The murmur of voices grows behind me just before I enter the establishment, and I turn to find Sunday and Serena. Just behind them I spot Seth talking to some chick, and my heart stops—Trixie. A flush of heat washes through me. Shit.
A laugh gets tangled in my chest. Could Sunday’s surprise for me be Trixie? My blood starts pumping as they come in close. I offer a passive hello to Sunday and Serena, outright ignoring Seth. My eyes can’t help but gravitate toward Trixie in that short black dress, those knee-high black suede boots, those big diamond studded hoop earrings harness what’s left of the sun and makes her entire face shine. First star I see tonight. Holy crap. Trixie has cast a spell on me, all right, and I don’t think there’s a single thing in the universe that could snatch me from it. Her eyes latch to mine as her crimson lips curve with a dangerous smile. Just as I’m about to let some smart-ass comment fly, someone comes up from behind and lands a pair of cool hands over my eyes.
“You didn’t think I’d let you sit out another Saturday night without me, did you?” The voice is decidedly female, perky, and way too seductive to be another member of my family. Shit.
I gently peel her hands away and spin to find Miranda Smirnoff in a bright red dress, her white blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun making her eyes look the size of quarters, her nose a long dart down the front of her face, pointing straight to a pair of bright pink overdrawn lips with sticky gloss coating them for good measure. There’s not enough beer in the world to ever make me want to latch onto those again.
“Miranda?” I didn’t mean for it to come out like a question, but every last part of me is hoping that I’m wrong about what’s happening here.
Trixie jumps up, her chest grazes mine, and my insides wrench as if a steak were just dangled before me. Steak? I shake my head at the sexist analogy, and I hate myself for it.
“Surprise!” Trixie drags the word out before tugging down on that bottom lip of hers with her teeth. Her ice-blue eyes are accented with those long, thick lashes. She gives my collar a slight tug as if she were readying to do a striptease. “Brought your little plaything along for a ride. Guess your big bro isn’t the only one getting a happy ending tonight.” She snarls as she snips those words at me. Thankfully, everyone else has moved toward the entrance, and it’s just Trixie and me straggling in the lot. She pivots on her heels toward the restaurant, and my hand reflexively reaches for hers. Trixie looks down. Her eyes widen as if a snake just latched on.
“I’m glad you’re here.” I give her hand a quick jostle before letting go, and she looks up with a shy smile. If I were a betting man, I’d swear her cheeks just pinched with color. But it’s dark, and cold, and she’s giddy as hell to see me suffer with Miranda by my side, so I seriously doubt Trixie Toberman is blushing just for me.
“So am I.” She clears her throat as if the words pained her to say them. “Can’t wait to watch the fireworks between the two of you.” She gets that wicked gleam in her eye again and takes off.
Fireworks. There are going to be fireworks, all right, once I school Sunday for even thinking this was a good idea. We step inside, and the smell of a well-broiled sirloin mingling with beer hits my senses.
The Sloppy Pelican used to be an old coal miner-inspired restaurant that my father took us to on those rare occasions he skipped through Hollow Brook. The décor for the most part is still intact, old, dusty, plywood flooring, giant Mason jars littering the tables filled with soda and lemonade. Lex says the menu is top-notch now that she and her friend revamped it. That right there stopped me in my tracks, considering the fact Lex hasn’t had a friend in all the years I’ve known her. She did have a boyfriend, the goof who owns this place, Axel Collins. And rumor has it, they’re back together after a six-year separation. That must have been hard, being apart from someone you care about for six long years.
“Rush!” Lex comes at me and slaps me with an embrace. Lex is slender and brooding with a mop of red hair. We used to say she’s Serena minus the bubbly. But tonight, Lex is just as bubbly as her younger sister. She does a quick introduction to Axel, tall, affable dude with a lovesick look on his face each time he looks at Lex.
Good. Lex deserves to be looked at that way. I’d say it’s been a long time coming.
