Gym Junkie

Ben dials a number on his phone. “Miller, it’s me. I need you to get over to... wait.” He turns the phone down. “What is Meredith’s mother’s address?”

Tully scrolls through her phone and brings up the address, passing it to Ben. He reads it out to Miller.

“What’s going on?” Tully whispers. “Brock, this is scaring me.”

I take her hand in mine. “I don’t know, babe, but you can’t go home. Why don’t you stay at your mother’s tonight? I have to do this work thing, and I don’t want you being anywhere alone.”

She nods. “Can you come over and meet my family before you go?” she asks hopefully.

I smile and lift her hand to kiss her fingertips. “Sure.”

“Brock,” she whispers. “Is Meredith in danger?”

I dust a thumb over her bottom lip. “We have some men on their way around there now. It will be okay.”

“Do you promise?”

I shake my head. “I can’t promise that.”

Ben hangs up the call. “We got two cars on their way there now. Let’s hope she’s there.”

I pull into the driveway and exhale heavily. Tully smiles from her place beside me.

“I met your family and now it’s time for you.”

“Yep.” God, I hate this shit. I don’t want to meet her family. I already know they don’t like me.

Suck it up… for her.

I get out of the car, and Tully comes around to the driver’s side, draping her arms around me. “Don’t say anything about me moving in with you just yet, okay?”

I clench my jaw. Here we go. “Why not?”

“Brock.” She widens her eyes at me. “We need to give them time to warm up to the idea of us first.”

“How about we just get married and really piss them off?” I reply deadpan.

She smirks. “The weird thing is that you’re so crazy, I actually have no idea if you’re joking right now or not, so I’m just pretending I didn’t hear that.”

I raise my eyebrow as she leads me up the front path.

“Hello?” she calls out when we get to the front door.

“Tully.” A man smiles and comes to greet us. He’s middle-aged and overweight, but he smiles my way, anyway. “I’m Michael,” he says to me.

“Michael, this is Brock. Brock, Michael is my stepfather.”

“Hi.” I smile and shake his hand.

“Come in.” He holds his arm out and we walk through the house. It’s small and quaint with dated furnishings. It’s also impeccably clean. We walk out into a large area at the back of the house that looks like an extension, and there I see Tully’s mother.

“Hello,” she says, faking a smile.

I fake smile back right back. “Hello.”

No love lost here. She still hates me.

“Where’s my little sis?” I hear a male voice call down the hall, and I turn just in time to see a blonde man swooping in to tackle Tully in his arms. He’s good looking, tall, and probably around my age.

I glance over to see another man come in from the back yard. He rolls his eyes at the man’s interaction with Tully. Hmm.

“Put me down.” Tully laughs as she slaps him.

“Brock, this is Peter, my stepbrother.”

“Hi.” I smile and shake his hand.

Peter looks me up and down, sizing me up, but I just look at him blankly. Does he have a problem with me, too?

“And this is Brad, my brother.” Tully smiles affectionately.

I turn and shake the other man’s hand. He seems to be around the same age as Peter, but with the strawberry blonde hair and similar features that make him look like Tully. This must be her biological brother.

“Hi, mate.” He smiles warmly, and we shake hands.

“Would you like a drink or something?” her mother asks.

I smile politely. “Just a soda, thanks.”

The two parents disappear into the kitchen and my eyes roam over to the mantle where there’s a huge photograph of Simon and Tully in each other’s arms on display. They’re at their prom or something, all dressed up. I hate that she has a past with him.

I clench my jaw. Calm, calm… keep fucking calm.

A Labrador comes running in from the backyard and Tully bends to pat him. I glance up to see Peter’s eyes drop to her ass. The edge of her G-string is showing slightly as her jeans ride down.

He stands there and stares as if nobody else is in the room.

What the fuck?

“So, what do you do, Peter?” I ask. I’ve seen him before but I’m not sure where from.

He glances up from his ogling of Tully’s ass, and he stands and folds his arms in front of him, spreading his legs. “I’m a detective.”

My eyes hold his. Yeah, I thought so. “Ah.” I nod. “Interesting line of work.”

“What do you do?” He raises a brow.

“I work for a security company.” I’m not telling him my shit. I already know this guy is a fuckwit.