Writing A Wrong (Write Stuff 2)

I exhaled deeply, moving my gaze away from Alec's sweatshirt. "No, but I'll make it work. Are you still coming Thursday?" I changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the bomb Olivia had dropped.

"I've been thinking about that, and I think maybe I should bow out this year."

"Bow out? Not on your life, slick. Besides, Tony's been looking forward to it," I teased.

She snorted. "Your brother has a Teflon ego. I'll give him that. You'd think he'd get sick of me shooting him down."

"You know you can throw him a bone and actually go out with him once. Except for his wet willies, he's really not all that bad."

"No way. It's too much fun toying with him. Besides, I told you I'd never risk our friendship by going out with any of your brothers."

"Liv, our friendship will never be at risk. I personally feel you secretly have the hots for Tony. You're just too afraid to admit it."

"You wish," she muttered. "I'll see you Thursday and we can go over the schedule in more detail."

She hung up before I could tease her any more, but something in her voice made me think I might be onto something between Tony and Liv. Tony had been making a play for her for years. Olivia continually shot him down before he could even get his flirt plane in the air, and man, did we give him shit for it. Still, he hasn't given up. The idea that she might actually say yes was both intriguing and a bit unsettling. I loved Olivia like a sister, but even I couldn't deny her praying mantis reputation. If she ever went out with Tony, there would be a chance she'd leave him chewed up in pieces. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

***

Two days later, Alec and I were making our way up the sidewalk to my parents' front door as I balanced an apple pie and a pumpkin pie in each hand. We could hear yelling coming from inside the house before we even reached the porch.

Alec looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "Do we even want to go in there?" His concern was cute, but I wasn't worried. I could handle whatever lay behind that slab of wood.

"That's normal. Can you get the door for me?"

Alec draped a protective arm around me as he opened the front door. His need to shield me was flattering, but even he couldn't save me from this kind of madness. Hell, even he wasn't safe. Alec might be a strapping six-foot-something specimen with abs of steel, but that meant nothing once we stepped through the door.

The octave level intensified the instant we opened the door. The loud ruckus was nothing new to me. After all, it was the holiday season. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving in my childhood home without a bunch of rowdy guys, and girls for that matter, yelling at the television. I could understand what it must have looked like to an outside observer, but when you grew up in it like I did, you tended to become immune. Alec's concern changed to bewilderment when a pillow sailed across the room, smacking Zachary square in the face.

Zachary cackled with laughter. "I told you the Cowboys were going to choke. Why you continue to bet against the master is beyond me."

His taunts were met with collective boos and hisses from the rest of the room.

"My family gets into their football," I explained to Alec as we stood waiting to be acknowledged. My family was a loud bunch during normal occasions. Add a little pigskin into the mix and we were like a pack of wild animals.

Alec's face eased into a grin."I gathered that," he said, fist-bumping Tony, who had just noticed our arrival.

Tony deftly caught the pillow that Zachary chucked back at him. "Dude, please tell me you're a Cowboys fan. I need the support."

Alec shook Dad's hand and accepted a hug from Mom before answering. "Sorry, bro, me and the Cowboys don't mix."

Zachary crowed with delight. "Spoken like a true football fan. Stay away from the dark side. Losers get the beanbag chair," he said, pushing Tony toward the isolated spot in the corner no one else wanted. In a family of five, favorite spots were coveted and fought over. Usually a bet was involved, which would explain Tony's sour expression as he tried to put Zachary in a headlock.

"Hey, mind the table or you'll be watching the game from outside," Dad chastised them, rescuing his beer and Mom's glass of wine before they could be knocked over.

I handed the pies to Mom and walked over to my grandma to give her a kiss. She sat in the rocking chair, watching my brothers acting like a pack of wild dogs with a mixture of amusement and dismay. Grandpa was settled at the end of the couch next to her. "Grams and Pops, this is my friend, Alec," I said, waving Alec over.

"It's nice to meet you," Alec said, walking toward my grandparents with his hand outstretched. He greeted Grams before turning his attention to Pops. "I've heard a lot about you, sir."

"Eh?" My grandpa looked at Alec with a sour, confused expression on his face.

"I said, I've heard a lot about you," Alec repeated loudly.

"What? I have something on my shoe?" Pops answered. Alec looked to me for help, but it was my grandma who rescued him.

"Henry, stop it. You're embarrassing the young man," she said from her chair.

"Yeah, Pops. Take it easy on him," I added, kissing him on the cheek.