Already seated at the table are Nolan and Misty. Nolan is an older version of me. Hair is a little darker, the worry lines on his forehead a little more pronounced. Misty is a cute bubbly brunette ready to offer a warm smile to anyone who looks her way. She and Seth are pretty close, and I like that they appreciate family as much as we do.
My cousin Marlin is here, sporting his Jepson PD uniform with the big shiny badge on his chest. He’s told me a dozen times that uniform is the easiest way to get a piece of ass. It’s apparently a chick magnet right up there with puppies and babies. Trixie plants herself between Seth and Sunday, and Miranda is the only person here with an empty seat next to her, so as soon as I wish my brother a happy birthday, I take the obligatory seat next to my unwanted plus one. Thankfully, Nolan and Misty are to my right and smack across from them is Trixie Toberman looking as if she’s ready to slice off the first dick she sees.
Lex stands and taps her knife against the glass in her hand. “Can I have everyone’s attention? I just wanted to thank you all for coming out tonight for Nolan’s sixty-ninth birthday party.” The table titters with laughter. Nolan hasn’t crested the wrong side of thirty. “And to let you know that Nolan and Misty have finally set a date for their fabled wedding!” A light round of gasps circles the table as we shift our attention to the bride and groom-to-be.
Nolan stands, and so does Misty. “I just want to say thank you for coming out tonight.” My brother takes a deep breath as he says it. “I know you guys are busy, and I also know Lex lured you here with the promise of cake.”
I let out a howl and salute Lex in the process.
Nolan nods my way. “But what I really was looking forward to tonight was to let you in on the date Misty and I settled on that we’ll mark off for years to come as the day we officially tied the knot. Anyone want to take a guess?”
“Valentine’s Day!” Sunday claps as she says it, but Misty shakes her head.
“November, Friday the thirteenth!” Serena spits it out, and we share a laugh.
“Nope.” Nolan winks over at me. “That will be Rushford’s wedding date.”
A cool hand rides up the back of my shirt, and I turn reflexively toward Miranda and that drunk grin she’s sporting. I know what that look on her face signifies, and I’m sorry to be the one to break it to her, but I’m not itching to gift her any relief tonight.
“Sounds like a plan.” She giggles into me.
“March third,” I belt it out, shifting just enough to let Miranda’s hand fall away.
The table grows stone silent as all eyes suddenly become downcast. March third just so happened to be my mother’s birthday. I don’t know why, but I thought maybe Nolan would take that day on his own as a tribute to our mother. I would. I think it’s beautiful.
“No.” Nolan winces at me as if I just publicly humiliated myself.
“What’s March third?” Trixie asks Sunday, and my sister is quick to whisper into her ear.
Trixie’s beautiful mouth falls open as she turns my way, her eyes suddenly filled with sorrow for me.
Marlin slaps his beer onto the table like a gavel. “Hell, New Year’s Evil. That’s when I’d do it. If you have to go out, go out with a bang, dude.”
“You guessed it!” Misty jumps into my brother’s arms, and they share a simple kiss. Something about the way they linger reminds me of that night with Trixie in the bathroom at Beta house, and my balls beg to replay that moment on a loop.
We toast the happy couple, to Nolan’s birthday, to love—and the L word itself feels foreign coming from my lips. I haven’t said that word since before my mother passed away. It’s never been a word I’ve used with my siblings. For sure my father hasn’t uttered it to me once. My stomach grinds a
t the thought of falling in love. In a world of possibilities, where I was spoon-fed to believe that there was nothing on this planet I could not achieve, that’s the very thing I never thought was possible for me. Love—romantic love seems moronic on a basic level, and yet I’m glad Nolan and Misty found it. Lex and Axel, too.
Dinner wears on with every third person engaging in a micro conversation. Seth keeps chewing Sunday and Trixie’s ear off while Miranda whispers all of her pornographic intentions directly into my ear.
“Wow.” Trix lifts her brows with just as much measured sarcasm as she injected into her voice. “Looks like things are really heating up across the way.”
