My brother and my best friend were kissing. I couldn’t force myself to look away, no matter how hard I tried. This was not what I was expecting to see. Hell, I didn’t think I would ever see this. They loved to tease one another, and Macey was like my sister. How could they be kissing or even be together? I wanted to yell over at them, but I couldn’t speak.
I felt like my eyes were burning just watching them. The kiss probably didn’t last more than ten seconds, but to me it felt like they were sucking each other’s tongues for hours. My mind could not seem to wrap around the idea of Luke and Macey being together; it just didn’t sound right.
Looking at them, though, I wasn’t angry that they were together. Maybe they did look good together, and I couldn’t deny I had thought about them going out together. What I was most pissed about was that they didn’t tell me. It was clear as day they had been seeing each other for a while. This was just the first kiss I was witnessing. No, they seemed really familiar with one another.
I felt almost betrayed that my own best friend wouldn’t tell me she was seeing someone. I was pissed that my brother, my own blood, didn’t tell me he liked Macey and asked her out. No one told me! No one had the balls to straight out tell me they were seeing each other.
Sure, I would have been angry at first and kind of disgusted, but I would have been fine with it. Now I was not. I was more angry that they didn’t tell me. How long had they been going behind my back? That was what I wanted to know. It was almost like Amy and Ethan all over again. They didn’t tell us they were going out, and now these two.
Everyone had been hiding things from me lately, and I hated it. I hated that no one trusted me, or that no one thought I could handle the news. I was not some glass vase that needed to be handled with care. I could take whatever anyone had to say to me.
This just pushed me over the edge. I had thought Macey would tell me, since we told each other everything. I told Macey everything that went on with me. But had I really? I paused. Okay, maybe I hadn’t really told her everything that had happened these last few days, but that was only because she hadn’t been around much. Now I knew why.
A wave of anger hit me, making me clench my jaw. I was not going to just run away and not confront them. I was going to give them a piece of my mind for keeping this from me. I didn’t even hesitate as I marched over in their direction.
“Hey!” I shouted when I got near. The two of them jumped apart and looked around. I came to a stop in front of them and watched the color drain from their faces. They didn’t think they would be caught.
“Carter,” Luke said, and glanced at Macey with what looked like fear in his eyes.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out about you two? Did you plan on hiding it from me forever?” I basically screeched at them. My anger was getting ahold of me.
“Carter, we were going to tell you,” Macey said.
“When? When you are getting married?”
“Car—” Luke started to say but I interrupted him.
“I can’t believe you two! My best friend and my brother hiding that they are seeing each other. You’ve been sneaking around for God knows how long. No wonder I haven’t seen you much lately, Macey.”
“Carter, we are sorry. We wanted to tell you, but we thought we should see where it was going before we did that.” Macey said taking a step toward me.
“We thought you would freak out like you are right now.” Luke finished her sentence. I stared between both of them, my anger only slightly fading. Yes, I agreed that I would have freaked out, but give me a few minutes and I would have been fine.
“Yeah, well, I should freak out! It is quite a shock seeing two people you never knew liked each other making out!” The longer I stood there, the worse I felt. The anger was slowly going away, but all that was left was hurt. Hurt that no one told me anything and no one trusted me to understand.
I had nothing left to say to them at the moment, and to be honest, I needed a few minutes to myself to process this whole thing. Being here in front of them was not helping me at all.
“I need to go. I can’t be around you two right now.” I took a step back.
“Carter, we are so sorry! We didn’t mean to hurt you,” Macey pleaded as she reached for me, but my brother placed a hand on her arm. He knew I needed some space and for that I was grateful.
“I…you should have just told me, I would have understood,” I said softly. Not even glancing at them, I headed toward our apartment building, not once looking back. As much as I wanted to go run back to Gage’s, I knew I needed to think this through myself. Maybe later I would call him, but right now I needed to be alone with my thoughts. All I hoped was that Macey wouldn’t come after me.
***
Two hours passed, and I was locked inside my room. I was sitting at my desk trying to sketch, but all I was able to draw in the last hour was a circle. Yes, a circle. My thoughts were all jumbled, so I couldn’t really think straight.
