Chapter 43
CHAPTER 43
Brody
“Talk to me, Brody,” Charlee begs.
I take a sip from my coffee mug. “I don’t want to talk about it, Charlotte.”
“C’mon, dude. This is obviously about a woman. Maybe I can help.”
I didn’t show up for dinner at Pistorio’s as planned, so Charlee knew something was up. Big sis decided to pop by my condo to check on me.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I repeat. “Why is that so hard for you to understand?”
“It’s not hard to understand,” she replies. “But you’re moping , Brody. You don’t mope, especially not over a woman.”
I set my mug down and cross my arms over my chest. “I’m not moping . I just didn’t feel like having Italian for dinner last night.”
She throws her hands up in frustration. “Well, now I know something is wrong!”
I glare at her. “Because I didn’t want you to cook for me?”
“Yes!” she shouts. “You never turn down a free meal, especially if Mom or I are cooking! Not to mention the fact you wouldn’t answer my texts all week.” She digs in the back pocket of her jeans and produces her cell phone. “You’re forcing me to pull out the big guns. Just remember, you brought this on yourself.”
“What are you doing?” I ask nervously as she thumbs through her phone and taps a button.
She switches the call to speaker and holds her hand out. I try grabbing it from her the second I see the contact name, but the call connects after the first ring.
“ Mia cara ,” my mother says, in her thickly accented voice. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”
“Hi, Mamma ,” Charlee replies. “I’m over at Brody’s. You’re on speakerphone.”
Let’s pause for a minute to rewind. Do you remember when I told you my mother is Sicilian? What I failed to mention was that she’s really Sicilian…as in born and raised on that tiny island off the coast of Italy. She came to the US for college, which is where she met my dad and never moved back. Anyway, did you ever see the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where the Barones went to Italy? There was this teeny, little gray-haired woman that everyone was afraid of despite her small stature. Super pushy…always trying to feed everyone. You know who I’m talking about now? Well, that’s my mom. She always means well, and Charlee and I never wanted for affection, but she can be a little…overbearing at times .
“Brody! You need to call your mother more,” my mom scolds. “Your sister call me every day like good girl. You need to take lessons from Carlotta .”
I glare at Charlee. “Yes, Mamma .”
She smirks in return. “ Mamma , Brody is upset over a girl, and he won’t talk to me about it.”
“B.J.!” my mom shrieks. “Why you no tell me you have a lady in your life?”
Yep, she called me B.J . It’s her affectionate little nickname for me that makes me cringe every time I hear it. Do I really need to explain why? All the future parents out there, hear me out. If your kid’s first name starts with a B, and their middle name starts with a J, please never, ever , cut it down to initials. Trust me when I tell you that it will save your child years of embarrassment.
“Mom, there’s nothing to tell.”
“He’s lying, Mom,” Charlee says. “He didn’t show up for dinner last night.”
She laughs when I flip her off.
“Tell your mamma what’s wrong, amore . Carlotta , you make sure he eats before you go home.”
I groan. “I’m twenty-seven years old, Mom. I don’t need my mother or my annoying sister to feed me all the time or interfere with my love life.”
“Ha!” Charlee shouts. “So you admit this is about a girl!”
I grab the phone out of her hand. “Mom, I love you, but I’m not discussing this with you right now. I will call you later, okay?”
“B.J., if you no call me by tomorrow, I will drive to city to make you talk to me in person ,” she threatens.
“Bye, Mom.” I press the END button and throw the phone back to Charlee with a little more force than necessary. “You’re an asshole. I can’t believe you did that.”
She shrugs. “You asked for it.”
I sit on my recliner and pop the footrest open. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. Just drop it, Charlotte.”
She takes a seat on the couch cushion closest to me. “B, I don’t like seeing you like this. Talk to me. Who has you all wound up and why? I didn’t even know you were dating someone.”
“I’m not technically dating anyone.”
“But there is someone you’re fucking?”
I sigh. “Rainey.”
She raises her brows in surprise. “The nurse?”
“Yeah.”
“When did this start? I thought you said she was involved with someone.”
“That’s been over for a long time,” I tell her. “It’s only been five weeks or so since we started hooking up.”
“Five weeks is pretty serious for you, Brody. So what’s the problem?”
I scrub a hand over my face. “I feel like such a pussy right now.”
“Oh, shut it. Men are allowed to express their feelings. You know I’m a vault, B. Tell me what’s going on.”
I take a deep breath. “ I’m in love with her . I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with her for years.”
Charlotte gasps. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah, holy shit.”
“So, why is that a bad thing?”
