ran in like Flash and slammed the thing back over the net. Jace didn’t get there in time, scooping dirt instead of birdie.
“What am I, invisible?” Cassie spread her arms accusingly.
“They’re just trying to tire me out.” Jace winked at her and threw the shuttle over the net.
“Ser-VICE!” Demetri strutted back to the service line. “You want the cock, Cassie?”
“Dirty!” Jenn yelled.
“There are children present,” Roger scolded in a deep voice.
Demetri looked over at his dad with raised eyebrows, disbelieving eyes, and a hanging mouth. He held up the little white plastic birdie. “Dad, this is a shuttlecock. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”
“Quit stalling, slacker,” Jace growled. His voice had dropped the play, though. He hadn’t liked that comment.
A thrill went through Cassie’s body as Nick noticed the change in tone, too. “Uh oh, we have wrongly spoken to thine woman-folk. Three lashings!”
“Don’t worry, Cassie, he’s an idiot on the best of days.” Rachel waved her hand through the air, unconcerned. She turned to Peter. “What’s the next drink on the menu? That was delicious! And how did we not know this fabulous trait of yours?”
“Less alcohol, though, or we’ll need a nap in an hour,” Jenn’s voice drifted over.
Demetri served the shuttle, the little white blur heading directly for Cassie. She stepped to the side and fired it back, not as hard as she could, but hard enough to send it flying to a spot no one occupied. Demetri stepped left with a swinging racquet as Nick jogged over. They thwapped each other, but missed the shuttle.
“What the hell, Cassie? You never told us you could handle a—“
“Demetri!” Roger warned.
“A racquet dad. Wow, you are really hanging out in the gutter today.” Demetri shook his head with a grin.
Cassie laughed and caught the thrown shuttle. She turned back to the line, meeting Jace halfway there as he shifted position. He put his large hand up, his tattooed arm rippling with muscle. She gave him a wink and a high-five. They were so going to win.
“Photo bomb!” Jenn yelled. “Good work, honey! I got you playing with your brother.”
Jace smiled that mouthwatering smile and shook his head, his dimple distracting her for a moment. “I don’t think she knows what a photo bomb is.”
“Honey,” Nick straightened up for a moment. “A photo bomb isn’t an ordinary picture, it is a hijacking of an ordinary picture, or mass selfie explosion. And please don’t take pictures for Jace to post on his blog.”
“You have a blog?” Cassie dropped her arm and looked over.
He glanced back, still grinning. “They wish I did.”
“I’d comment the hell out of that.” Demetri squatted down, ready for Cassie to serve.
She did so, putting a little more sauce on it this time, but not over-doing it. Trying too hard would only backfire. It flew over the net, forcing Demetri to nearly dive to get it. He did manage to return, but Jace was there, slamming it back down into their court.
“Should I photo opp that one, honey?” Jenn asked sweetly.
“I don’t love you as much as I could after that comment, sweetie-pie,” Nick called back.
“Hey Cassie!” Demetri yelled across the net as she readied her next serve. “1980 called—they want their cutoffs back.”
She paused to let the laughter bubble up before she let them have it.
***
Peter lounged on his lawn chair and watched his brothers play. He couldn’t help the beaming smile, content to be hanging out with his sisters-in-law watching the festivities instead of fumbling ineptly through the sporting activities. He felt loose and relaxed in a way he hadn’t in the last few years. Part of that was his few slips into being completely himself. Calling the girls doll or letting other effeminate parts of himself show didn’t have them so much as raising an eyebrow. They didn’t comment, or even seem to notice.
A warm trickle of hope infused his body. He wanted to be the real Peter so badly it hurt. He wanted to joke and laugh without censoring himself, and so far, with Rachel and Jenn, he’d mostly been able to do that. He was able to just let go without judgment.
Maybe this would all be okay.
The euphoric feeling was quickly dowsed as his gaze swept past his father. His problem had never been the wives.
Fear encroached as Peter thought of his father’s comments when he arrived—about fashion. Or his constant badgering about being more manly. Or his brother calling him fresh looking.
No, the problem wasn’t the wives, it was the men of the family.
Peter sighed and sipped his drink. He really did want to come out, but how could he and risk losing all this? His brothers laughing and joking, the stupid runn
ing photobomb joke, the jostling each other—it felt good to have his family around him. He missed them in L.A. He didn’t want to bring up something that would tarnish all of this. That would rip them away.
“She’s good,” Jenn commented.
Peter followed Jenn’s gaze, trying to push away the sudden hopelessness. Cassie had her hand up to Jace, ready for a high-five. Her bright smile enhanced her beauty.
“Yeah, she loves this sort of thing,” Peter commented, his gaze snagging on Jace as his brother slapped Cassie’s hand and stepped out of the way so she could serve. Peter recognized the glimmer of attraction, which in itself wasn’t a huge surprise—Cassie was a beautiful girl. She and her brother had gotten a huge dose of the attractive gene. But that gaze held something else, too. A deeper interest.
“She works with Jace pretty well, too,” Rachel said. “He’s actually letting her play.”
Peter couldn’t help but joining in their laughter. “Are you saying he never let me play?” he accused.
“Maybe just…helped you not have to play,” Jenn intoned, laughing again.
Peter watched the pair working off of each other effortlessly, not even needing vocals to know how to share the space. They were as good as Krista and Sean always were when they played a sport. Or as well orchestrated as Marcus and Peter when they threw a party. Perfect symmetry in the relationship.
Peter couldn’t help thinking about Marcus. About meeting him for the first time and immediately falling into conversation. The man was as handsome as he was fascinating, but more than that, he was such a good person. Open and honest, Marcus was the salt of the earth. Peter had never felt luckier than when the belle of the ball had asked for his number. And when they started hanging out, it was like a burning fire lit up his insides. Like Marcus filled in a hole and balanced Peter out.
And now he saw that feeling expressed between his brother and Cassie. When they looked at each other their gazes lingered. Their eyes sparkled. Eventually, one or the other would remember to rip their glance away, but their bodies stayed pointed at each other. Their desire to hang around the other screamed out their interest. Their mutual longing.