I hadn’t heard Macey come home, and a part of me was sad she hadn’t come to talk to me yet, but another part was glad she hadn’t come home. As much as I wanted her to come and make up with me, I didn’t think I could do that right now. Maybe I was acting like a child, but I couldn’t help it.
After staring at my sketch pad for another ten minutes, I threw it on to my desk with a loud sigh. I was getting nowhere with it. I almost regretted not going to Gage’s after my little spat with Luke and Macey. At least I would have had someone to talk to.
My eyes were drawn to a picture on my desk that was of me, Macey, Luke, and Ethan, standing by the beach. I was of course standing next to Ethan because that was my only opportunity to touch his bare upper body. Next to me was Macey and Luke, both smiling widely. Of course, right after the photo was taken they started arguing that Luke had pinched Macey and whatnot. I just couldn’t see how they got together. One moment they are like brother and sister, and the next they were at each other’s throats. Sure, looking at them, they looked like a perfect couple, but never in a million years did I think they would actually date.
Sitting there, I needed to talk to someone. Not really wanting to annoy Gage with my problems, I decided to call the one person I knew would listen to me. I picked up my phone and headed to my bed. While I hit dial, I gently lay back on my bed, making sure I didn’t hurt my back in the process.
“Hello?”
“Hey Mom.” Just at the sound of her voice I could feel myself relax a little.
“Sweetie!” my mom practically yelled through the phone. I smiled up at my ceiling.
“What are you guys doing? Still in London?” I asked.
“Yeah, we are. You know your father, doesn’t leave until everything is perfect.” I could practically see her rolling her eyes right now. I knew what she meant; my father was such a perfectionist that if it wasn’t done the way he wanted, he would stay until it was. That always led to longer trips or longer nights at the office.
“Enough about us, though. How are you? How are your classes going?”
For the next few minutes I just talked to my mom about random, small things. It was nice just to talk to her. It felt like it has been forever since I last saw her, so I was making do with just her voice today. It wasn’t until a few minutes in that my mother finally said something.
“So why did you really call me today?” she asked.
“Can’t I just call my mom and talk to her?”
“No. I can tell something is wrong. Mother’s intuition.” I sighed.
“Everyone is hiding stuff from me. It’s like they don’t think I will understand or something.”
“Who’s hiding what from you?”
“Well first, Amy hid the fact that she is now dating Ethan.” I grumbled.
“Ethan and Amy are dating?”
“Mom, that isn’t the point here.”
“Okay, okay. Continue.”
“They didn’t even tell any of us. I found out when I saw them making out on the side of a building. I then ran into them at the ice cream shop, where they did admit it. But why did they lie? I would have been fine with it.” Even though I said that, I knew I wouldn’t have been. I still wasn’t.
“Would you be fine with that, honey? Everyone knows you have a huge crush on Ethan, so of course it is going to be hard hearing your friend is dating him.”
“I don’t have that big of a crush on him!”
“Yes, you do. The only people who don’t know is Ethan and your brother. Both are denser than rocks,” Mom mumbled into the phone. “Anyways, honey, they probably didn’t tell you because they wanted to see if they had actual feelings for one another, before telling anyone.”
“I understand that, and I have kind of made up with Amy for it. But still they hid that from me. And now I just found out Luke and Macey have been seeing each other as well!”
“Luke and Macey? Our Luke and Macey?” I nodded then realized she could not see me.
“Yup. They have been seeing one another for a while now apparently.”
“You father owes me ten bucks.”
“Mom! You and Dad made bets about them getting together!” I exclaimed through the phone. What was up with my family betting on things?
“Of course, we had to make things interesting. Your father never thought Luke would get up the balls to ask Macey out.” Mom giggled through the phone. “Did you hear that, honey?” I heard Mom call out to my dad over the phone.
“Our son is seeing Macey.” I couldn’t hear my father’s response, but my mom then said, “Pay up, bitch.” Why are these people my family again?
“You guys have a gambling issue,” I muttered into the phone.
“Honey, that is good news though. We have all wondered when they would get together.” She was silent for a moment before she spoke again. “That is who he took to the aquarium the other day!”
