AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Evening,” he said, as he sat and lifted the bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pap and inspected the label. “Great taste, Bro, the 2009 was an excellent year.”
“I wouldn’t know since red wine’s main ingredient smells like the piss from a dehydrated camel.” Billie chuckled and Tricia snorted in response to my reply.
“I remember you told me that the first day we spent together.”
“First proper date,” I reminded her, and stared intently before widening my eyes at the memory of how we’d ended up going all the way even though I had intended on taking things slow with my shy girl. A confirmation of the way our connection had felt so natural between us from day one.
“Proper as opposed to improper?” Jeez, Billie was cute and blushed when he poked fun at my comment.
“I practically had to beg her to come to the diner with me,” I informed him, as I wandered over to my gorgeous girl and wrapped my arms around her from behind. Immediately she sank back into my embrace and my hand slid protectively to her bump. “She still makes me beg,” I muttered, knowing I’d embarrass her, but the flush of her cheeks was worth the smack in the chest she gave me when she wriggled out of my hold.
“Sickening, isn’t it?” Tricia asked James in a sarcastic tone, and he shrugged.
“I used to think so, having one woman for the rest of my life, but after seeing these two making it work …” Looking down at the bottle again he picked at the edge of the label with a wistful smile on his face, and I wondered what the hell had happened to my wayward bastard of a brother and who this imposter was?
Once the vegetables were prepped, we made our way to the couches in the living room and as we had one of those sectional ones, James sat at one end and Tricia sat at the other. Billie and I took the other three-seat couch and I spread my legs along it and Billie curled up by my side.
“Are there any topics of conversation we should avoid tomorrow?” James asked, glancing at Tricia and saw her smirk back.
“Nope, I just want it to be amicable for Colby. This is his last Christmas as an only child, I don’t want it marred by animosity and strained relations, although how we achieve this is …”
I cradled her head and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her mouth. “Baby, it’ll be fine. Trust me, have you ever seen me lose my shit with the guy?”
“Well … no but there’s always a first.”
“Not going to happen,” James chimed in. “I’ve never seen Sawyer lose his cool unless it was intentional.”
My curious eyes shot to my brother and I could see he meant every word. He knew me, despite all our differences he knew this about me at least.
“I’m going to make him play stupid games,” Tricia piped up. “I bought Colby Pie Face and three cans of whipped cream. I’ll fix it to ensure the handle is primed often for Logan,” she stated with a smug grin on her face.
“That should be hilarious,” Billie said, chuckling. “If you can get him to play in the first place,” she added.
“Gurl,” she said in a cocky tone. “Check me out, no man refuses this,” she said, waving her hand up at her face.
“I can imagine,” James muttered, then looked startled for a second when I eyed him, suspiciously. “I mean, someone as persuasive and pushy as you are, a guy doesn’t stand a chance. He won’t ever see you coming.”
“Bro, is that you speaking from experience?” I asked, glancing between them both and narrowing my eyes.
“No,” they both chimed in unison and Billie’s body stiffened, like she’d felt the same vibe when they’d answered, that I did.
“Is there something we should …”
James and Tricia stared at each other a moment too long and I knew they were lying, but both continued to deny their attraction to one another. However, their avoidance to sit close, James’s earlier intimate touch, and the speed they’d protested their innocence left me in no doubt, something had happened between them.
“Let’s get back to Sawyer’s question. Is there anything we need to know?” Billie asked, wagging her finger between us as she delivered her pointed question to her friend and my brother.
“No—what can I say, it’s weddings,” both James and Tricia answered at the same time. They both stared intently at one another again and burst out laughing. “Busted,” James muttered glancing toward Tricia and chuckled.
Tricia shrugged. “It was your wedding. We were both drunk … we had sloppy sex and it won’t happen again.”
“Sloppy sex?” both myself and James said. “I don’t recall you complaining at the time. If anything was sloppy that was on your end.”
Billie put her face in her hands like she was mortified, and I laughed so loud she pulled them away and shushed me. “Shh, you’ll wake Colby up and if you do, you’ll be staying up with him all night,” she admonished.
Tricia tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced at Billie, and for a moment I saw a hint of embarrassment that she’d snuck this past her friend, but it was fleeting, and her expression became defiant.
“What can I say? I was away from home in a strange house, and I didn’t know my way back to my room. James … assisted me.” The innocent look she gave us made me wary of believing anything else that came out of her mouth.