“Because she refuses to take me seriously. Says we’re just scratching an itch, or some shit like that. She won’t even let me tell our closest friends—she’s really big on keeping the whole thing a secret. The five of us took Drew’s nephew to the zoo last weekend, and she freaked out when I accidentally kissed her in front of everyone.”
She slams a hand over her mouth. “How in the hell did you explain that?”
“Rainey made it seem like I was just being a handsy asshole, and I went with it. It was purely out of habit, but she’s acting like I did it on purpose.”
“Did she specifically say that to you?”
I shrug. “No, but we haven’t been doing much talking since then. Every time I bring it up, she practically jumps on my dick to shut me up, then kicks me out immediately afterward.”
Charlee tucks her feet beneath her and smiles. “Well, well, well…I never thought I’d see the day.”
I roll my eyes. “ Now what the hell are you yammering about?”
“Not only are you in loooooooove, but you’re being used for sex.”
I scowl.
“I’m not saying she doesn’t return your feelings,” she amends. “But she obviously has no shame in using you as a human dildo to avoid talking about it. I think I like this girl.”
“Thanks a lot, Charlotte. I’m really feeling the love here.”
She laughs. “Oh, don’t be such a baby, Brody. There’s an easy way to fix this, you know.”
I gesture for her to continue. “Oh, please impart your wisdom upon me.”
“You need to tell her how you feel,” she says matter-of-factly. “You need to keep your dick in your pants until you’ve hashed it out with her verbally .”
I’m sure I look as incredulous as I feel. “Are you seriously telling me I should withhold sex from the hottest fucking woman I’ve ever met?”
“Yep.” She adds a pop to the end of the word.
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” I mutter.
“No, it’s not. You’re never going to get anywhere if she keeps distracting you with pussy. She knows it’s your weakness. If you prove her wrong, she’ll be forced to take you seriously.”
Damn it, she may have a point.
“I don’t know…”
Charlee sighs. “Look, Brody. If you can manage to hold out long enough to have a serious conversation with her, telling her exactly how you feel, at least then you’ll know where you stand. One way or the other, you’ll know , and you can move forward.”
“Yeah, maybe. I guess it’s worth a try.”
She stands up and heads for the front door. “It’s definitely worth a try, little bro. I need to go run a few errands before heading to work. Let me know how it works out.”
I give her a half-assed wave. “Yeah…sure.”
“Well, hel-lo ,” Charlee purrs.
My eyes snap up to find Drew towering over her in the doorway.
“Hello to you, too,” he says. “And you are?”
Oh, hell no .
Do you see that sparkle in their eyes? The way they’re subconsciously leaning into each other? That , right there, is the reason I’ve kept Charlee away from him all these years.
I jump up and give her a little shove out the door. “Just leaving. I’ll talk to you later, Charlee.”
She stares at Drew appreciatively as she walks backward down the hall. “Yeah…sure. Se e you later.” She winks before turning around and ducking down the stairwell.
I push Drew inside and shut the door. “What are you doing here, asshole?”
“ That was Charlee? As in your sister, Charlee?”
“Yep. Now answer my question.”
He widens his stance and crosses his arms over his ridiculously wide chest. “Sure. After you answer mine. Is she single? And why in the hell have I not met her before?”
“Nope.” I shake my head furiously. “Don’t even fucking think about it. I’m still scarred from her little tryst with Riley.”
“ What the fuck ? As in my sister’s Riley?”
I roll my eyes. “It was years ago , dude. In Boston. And according to them, they never slept together. Supposedly one awkward kiss when he was dropping her off, but I never pressed any further because I didn’t feel like puking.”
My stomach rolls. The thought of my sister doing the nasty with any one of my friends makes me queasy.
Drew’s still staring at my closed door, contemplating something. “Interesting.”
I throw my hands up. “Why is everything so fucking interesting today?”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Nothing.” I wave him off. “Now, tell me what you want.”
“Dude. I’m here to help you plan an epic bachelor party. Devyn just told me you’re the appointed best man, so I’m making sure you don’t screw up the most important part of this whole wedding planning process.”
And people say I’m an idiot.
“I haven’t had time to think about it.”
“Which is exactly why you need me,” he insists. “I’m thinking Vegas. Picture it—topless pools and liquor by day, poker and strippers by night.”
“I’m pretty sure your sister wouldn’t appreciate all the naked women in this plan.”
“Pfft, she wouldn’t care. She knows Riley is fucking blind to other women. He’s just along for the ride.”
I laugh. “You do realize it’s not your bachelor party, right?”
“Yeah…sure. So what do you say?”
I grab a beer out of the fridge and throw it to him. What’s that saying? It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?
“Sure, buddy. Let’s talk about Vegas.”