“Mom, you don’t get it! They lied to me this entire time. Every time Macey said she was studying, she was with Luke. Why didn’t she just tell me? How many opportunities did she have to say ‘hey, I’m seeing your brother’?”
“Honey—” my mom started to say, but I kept on talking.
“She is my best friend, like a sister to me. We are supposed to tell each other everything, and she hasn’t been. She hasn’t even been around much lately, and now I know why.” I was now sitting up cross-legged on my bed. “Even Luke could have said something!”
“Carter! Honey, listen to me,” my mom finally yelled through the phone at me. I shut my mouth and listened to her. “I know you are upset that they didn’t tell you, Macey especially, but you have to see it from their point of view. They were keeping it to themselves to make sure they would work out. Why tell you and have you freak when they would only break up the next day?”
“I get that. I just—”
“Your aunt and I had the same situation happen to us. I didn’t really tell her I was seeing your father and she never told me she was seeing Nick. We were both just caught up in our own lives. But look how things worked out now. All of us are happy. ”
“Sweetie, you are allowed to be mad at Macey. And I am sure she wants you to be mad at her for not telling you, but you can’t stay mad forever. They did what they thought was best. Luke and Macey are still in that ‘are we boyfriend and girlfriend’ or just ‘friends’ stage still. They want to make sure they actually like one another before saying anything to anyone. ”
“Be mad for a little while, but we both know you will forgive her. She is your best friend, so you can’t be mad for too long. Let both of them know they hurt you, then move on.” I was quiet for a minute, letting her words sink in. My mom knew me well enough to know I would forgive Macey instantly. I just hated that she was right.
“Fine.” I groaned, flopping back down on the bed.
“Wait until tomorrow to talk to her so you can have a clear head, then let her explain. Everything will work out.”
“Thanks Mom.” I smiled softly.
“No problem, sweetie. Don’t let your brother know we knew about them.” I raised an eyebrow at that.
“Why?”
“Oh, nothing. I gotta go, sweetie. Your father owes me ten bucks. Have a good night and text me tomorrow how everything goes.”
“I will, Mom. Thank you for listening to me.”
“It is what moms do. Goodnight, sweetie, love you.”
“Love you too, and tell Dad goodnight.” With that, we hung up. I stared up at my ceiling feeling better now. Moms know what to say in the right moment.
My mom was right about the whole thing. I was right to be upset, but I had to forgive and forget, even though it wasn’t that easy.
***
As my mother predicted, Macey and I made up the next day. Even though I was angry and hurt, I couldn’t be without my best friend for too long. Being like normal girls, the moment we met up at 95 Degrees after classes, both of us started crying and hugging one another. I wanted to be angry at her and my brother for longer, but it wasn’t who I was. I always forgave, which could be a bad thing at times.
Even after we made up and talked things through, I was still a little peeved, but I pushed it all aside. I could be happy for my best friend and my brother. I didn’t want to be “that” sister who ruined someone’s relationship over something stupid. So I did what I needed to do, and I forgave both of them.
Mace and I talked for a few hours about things we had kept from one another. I finally told her about hanging out with Gage, getting in a fight, and the kiss. To say she flipped out would be an understatement. Only when she had stopped freaking out and firing questions at me did she start to explain how she and Luke ended up together.
She told me how they kissed at the frat party a month ago, and things just went from there. She didn’t realize how much she actually liked him until then. I tried to engage in the conversation, but it was my brother we were talking about. The moment when she started to say he was a good kisser and knew how to use his hands, I had to cut her off. No sister wanted to hear that about her own brother.
When Mace did talk about Luke, I noticed her eyes lit up and had a small sparkle I had never seen there before. I had never seen Macey more happy or excited about someone before, and I knew my decision to forgive her was right. I knew deep down they were right for one another. As much as I hated them for keeping it from me, I understood.
Because of our little dilemma, I had to cancel on Gage. I ended up talking to Mace for longer than I thought and when I could finally leave, she dragged me over to Luke’s place to make up with him as well. I hated that I didn’t see him all day, but I knew it was more important if I hung out with her and Luke.