I glance to Nolan, silently pleading for help, but Misty is quick to distract him by begging him to dance with her. The Sloppy Pelican, much like the Black Bear, has a dance floor with a live band not too far from where we’re seated. And just like that, half the table evacuates.
Miranda wraps an arm around my shoulder like the quiet slither of a python. “That’s right. Rush and I are infamous for lighting the sheets on fire.”
Seth snorts at the thought. “You and half of Briggs,” he says under his breath. Usually I’d kick him for that quip. A comment like that is a surefire way to turn a girl off, but right about now I feel like penning him a thank you.
Miranda gurgles out a laugh so caustic it reverberates right through me. She leans in until her tits have found a home over my chest, and I shoot a quick glance to Trixie.
“She bangs.” Trixie rises out of her seat and pulls Seth with her. “Come on, Baker. Shut up and dance with me.”
Miranda dusts my nose with a quick kiss. “And that’s exactly where you and I are headed as soon as I get back from the little girls’ room.” She takes off, leaving a trail of perfume in her wake. It’s so damn strong it’s burned off all the hair in my nostrils and taken at least ten years off my lungs.
I slap my hands onto the table and lean in toward my sister with a look that says I’m pissed.
“Whoa.” Sunday leans back. “Is that how you ask the girls to dance, or are you honing a glare you plan on sporting come Halloween night? It’s frightening, by the way.” She smirks over at me as if tickled to see me so ticked.
I’m about to ask her what the hell she’s thinking inviting Miranda here tonight—as my date no less, but something better comes to mind just as the music starts in on a sappy love song.
“Yup. It’s my dancing face.” I pick up her hand and dash us to the center of those swinging hips as the couples on the dance floor get close and intimate. I hold Sunday a respectable length away, not just because she’s my sister, but because I want to set an example for her—show her exactly how much distance two people should have when going toe to toe. I do my best to crane my neck in an effort to find Seth and Trixie. And there they are, laughing it up over something. Probably me if I had to take a wild guess.
Sunday waves her hand over my face. “You okay? I don’t think we’ve danced together since my sweet sixteen.”
“Yeah, I’m great.” I move us over to ground zero where Seth is intently saying something to Trixie, and her perfect little pout falls open just the way it did for me that night. My stomach wrenches at the sight. In no way am I going to let him take advantage of her like that. “How about we switch things up?” I tap Seth on the shoulder, and as soon as he spins around, I toss my sister in his arms like a side of beef and steal Trixie. But instead of holding her out a solid foot from my body, I pull her in close, just an inch shy of adhering to my chest. My arms wrap around her tiny waist as she circles her arms across my back. It feels good holding Trixie this way, like a relief, and I still can’t pinpoint whether or not it has anything to do with the drought I’ve unleashed on myself. My fingers press into her soft skin, and I die a little on the inside. I’ve held my fair share of girls, done exactly this with them on occasion, but I’ve never felt so damn turned on in my entire life. Trixie is setting off all the bells and whistles my dick can handle without exploding into a full-blown salute.
“Wow, it’s almost like you knew.” Her eyes grow wild.
“Knew what?”
She bites down on her lips as she looks past my shoulder. “Never mind.”
“That you wanted to dance with me?”
“Get real.” She leans in close and her tits press against my chest, so fucking soft. Shit. The song changes, and Trixie sucks in a quick breath. “So where’s Randy Mandy? She in the back getting it on with a waiter as a means to build up to the big event?” Her eyes quickly glide down my body. “Sneaking in an appetizer before the main course?”
“Oh, honey, I’m an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert.” I can’t help but grunt it out with pride. It’s true, though. Or at least it used to be when I participated in life’s favorite sport. “So what’s with the name calling? You have something against Miranda?” A smile begs to expand over my lips, but I won’t let it.
Trixie scowls at me, and I can’t help but lap it up. Is this a hint of jealousy I detect? “Everyone has something against Miranda. She designs it that way. People like her thrive on chaos both in and out of the bedroom.”
“Other people seem to like her.”
