The phone buzzed in my pocket but I ignored it. Probably Ainsley. Well, she could suck it. I wasn't in the mood to talk to her. She'd cheated on me. Kind of. On purpose. Made me look like a total ass. And I felt like one, too.. What the hell was wrong with me, anyway?

I drove around for an hour or so trying to answer that question before circling back to Rio's house. I took a little longer than because I went to Rio's ex-house first. When I pulled up, I saw Rio sitting on the stoop, his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped loosely together.

As I approached, I felt the inward niggle that something bad was coming. Rio sat up and spread his legs out, blocking the entrance to his front door.

I moved to the left, and he mirrored me. He also mirrored my frown. "What the hell, dude. I'm just going to get Ainsley."

"You're not."

My frown depend. "The hell did you say?"

"You're not getting Ainsley. She isn't here. And Stacy is mad at you so you can't come in."

"What did I do?"

"You bailed on the chick."

"So? That's between me and Ains." I raised my voice, so that I was sure Stacy could hear me. I wasn't pussy-whipped by her, that was the bed Rio had made. "She needs to keep her pretty little nose out of my shit!"

Rio sighed heavily and stood up, shaking his head. "James. Come on."

"What?" My gaze flickered to the doorway and Stacy was standing there. My lips curled into a grin. "I thought you said that when she was mad, the sex was hella better."

He glanced over his shoulder and groaned. "I never--" he shook his head at his woman before glaring at me. "You're a tool."

"Yeah, so everyone says. You'll thank me tomorrow though if Katie's theory holds true."

"Doubtful."

"Where is she?"

"I took her home. That's where you should go."

"Yeah." Home. If only I could go there. Maybe I could...

I pulled up in the driveway of my childhood house and sat in there for a moment, observing the house. The porch lights were on as if they were expecting someone but the inside of the house was all dark, which was odd because lights rarely went off in the house until well after ten.

There was only one way for sure to find out if anyone were inside.

I opened the screen door and turned the knob. It didn't budge, and I frowned at the offending metal. I tried once more, but the result was the same. The door was fucking locked. I stepped back and glanced around the exterior of the door searching for the doorbell. I'd heard the doorbell before, I was sure the house had one. Somewhere.

When I found the little rectangle which was tough because it wasn't lighted like I was sure it should've been, I pressed it firmly and waited. I counted to ten and then to twenty and when there wasn't an answer I pressed the doorbell again. My ear was cold from the door as I pressed in to listen and make sure the damn thing actually worked. I heard the bell on the inside of the house, but that was the only thing I heard.

I rubbed at my nose and looked around again. Where the hell could they be? There was literally always someone at my house. Most of the time it was my mother. For a moment I had a moment of panic, wondering if something had happened to her. I pulled my phone from my pocket and paced the yard as I dialed my youngest sister, she was still a good three years older than me.

"Hello?"

"Janie, it's me. Where the hell is everyone?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you high on something?"

"I'm at the house and no one is home."

"Excuse us for having lives, James."

"Is... everyone is all right?"

"Yeah. We're having dinner."

"Out?" My mother always cooked dinner. For as long as I've been alive my mom has always, always, always cooked every single meal. Even when she was sick, and we refused to eat anything she cooked she still got up and did her duties. "What the fuck?"

There was a rustle and then I heard Janie's voice, but muffled. "James is crying because no one is home."

"Tell him that I left some things of his in the backyard."

My mouth opened wide as I moved around to the back of house at the same time my sister was parroting what my mother had said. Sitting next to the garbage can was a box full of Tattoo magazines. I scooped up the box and headed back towards my car.

"What did you want James?"

"Nothing. Me and my girlfriend were just coming over to say hi."

Janie choked. I grinned.

"Your girlfriend? The one you like to play sex games with?"

"Yeah. And now she's in the car and pissed at me. Mom is making me look bad."

I heard Janie relaying things and my mother arguing with her.

"You should call next time. Before you come over. What's her name? Jana said you never introduced her." "Whose name?"

"Your girlfriend."

"Ainsley."

"Ainsley Reed?"

Fuck. I forgot that they knew her. It was a small town and while she'd been gone a long time, I was still best friends with her brother. My mouth said too much sometimes.

"Um, yeah."

Janie laughed, she got a good belly full of chuckles as I chucked the box into the backseat and climbed into my car.

"What's so funny?"

"You're such a fucking liar."

"I am not."

"You are, baby brother. Ainsley? She's Scott's little sister."

"So?"

"Did you and Scott have a falling out?"

"No."

"Then you're a big liar."

"I am not!" I revved up the engine and pulled out of the driveway as if that would drive my point home.

"Okay. Fine. Bring her over for dinner on Wednesday. Mom will make lasagna. Your favorite."

"Great. We'll be there." I ended the call and held my cellphone in my hand. I clutched it so hard that I thought I heard the phone crunching. What a pickle. I'd just stranded Ainsley at Rio's, no doubt she would be pissed at me, and now I would have to ask her for a favor. I was no stranger to groveling. I only hoped it worked as well on her as it had on my mom.