I had of course texted my mom and let her know things were okay. I found out they were coming home Friday, and that they wanted all of us to come over Saturday to see them and eat dinner. She of course made sure I didn’t tell Luke that they knew about him and Macey. When I asked, all she did was change the subject. I had a feeling my mom had something planned for Saturday, and I wouldn’t put it past her and Aunt Kay to do something.
That was why, when Saturday rolled around, I was hesitant about going over to my parents’ house. Sure, I wanted to see them after they’ve been gone for a few weeks, but knowing my mom and Aunt Kay, I was worried they were going to do something horribly embarrassing, and the worst part was it wouldn’t be about me.
Right now, I was getting ready to go over to my parents’ house with everyone. Apparently, Ethan and Amy were going separately and would meet us there while I drove along with Luke and Macey. Goody. Just another thing to remind me how single I was. I wasn’t sure if Gage counted or not, since we were “fake” dating. And I wasn’t even sure if that was still going on between us.
For the rest of the week I had met up with Gage to finish our English assignment. Because it wasn’t due until Monday, we only did a little bit every day, and it was a good excuse for me to see him. We still hadn’t talked about our kisses, or the fact that we were supposedly together. It just never really came up, or if there was a good opportunity to say something, I always ended up chickening out. Things were going good for Gage and me right now, and I felt like if I said anything, it would just make things worse.
I was liking how Gage was opening up to me and acting different. I was learning new things about him every day, and I was liking the things I was finding out. Like the fact that he actually was really smart and didn’t mind school, but he never would admit it out loud. Or that he wasn’t really a bad boy and it was all just a fake persona he projected. It was things like that that made me want to stick around him.
So there were just some things I never brought up. We just did what normal friends would do together, and it worked out well for us.
“Does this look okay?” Macey suddenly asked, barging into my room unannounced. I glanced over from where I was standing in front of my closet to look at her outfit. She was wearing a really cute dress that had a soft blue skirt that came above the knee, and a white top half that had thick straps and a heart-shaped back. It was super cute but way too dressy.
“Mace, you do realize it is cold outside and that a dress is really fancy, right?” I asked, turning to face her.
“Now I have to change again.” She threw her hands in the air and left my room. Wondering why she was freaking out, I followed after her.
“Mace, what’s wrong? You normally don’t a have problem picking out an outfit.”
“I have to look perfect. This is your parents we are talking about,” she said, quickly going through her closet and muttering under her breath.
“Since when do you care what my parents think? Macey, you have met them before. They could not care less what you wear. You could show up in sweats and they wouldn’t notice.”
“Carter, this is the first time I am meeting your parents as your brother’s girlfriend. They aren’t just like my parents anymore, they are his. I am going up against every girl he has ever brought home, Car!” I could tell she was starting to panic.
“Macey.” I stood up and went to her, placing my hands on her shoulders. “Look at me.” Her eyes were wide, but she looked at me.
“You have nothing to worry about. Out of all the girls Luke has brought home, which has not been a lot by the way, you are definitely the best. My mom already loves you like a daughter, so why would that change? Cause you are dating Luke? No matter what you do, they will like you. Plus, they don’t even know you guys are together,” I said, looking her in the eyes. I lied about them not knowing, but she didn’t need to know that part.
“Okay, you are right.” She breathed out slowly, relaxing a little.
“Even if you tell them, they won’t mind at all. Not even your parents will mind.”
“Shit, my parents!”
“Macey, don’t panic. Your dad loves Luke like a son, so it isn’t like he isn’t going to approve, and let’s be honest, your mom will be happy either way.” I sent her a smile hoping to calm her back down. It did the trick because her shoulders relaxed under my hands and she sent me back a small smile.
“Yeah. Okay. I am good.” She breathed out.
“Now change into something warmer and less formal please.” Macey let out a light laugh. She nodded, though. “I am going to change as well.” I quickly left her room to finish getting ready. Mom wanted us there at one—why so early I had no idea—so we only had an hour to finish getting ready and get there.
