Chapter 28 Misty #3
No, we are not thinking of Austen. Austen is deadish to us. But the part of me that will forever carry a flame for Austen, the part that does not like change, that is risk averse, who doesn’t quit a terrible job because what if the alternative is worse? That part of me is extremely concerned.
What if Talbot turns out worse than Austen?
I’m not trying to date him. It’s sex. Young women my age have sex with questionable men all the time.
Yes, but I don’t want questionable sex.
I mean, I do… But what I really want is a dependable man with job security whom my family likes, whose name my mom will not cringe at every time I say it.
The way Talbot’s watching me? I want to get on my hands and my knees and let him cum in me wherever he wants.
The gray eyes narrow. “You still have my cum on your nose.” He swipes at it and slides his fingers in my mouth right as the West family stampedes into the kitchen, drunk and energetic from the hockey game.
“So that’s where you ran off to! I approve!” Ryan’s cool sisters crow.
“I told ya!” Granny Keagan boasts. “I told you he’s so much hotter in person.”
“Hi, I’m Sara. I missed the engagement party accidentally on purpose because I was in solidarity with Misty, but apparently, I should have gone.”
“Obviously.” Her cousin isn’t even hiding how she’s checking out Talbot’s shirtless state.
Talbot steps away from me with one last caress of my cheek. He pats my hair and turns to Ryan’s family. “Heard you guys lost to the Rhode Islanders. What the fuck? I’m gonna have to burn my jersey.”
“Yeah, we lost! We should have won, but we lost!” Mason’s furious. “It’s all Austen’s fault.”
“Shut up, you fucking shit.” Austen clamps his mouth shut when Ryan raises an eyebrow.
“Guess you can buy the penis enhancement but you can’t buy the talent.”
“Mom, please,” Rachel begs Granny Keagan.
“Don’t listen to them, baby,” Brielle soothes Austen.
He shrugs her off. My ex keeps looking to the stairs and back.
Talbot has a meatball speared on that knife.
“My girlfriend made it. It’s really delicious. I had one earlier.”
Ryan’s cousins cackle.
Aunt Kathy turns her nose up.
“Oh, come on, Kathy, you don’t think he’s hot?” Her sister-in-law elbows her.
“Of course he is. I might have to swing for the other team,” Ryan’s brother jokes.
“Don’t you dare, Grandma Pam,” chastises Ryan’s older brother. “All of you, get your food and go sit down at the table.”
“Get some of this stuff,” Talbot says, pointing to the roasted-mushroom Taleggio cheese, roasted mushrooms, and caramelized-onion cheese dip. “It’s really good after strenuous activities.”
More giggles erupt from Ryan’s family. I get a dirty look from my mom, but I’m still concentrating on trying to stand up.
“Is there bread?” Jaxon and Caleb whine.
“I can—”
Talbot slaps a loaf down and starts slicing it a little too neatly and quickly, each slice perfectly even, cleanly cut.
“Found your bra,” Granny Keagan declares. It dangles from her finger.
“You were having sex in the kitchen?” Mom snatches it, balling it up.
“Sex!” the four-year-old screeches while my mom looks like she’s about to die.
“You should have been here earlier.” Talbot gives Granny Keagan a blandly friendly smile. “Then I could have gotten screaming applause as I was getting my dick sucked.”
“The cranberry brie!” I scream, trying to cut off Talbot, who seems hell-bent on ruining me.
The brie is bubbling out of the pastry casing when I rescue it from the oven.
“That’s mine!” Mason fights with one of his cousins.
“Mason, let other people have some.” Ryan tries to scoot his oldest son out of the way.
Mason digs in and saws off a huge hunk of gooey cheese, sending a mess everywhere.
“I’ll get a rag.” I turn to the sink.
“You spent all afternoon cooking. Go sit down. Besides, I have it on good authority you’re not going to be able to stand that long.” Talbot smirks.
“She needs to be able to walk. We have the big family hockey match tomorrow.” Ryan’s second-oldest sister nudges me as Talbot herds me into the living room, arm around my waist, plate loaded with food in the other.
“Behold the team list!”
Choruses of “Cheating!” and “No fair!” echo in the massive living room.
Talbot leans back in his chair and pulls me onto his lap like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
There’s jostling over who’s getting on which team.
“What do you play, Talbot?”
“Whatever my older brothers forced me to play.”
“Can you skate backwards? Yeah? Then you’re on defense.”
“You can’t have two good defenders on one team,” Ryan argues with his sibling—not Aunt Kathy. She’s not playing hockey. “Put him on Mike’s team. I’ll take Misty.”
“You play hockey, you cook, and I bet you even take it up the ass like a champ.” His hand tightens on my ass as he whispers the words into my ear.
“Just take me off the roster,” I tell Ryan’s cousin. “Mason wants pretzels, and I haven’t had a chance to start the dough.”
“You have to play. Besides, Mason’s not supposed to be eating all those carbs,” Ryan says.
