19. Tase #2
“Will my car be safe on the street overnight?”
“Sure, it’ll be fine. No one is going to bother it as long as you have it locked.”
“That’s not what Soren said,” she mutters.
I glance sideways at her to find her staring out the window at the darkening landscape. The buildings in town slowly shift into more suburban views.
Funny how everything centers around Soren. How we walk around on eggshells waiting for his permission, his forgiveness, his blessing.
Even me, despite being the oldest in our merry band of bastards.
Some men are born with natural charisma that shines a spotlight on them no matter what they do.
No matter how often I’ve fancied myself as that person, I’m nothing compared to Soren and the way he magnetizes people toward him.
Aiden is the same, even if to a lesser degree. I, apparently, was not so blessed.
“Do you think you’ll ever be friendly?” I find myself asking Gilli.
“Hmm?”
“With your stepbrother.”
“I’m not the one with a problem,” she says lightly .
“But you’ve never wanted to have a relationship with him.”
She holds her breath, her nose twitching. “You want to get into my personal life?”
“I think I’m just trying to make conversation while I navigate to the closest fast food place. My treat.”
“I’ll be brief, then, since you’re treating me to dinner,” she replies.
“It’s not a quid pro quo situation, Gillian.”
“Ah, back to that. You are a pain in my ass.” She settles in the seat with her hands folded on her lap, no ire in her tone.
“The past is the past, but I still have a bad relationship with my mom and dad. Each of them for different reasons. My mom’s new marriage brought Soren into our lives and he made it clear right off the bat he wanted nothing to do with us.
So the feeling, if it didn’t start out that way, is mutual now. ”
“I get it. Siblings suck.”
“I love my sisters, but yeah, they suck too.”
I bark out a laugh. “I’ve got one of them. She lives out in California. Wanted to get as far away from this place as possible.”
Who can blame her?
I pull up to the drive-through menu of a fried chicken place. “Any requests?”
Gilli waves her hand, and I’m hoping it indicates she has no preference before I rattle off an order for two family size meals. The more, the better. I know what kind of appetites Soren and Aiden have, and after barely eating enough myself today, I’m starving.
“I wanted to get out too,” I admit as I pull up to the window and draw my credit card out of my wallet.
Handing it off to the cashier, I wait for him to run it and return it before facing Gilli.
“I stayed for Dana. I don’t regret anything, but sometimes family can be stifling.
I’m not one to tell you that you did the right or the wrong thing. You have to do what’s right for you.”
“How magnanimous,” she says dryly.
But her smile is real and I find myself mimicking the expression.
“We all have our reasons for things. Will you judge me if I tell you it might benefit you and Soren to have a talk?”
“No, no judgment from me. I will tell you I have a better chance of pulling out a tooth from a hippo than I do of having a talk without him yelling at me. He has a terrible habit of getting enraged when I’m in the room.”
“It’s not my place to meddle.”
“Then you should stick to ordering food,” she quips.
My brows rise high. “Touché.”
Ordering food, keeping my thoughts to myself, and doing the same with my hands, although not necessarily in that order.
The window slides open and a different worker hands over two massive boxes of food. I hand the first box over to Gilli, then the second one, before filling the cup holders with four sodas.
“There’s enough here to feed an army.”
“Have some now if you want. No reason to wait until we get back.”
The chicken will be my peace offering with the boys, too. For taking away their girl.
And for bringing her back without a phone call.
“You’re not my daddy, Tase. Although you’d make a great one.”
“I’d have you over my knee in a heartbeat,” I admit. “Sprawled right across my lap.”
Where did that come from? The air in the car constricts, going anaconda tight and causing my lungs to spasm. Then she lets out a giggle, and I wonder if she’s amenable to the idea, considering her mental hang-up regarding her butt .
How would she feel about being spanked? If it’s someone who cares about her, respects her?
I have no business considering it.
Luckily for both of us, the ride is relatively short. I pull up at the cabin and cut off the headlights.
“Here we go,” I mutter under my breath.
“You almost sound as though you’re worried,” Gilli remarks.
As long as neither of us brings up what happened at the clinic, then we’ll be fine. But warning her, asking her to keep it to herself, not only makes it real but makes it one of those things I feel the need to ask forgiveness for.
I don’t want to turn it into either of those.
“Lead with the chicken.” It’s my only remark before I push out of the car, walking around the side to grab a box.
She clenches the other one to her chest and resists my help getting out of the seat. Joining them for dinner is normal. Something I would have done without her. Why is it hard to act normal around her?
I’m aware of her movements. The way her fingers clench around the doorknob and she doesn’t hesitate before she pushes inside and bellows out a greeting, overly loud on purpose.
“Dinner is served! And we have company.”