“Sure they seem to like her. But she’s annoying as hell. Everyone at the table thinks so but you,” she snarls at me. “Nobody’s stabbed her eyes out yet, but it’s still early.” Her lips quiver for a moment, and as much as I’d like to think it was with wanting, or the fact she was near tears because she can’t contain her feelings for me, it’s most likely rage. Anger seems to be her go-to emotion. “What exactly attracts you to her? Is it her stunning level of intellect? Or are you mesmerized by her pit hair?”
A quick laugh expels from my throat.
Trixie shrugs. “Miranda is notorious for ditching the razor weeks at a time. I’m just saying.”
“I’ve never noticed.”
She glowers at me a moment. “Overlooking her faults? It must be true love. So I guess she’s the one, huh? At least Sunday seems to think so. Especially after you decried the expansion of your condom wall art.” A smile flirts with her lips, and I can feel the zinger coming a mile away. “It was very brave of you to take on all those coeds the way you did.”
Here we go. “It was the only real contribution I could think of to offer the university.”
“You did the right thing.” She bats those doe eyes up at me, the curve of a devious smile rounding out her lips. “On behalf of WB girls, past and present, thank you for your services. I’m sure your bucking bronco moves will be missed by many.”
My brows dip at that crass comment, and before I can say a word, the music shifts to yet another slow number and I’m relieved because in no way am I ready for this to be over.
Trixie sucks in a breath. “This is my favorite song!” Her lips clamp together, and her eyes sparkle with instant tears.
“Nice cover.” I give a sly wink. “We both know you’re moved to tears because I’m holding you in the safety of my arms. You have a propensity for falling, remember?”
“Oh, you.” She slaps me over the chest. “I’m serious. It’s Elvis. I’m sort of obsessed with the King.”
I lean back and let the music drift through me a second. “Only Fools Rush In,” he muses.
“Hey”—Trixie tilts her head to the side, and that sparkle in her eyes is replaced with a devious look—“do you think it’s a coincidence that the word fool comes right before your name in the title?”
A groan works its way up my throat. “You’re not funny. And for the record, I happen to like Elvis, too. My mom was a huge fan. She had a playlist of his songs she’d play on a loop until I felt as if his ghost was going to pop out and start performing in our living room.” I stop cold as that stupid grin I’ve been wearing glides off my face. “I guess, at this point in my life, I’d do anything to have her ghost pop up in my living room.”
Trixie’s affect softens as her body sags against mine. “You miss her.” She runs a finger ov
er my cheek, and a fire unleashes in its wake. “I’m so sorry.”
“Knock, knock.” Miranda pops up from over Trixie’s shoulder, and the two of us jump apart, allowing Miranda the moment she needs to crash the party. Before I know it, Trixie has disappeared and I’m finishing out the song with Randy Mandy.
Once it’s over, I make an excuse to leave the dance floor, and soon we’re back at the table blowing out birthday candles. After cake and wishing Nolan well, our small group quickly disbands.
“Thanks, Lex.” I pull her in and accept a warm embrace. “You know, there’s something softer about you since the last time I’ve seen you, and I can’t put my finger on it.”
“I can.” She pulls back and jabs her boyfriend Axel in the gut. “This guy right here.” She gives a little shrug, her nose wrinkling the way my mother’s used to. Lex and my mother were close, especially after Lex’s own mother ran out on her. “Love makes you soft, Rush.” She cups the side of my cheek as if I were still eight-years-old. “It sands off all the rough edges and makes you who you were destined to be all along.”
“Agree.” Nolan comes up and slaps me over the back. “So stop dipping your wick into everything that moves and fall in love already, would you?”
“Hey!” Misty smacks my brother over the chest. “You can’t rush these things.” She touches her fingers to her mouth a moment, holding back a laugh. “No pun intended, of course. Thanks for coming by tonight. I look forward to us all getting together more often now that we’re going to be family.”
“I do, too.” We wrap it up in a group hug while doing a quick scan for my sister and Trixie, and there’s a heaviness inside me once I note their absence. Oddly enough, I think I realize that feeling isn’t quite for my sister as much as it is for Trix.