Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
WESTON
“I told you, it’s right there.”
“I don’t think so. If it was right there, I’d be able to see it. And I can’t. Therefore it’s not there.”
“That logic doesn’t work because I’m literally pointing to it right now.”
“Whatever. You are totally wrong. And we’re going to be late. How could you do that to me?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, telling myself that this was almost over. I only had a few more months of twin sisters sniping at each other over something that was probably so ridiculous it didn’t make any sense.
I pushed my hair from my face, annoyed because I had been on my way to take a shower. I needed to wipe off my workout, get the sweat away, and then try to pour the coffee directly into my veins so I could make it to work without damaging something. Mainly myself and my sanity.
“Sam. Sydney. Are you too serious right now? It’s seven in the morning.” I looked at the clock over the stove. “Correction, it’s not even seven in the morning. I thought you two had some form of practice.”
“I don’t know why you’re saying that as if you don’t have our schedules permanently engraved into your head.” Sam grinned at me. “Plus, we already figured it out. Her notebook was just under those papers. Right where I said they would be.”
“No, you said they would be on the table. This is the side table. Totally different thing.”
Then the two little miscreants winked at each other, hugged one another, and proceeded to babble on about some form of gossip that I really didn’t want anything to do with.
However, because my life was only about these two twin girls and my other brother, I sadly knew way too much about this information.
“And Candace is seriously stressing. Because Haylee and Kaylee were supposed to go to prom together, but instead they’re going to ask different dates. So now instead of a group of three friends, two of them have dates and one doesn’t.”
I paused in the act of pouring coffee. “I thought Haylee was dating Jason. When did they break up?”
Sydney rolled her eyes. “They broke up ages ago. Seriously. They decided that they were going to go to different colleges so why bother dating now? Plus neither one of them wanted to have sex, since getting pregnant or getting an STD is so last century.” She rolled her eyes and continued her conversation as if I hadn’t interrupted with my pesky question.
It’s not like I really wanted to know the answer, but as I had been raising my twin sisters for eight years everything that had to do with the two of them was my life. Whether I liked the information or not.
Then her words caught up with me. “Wait, they’re not having sex?” I asked and then took a very large gulp of my too hot coffee. “I don’t actually want to know these things, but really. Does that mean you two aren’t having sex with your boyfriends?”
Raising teenage girls had already given me my first gray hair.
At least, I thought it was a gray hair. I was thirty-five years old and had a single silver hair right at my temple.
The girls loved it and thought it made me distinguished.
And they thought maybe I would finally catch a wife.
Their words, not mine. I blamed them for everything.
Because I loved the two little miscreants.
“We’ve had the sex talk before. I don’t know why you’re harping on it now,” Sydney said, while she put her attention back to her phone. Her fingers moved like the wind, and I wasn’t even sure how she could type that quickly.
“And it was a very descriptive talk. Full of support. You did great.” Sam held up both thumbs, as if I wasn’t ready to scream into the void.
“Do I really want to know what this conversation’s about?” Lance asked as he came down the stairs and shoved me out of the way to get to the coffee.
While the girls were eighteen, Lance was now twenty-six and starting business school.
He wanted his MBA, and there was no stopping him.
I had been able to get him through college, but the MBA was all on him.
Thankfully his internships and scholarships were making it so he wasn’t starting his life off in complete debt.
But I hated the fact that I was a mechanic.
I might own my own business, but this was a small mountain town.
I serviced the cars and trucks and vehicles for five to eight different small towns in the area.
Not to mention every tourist that came by and needed help.
That didn’t mean I had the type of money to send three kids to colleges of their choice, or grad school and beyond.
Mom and Dad had left behind enough of their provisions and life insurance to get us by, but it wasn’t enough to do everything.
“You’re getting that look on your face again. What do you blame yourself for now?” Lance asked, and I flipped him off before draining my coffee and going to pour another one.
“I have a shit ton to do and stop making fun of my face.”
“But it’s such an easy thing,” Lance said as he wrapped his arm around Sam’s shoulder. “I mean, you make it pretty easy, big brother.”