Just as I got back into my room and started looking for something to wear, my phone started ringing. Not even glancing at the screen I picked it up and answered, still leafing through my closet.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” said a familiar voice through my phone. I paused and raised an eyebrow.
“Gage?”
“The one and only,” he teased through the phone. I rolled my eyes but found myself smiling.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” It wasn’t every day he called me.
“Just seeing what you are doing.”
“Yeah, sure. But if you must know, I am getting ready to go to my parents’ house. What are you doing?”
“Just got forced to play wingman for Dylan tonight. I was actually going to see if you wanted to go with us.” His words made me pause and raise my eyebrows. Gage wanted me to go along with them? Well, that was a first. Not knowing what to say, I decided to go the teasing route.
“Is Gage Harper asking me on a date?” I teased.
“No. I was just being polite,” Gage grunted. If only I could see if he was blushing through the phone right now.
“Well, thank you for the offer. As much fun as it sounds helping Dylan pick up girls and for them to throw themselves at you, I have to be over at my parents’ in an hour, and I don’t know for how long.”
“Someone sounds jealous.”
“You didn’t hear anything else, did you?” I asked, rolling my eyes and going back to look for an outfit.
“Nope!”
“Guys,” I muttered into the phone. I finally grabbed something to wear and pulled it out of my closet.
“You get worked up so easy, Princess. It is fun to annoy you.” I could practically see him smirking through the phone.
“Yeah, yeah. Is there anything else? I have to get dressed.”
“So you are talking to me naked? Who knew you had it in you, Princess?” Even though I wasn’t naked, I felt myself blushing.
“Oh, shut up! I’m hanging up now.”
“Okay, okay. Let me know when you are done at your parents’ house, maybe you can still drop by.”
“I will. Can’t promise anything though.”
“That is okay I’ll just sit here, lonely, waiting for you.”
“You, lonely? Yeah, right.”
“Yeah, you are right. Girls just fawn over me,” Gage boasted.
“As lovely as this conversation has been, I have to finish getting ready.”
“I’ll let you go then, Princess.” Gage laughed. “Have fun at your parents’.”
“And you have fun being a wingman.”
“I’ll let you know if he scores.” I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, do.”
“Bye, Princess.” I smiled, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Bye, Gage.” Still smiling like an idiot, I hung up. Even a dumb conversation like that could make my heart flutter and make me smile like a teenage girl. Shaking my head at myself, I sat my phone down and grabbed my clothes to change.
Because it was nearing the middle of October, it was starting to get chilly. This last month had gone by so quickly that soon it would be Thanksgiving and then Christmas. You could tell winter was coming soon, as everyone was switching out their shorts for jeans and leggings.
Grabbing the pair of black leggings I pulled out, I quickly pulled them on. Well, more like wiggled and bounced around my room for five minutes trying to get them on. After I did all that, I slid on a simple black t-shirt and finally my super cute maroon sweater. Because it wasn’t absolutely freezing, I was okay with wearing a thinner sweater.
I pulled on a pair of cute brown lace-up boots and got to work on doing my hair and makeup. Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to add a few extra curls to my hair, to put on some mascara and concealer—if my mother saw the bags under my eyes, she would worry—and to put on some deep maroon lipstick that matched my sweater.
Once I was all ready and had my purse filled with what I needed, I left my room and headed to Macey’s. Hopefully she wasn’t stressed out again and had changed into something warmer. I didn’t think she would be so weird about impressing my parents. The same parents that practically raised her.
“Ready to go?” I asked, peeking my head in.
“Yup.” As she grabbed her own purse, I was happy to see she changed her outfit. Instead of the cute summer dress, she was now wearing a simple light pastel pink sweater, a pair of really washed-out skinny jeans, and matching pink booties that had spikes on the sides. It totally screamed “Macey” to me. It was simple yet cute.
Once we made sure we had everything we needed, we left the apartment and headed downstairs. Macey texted Luke saying we were ready once we reached the stairs, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Luke was already downstairs waiting.
Over the last three days I had had to put up with Luke and Macey being all lovey-dovey. It was nauseating, honestly. Sure, I was happy for them, but it was still gross and weird seeing them kiss. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to get used to them being together.