My brother glowers at my stepdad and rips off a piece of bread.
“Hey, Mason might be on to something.” Talbot’s eyes dance with laughter. “I play beer league with this guy who, swear to god, swear to fucking god, all he eats are Hawaiian rolls, chicken nuggets, baby carrots, and beer. He’s the size of a fridge. Can’t bend down to put his own skates on.”
Ryan and Sienna’s dad are howling in laughter as Talbot recounts the story.
“First time I met him, I’m on the floor, stretching, warming up, ya know, and this guy, he looks down at me, just real confused, and’s like, ‘Boy, what the hell are you doing?’ and I’m like, ‘Warming up, chief. Aren’t you gonna warm up?
’ and no joke, the guy pulls out a six pack of beer and crushes it, like just annihilates it.
” Talbot holds up a hand. “Best skater on the team—passes like a dream, back-checks like no one’s business. ”
Talbot’s fitting right in with the West family. Like I never did.
Mike slaps his leg. “Sounds like we need to join a beer league, eh, Ryan?”
“If we weren’t wasting time coaching these clowns—”
“It wasn’t my fault we lost!”
“Yes, I know, Mason.” Ryan sighs.
Talbot’s already got the West family eating out of his hand. Like I never could. I feel so self-conscious sitting there on his lap like I’m one of the cool people. Imposter.
Talbot launches into another story.
I need to check on the food in the oven. He keeps his hand firmly on my lap.
“When I was a teenager, I had this brain-dead idea…”
I get an alert on my phone. Check it. Try to keep the horror off my face. The bank is depositing a loan into my account?
Aunt Kathy sees the expression on my face. “I bet it’s another man. She’s got so many irons in the fire.” She sniffs.
“You’re cheating on another man?” one of Ryan’s drunker elderly relatives slurs, half asleep in his chair.
“I didn’t cheat on Austen. He cheated on me.”
“He cheated on the game. He threw it,” Mason complains, mouth full of cheese.
“Shut the fuck up!” Austen snarls at him.
“Boys!” Ryan barks at them.
“People have bad games.” Austen storms out
“So yeah,” Talbot says, “I was like thirteen, and I decided not to wear a jock.”
“What the hell?” Ryan’s laughing.
“I felt that it was restricting my play. It went great! I played the best I ever had in my life—no, hear me out, hear me out—for like three months. Best ever in my life. Then we were playing the Harrogate U14 team, and this one kid just nailed me in the ball bag.”
Ryan and everyone else roar with laughter, doubled over.
“Like, what?” Talbot’s grinning. “I thought I’d figured it all out, then I spent the rest of the game wondering if I just dashed my hopes of ever becoming a father. Literally dashed!”
“And can you become a father?” Granny Keagan demands.
“I don’t know. Misty, you feel any Christmas miracles brewing?” He smiles up at me.
“I hope so. We need new blood on the team,” Mason declares.
Ryan grabs the back of his neck.
Thankfully, Austen’s not around.
It’s not fair, I think for a second. It’s not fair that they only just met him and they like him more than me. Well, not Grandma Pam. She hates us both equally.
I hear his deep voice echoing down the hall as I scurry off before they can see the smile leave my face.
The kitchen is empty. I give the Crock-Pots another stir and try to calm down. Try not to think about the fact that Talbot and I had S-E-X in this kitchen, right there on my mom’s countertop.
I lean against it and pull out my phone so I can focus my anxiety on something that, you know, actually matters.
I need to give the loan back. “How to cancel a—”
Austen comes down the service stairs into the kitchen.
I freak out, drop the phone, and rush to the oven.
Austen grabs my arm as I’m sliding another cheesy pesto roll wreath out of the oven.
“Misty, tell me you came through for me.” He’s rubbing my arm. Is it supposed to be seductive?
Now his hand’s on my boob. Definitely trying to be seductive.
The guilt is back. Talbot came back for me, and now I’m… what, letting Austen touch me?
Austen picks up my phone like he’s about to hand it to me then sees the screen.
“Misty, you did it. You got the money.” He leans in like he’s about to kiss me. “That’s my little mouse.”
“Um…” I duck.
Austen’s eyes narrow. “Don’t act like you don’t still want me.
Talbot’s nothing, you understand me? I know his type.
He’s just with you because he thinks you can get him access to Ryan West and the Dartmouth Demon.
He wishes he could be me, play for the NHL.
” Austen waves the phone at me. “This is a good start, but I need more money; this isn’t enough. ”
“I can send you this now at least, though,” I offer in a rush.
I don’t know why I said it. Why am I sending him this money?
“No, no, don’t.” Austen steps back and takes a furtive look down the hall to where Talbot has launched into another hilarious hockey story.
“Just hold on to it. I’ll let you know when I need it. But get more.” He shakes me. “If you love me, Mouse, you’ll do this. And don’t tell anyone, especially not—” He lowers his voice as Talbot’s deep laugh ricochets down the hall. “Especially not him.”