Tug and I are buddies, but he’d be more than that if I ever agreed to go there with him, which I won’t. He’s the little brother I never had, just like Liv is the sister I never had. For the last year he’s asked me out incessantly, and I eagerly await our daily banter. It adds substantial humor to my life – not to mention, Tug’s attention does wonders for my ego.
Liv stands up, pushes her palms into Tug’s chest, and nudges him toward the door. “Get outta my room.”
Tug mocks his sister by making faces and mumbling blah, blah, blah. “I’m going, but next time one of your boobie baskets ends up in my room, I’m hanging it from the tree in the front yard,” Tug threatens. He smiles wickedly and floor-surfs out of the room on his socks. He loves to antagonize Liv. She never ignores him, no matter how many times I tell her it’s the only way he’ll stop.
“You do, and I’ll kick your ass, Tug. I mean it!” Liv shouts at the doorway. With her head tilted, she cocks a brow at me. “Why are you laughing?”
I go to the dresser, and open several drawers, trying to remember which one I put my pajamas in. “Aw, come on, you gotta admit, he’s a riot.”
“He’s obnoxious, and you know it,” she argues. She talks with her hands, as she always does when she’s irritated, and it makes me laugh harder.
“True, but he’s also hilarious.” After opening the right drawer, I pull out a pair of PJs and turn to her with a sly smirk. “I’m going to take a shower and then find me some crap show to watch.”
She flashes me an annoyed grin and sits at the chair in front of her vanity. “No, you’re going to take a shower and then squeeze your sassy ass into a pair of jeans that show off your adorable curves, and then we’re going to hit the Gas Lamp for some fun.”
“The only thing my curvy ass is hitting is the cushion on your couch,” I sass-mouth her.
She smiles saucily. “Whatever, bitch, you’ll cave. You always cave.”
I do always cave — but not tonight.
“We’re leaving at six,” I hear her shout as I walk down the hall.
Brady
I told myself coming home this summer was a bad idea, yet here I sit in my truck, parked in the driveway of my parents’ house. I tap my thumbs on the steering wheel, contemplating what I hope to accomplish by being here, and slam my fist angrily on the dashboard as I growl my irritation.
On the outside, everything looks exactly the same as it did when I left. The trimmed palm trees and the manicured grass look as they always have, perfect. Unfortunately, while the inside may also give the same impression of what a home should be, that’s all it is. An illusion, designed to cover up what scheming and untrustworthy people my parents are. At the moment, there’s only one place I hate more than my apartment in L.A., and it’s the house I grew up in. But she’s here, and I have to see her.
I’ve never cared what women think about me. Hell, I’ve never cared what Tori thinks about me, but all of that changed the night I realized I might have feelings for her.
Thinking about Tori sends chills up my spine and heat to my groin. Much like the thoughts in my head, my gut is churning, twisting and pulling with nerves and anxiety. She has no idea how much I want her, and the last time I saw her was explosive. I don’t have a plan, but I should because when she finds out I’m here, it’s going to royally piss her off.
The desire to see her does nothing to convince me this isn’t an extremely bad idea. “Fuck,” I groan, recalling how shitty I treated her before I left. I’m sure she still hates me. It’s what she said to me the last time I saw her, I hate you, Brady. That’s only slightly worse than the knife-piercing question she followed with: How could you do this to me? My intention wasn’t to cause her pain, and I have to live with knowing it did, but that bed-jumping ass Jake wasn't worthy of her. She needed to know what kind of person he is before she moved away with him. I’m sorry I hurt her, but I’m not about to apologize because they broke up.
What I need to do now, is grow a pair and get my ass inside to face the music. I have to talk to Tori eventually, because I promised my ex-girlfriend Vanessa I would. Not much with Vanessa and me concluded well, but I still love her immeasurably. I have to keep my word. As my best friend, she read me like an open book. She flipped through the pages and knew Tori is the girl I want to be with. Vanessa convinced me that admitting my feelings for Tori is what I need to do. Now I’m home to try and do that. Even though things ended badly between Vanessa and me, I owe it to her to follow through on the last promise I ever made to her, no matter how grueling it’s going to be. Jesus, after what I did to Tori, I might have to deliver her the moon and the stars to earn her forgiveness.
Admittedly, the bigger predicament concerns my parents being here. They were the ones to withhold the truth from me my entire life, yet they expect me to continue the farce, and pretend everything is status quo when I walk through the door. I will — not because I’m weak, though. I’ll act accordingly because I love Liv and Tug, and they deserve the blissfully happy family they believe exists within the walls of their home.
I blow out a fractious blast of air, and swallow my pride like a nasty dose of cold medicine before I swing my truck door open with so much force it nearly comes off its hinges. When my feet hit the concrete, another wave of doubt hits me. My heart’s already racing and I haven’t even made it to the front door. No matter how I try to convince myself otherwise, this place will suck the life right out of me if I forget to breathe. Not giving a damn is easy. Facing your fears and desires is hard, as is reality, which right now is the beautiful, sweet girl living in my house. I have to try.
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With my guard up, I reach for the knob on the front door. When my fingers wrap around the cold metal, panic strikes me like lightning, zipping through my body and electrifying every nerve. I’m not ready to face my parents, but I have to see her. When I open the front door, the house seems unusually quiet, and I reluctantly step inside. No one's in the front room and my shoulders relax. I close the door behind me and set my bag down just as Tug comes barreling down the stairs. He smiles crookedly. I smile back and nod a greeting with my chin. He lunges for me, wraps me in a bear hug, and slaps me twice on the back. I shake my head, and wonder when my runt of a little brother turned into a full-grown man.
“What’s up, Brady? It’s good to see you. Mom and Dad said you’d be home for the summer, but they didn’t say when.”
His confused expression doesn’t surprise me. They knew I’d be here tonight. I figured they wouldn’t make it a special occasion, but Tug doesn’t need to know that. Things don’t appear to have changed between him and me. I plan to keep it that way.
“Yeah, I’m not sure if I told them when to expect me,” I respond. “Are they home?”
“No, they went to dinner with friends.”
That’s a relief. At least I won’t have to deal with them tonight.
“It’s good to see you, too, Tug.”
His closed-lip smile stretches his face, making him look every bit the little brother I’ve missed a great deal. “Well, I’m glad you’re back. You want a beer?”