“He’s right about that. And don’t worry, I am not having sex.” Sam beamed, and I choked on my coffee.
“Good to know.”
“Seriously? You and Mason haven’t…” Lance asked, his voice trailing off.
Sam blushed, shaking her head. “No. We like things the way they are. And Weston always told us that sex changes things. Maybe when we’re in college, but no. That’s not our thing.”
An odd sense of relief slid through me at that, and I told myself that all three of my kids knew what the fuck they were doing. They had strong heads on their shoulders, and I didn’t have to worry too much.
And then Sydney opened her mouth.
“Steve and I have tons of sex. I mean everywhere.”
I glared at my baby sister, the bane of my existence. “You better be joking.”
“I thought you said that it was my body, my choice. As long as I am adult enough to vote, and to make my own decisions, I should be able to have sex with somebody that I love and am in a committed relationship with. Or, I could have sex with anybody I wanted as long as it was safe. Consensual. And we aren’t doing anything that hurts someone.
Because there is no such thing as being a slut.
Only someone who is irresponsible with theirs and other’s safety and heart. ”
Lance just blinked at me over his coffee, as if telling me that this was my ball in my court.
I missed my parents every damn day.
But in this moment, I missed them more than usual.
“You know what. I don’t care if you’re fucking with me or not. You know the rules, just don’t lie to me. And be safe.”
“Of course I’m being safe. And I am just messing with you.
” She winked at me, and I didn’t know if she was messing with me because she hadn’t had sex with her long-time boyfriend or hadn’t had sex everywhere.
Sydney was a handful, and I loved her to death.
And she had a nearly full-wide scholarship to her college.
All thanks to field hockey and academics.
Sam had similar scholarships, but for soccer and academics.
Thank God my kids were smart, talented, and gave me gray hairs. Or rather, gray hair .
“And on this note, I need to go shower and not deal with any of this.”
“So you need to go get ready so you can meet Isabella,” Sydney said, fluttering her eyelashes.
I froze on my way upstairs, and turned slightly, glaring. “Excuse me?”
“Mrs. Hanford saw you and Isabella totally making out behind The Pantry.”
“And Miss Stacey said that the two of you seemed to know each other. And that Isabella is one of the Cages. That means she’s Dorian’s sister.” Sam nearly swooned as she said Dorian’s name, and I rubbed the spot between my eyebrows.
“I’m not going to justify an answer to anything you just said.
” Mostly because for a man who had lived in a small town his entire life, I had fucking forgotten the way small towns worked.
Of course even though I had tried to hide my kiss with Isabella, or the fact that I was even speaking to her, everybody had seen.
Or at least, one person had seen, and now everybody knew.
There was no hiding in this town. Hence why Isabella was here in the first place.
And at that damning thought, bile rose in my throat, so I swallowed it down and glared.
“And stop thinking about Dorian that way. He’s too old for you. ”
“Older men are hot,” Sydney said as she and Sam bumped fists.
“You really are going to have to beat up your best friend’s brother, aren’t you?” Lance asked sweetly, and I flipped him off.
“Thank God Dorian has a head on his shoulders and is used to dealing with women throwing themselves at him,” I mumbled.
“We wouldn’t throw ourselves at him. Plus, he’s old. Like you,” Sam said before the twins got their bags and ran out of the house giggling.
Lance blinked slowly. “Somehow they’re confusing me more now than they did when they were pre-teens and screaming for some boy band with funky hair.”
I made a gesture toward Lance’s hair, and the fact that his bangs were nearly past his forehead. “Are you one to talk right now?”
“It’s a look.”
“And you were screaming for that boy band right alongside them. I have recordings,” I teased.
“If you’re going to bring that up, I’m going to ask about Isabella. Because I remember that name.”
I froze and turned to look at my brother. “What?” I asked, my voice coming out sharper than I intended.
“I might have blocked out most of that time for good reason, but I remember Isabella. I remember that name.”
“Don’t, Lance. Just don’t.” My free hand fisted at my side, and my grip on my coffee cup tightened.
“I’m not going to make fun of you for it. Not with that look on your face. But the girls remember that name too. They weren’t as young as you think they were.”