When we left the building, Luke was there leaning against the wall waiting for us. I rolled my eyes even though it was pretty gentlemanly of him. Luke had definitely changed a little since they have been going out. Once I found out, I started to realize how differently Luke acted. Instead of flirting with any girl that came by, he only had eyes for Macey.
I’d watched him not even break eye contact with Mace when a very pretty, long-legged, brunette walked by. Not once did he look back at her or anything. I even noticed he actually listened to what Mace had to say. It was a different side of my brother than I was used to seeing.
I was used to him flirting with anything that had boobs. Going from one girl to the next. But this Luke was all eyes for Mace. I liked it, and I was glad he was acting this way. Macey didn’t deserve some womanizer guy or jerk like Luke. At least he was noticing that now.
“You look beautiful, Mace.” My brother breathed out once he saw her. I watched her blush a little, but a smile was spread across his face.
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” she said before going over to him. Immediately their arms went around one another, and they kissed. Gross.
“Come on, love birds, let’s go.” I cut into their kiss after a few seconds. Not even waiting for them to follow, I turned and headed for the parking lot. I did hear them behind me a minute later, Macey giggling.
When we reached the Jeep, I was forced to be in the back so Mace could be up front near Luke. Couples, I tell you. Thankfully, though, through the ride neither of them did anything too disgusting. I might be okay with it but not seeing it, mind you.
“So do you plan on telling Mom and Dad?” I asked Luke once we were getting closer.
“We probably should. Maybe after dinner though,” Luke said, and Macey nodded.
“Don’t want to give Mom a heart attack during dinner,” Mace joked.
“Yeah, right,” I muttered softly.
“What was that?” Macey asked.
“Oh nothing.” I waved her off. Fortunately, we pulled up not too long after. Not seeing Ethan’s car here yet, I figured we beat him. Although Macey’s parents’ car was on the other side of the driveway. Yeah, this is going to be fun.
“Let’s get this over with,” Luke muttered before getting out of the car. He quickly went over to the passenger’s side and helped Macey out. He really was becoming a gentleman.
When we walked to the front door, I saw Macey give Luke’s hand a tight squeeze before she untangled hers. She didn’t want to just walk right inside with their hands together. With them giving me a nod to open the door, I did. The moment I stepped inside, I stopped in place, as did Luke and Macey beside me.
“Congratulations!” my mother Layla and Aunt Kay suddenly yelled at us. They pointed up to a huge banner that said ‘Congratulations It’s A Boy!’ but the ‘It’s A Boy’ was crossed out and placed above it were Luke and Macey’s names.
“Kay did the signs,” Mom said immediately as we read the banner. Kay of course slapped my mom’s arm.
“What is going on?” Luke finally asked. He glanced at Mom and Aunt Kay. Our dad and Macey’s stood in the back staring at us.
“Congratulations on getting together!” Mom yelled and rushed toward him. She wrapped him in a tight hug before moving onto a frozen Macey. As embarrassing as this was, I couldn’t help but want to laugh. I quickly covered my mouth so I wouldn’t get in trouble. I moved over to Dad watching Aunt Kay and Mom hug the death out of the two of them.
“You finally got together! Can you believe it, Kay? Our babies!” Mom gushed. From here I could see both Luke and Macey were red in the face. So this was what my mom had planned. Nice.
“Hey Dad,” I said while Mom still gushed at Macey and Luke.
“Hey sweetie.” He pulled me into one of his famous bear hugs I had missed. I pressed my face against his chest, breathing in his scent. I didn’t realize how much I missed him until I was hugging him. Back when I used to see him every day, I didn’t think I would ever be away from him for so long, but now in college I didn’t get to see him every day. Yes, I was a daddy’s girl, and I was not ashamed.
“How was Europe?” I asked.
“It was good, you know, besides work.” He smiled down at me.
“You work too much, Dad,” I commented before Uncle Nick grabbed me into a hug himself. Both gave the best hugs, I swear.
While they turned back to watch their wives attack their children, I moved around them and squatted down to love on Sammy, our dog. Why you couldn’t have a dog at campus I don’t even know. When Sammy finally got sick of me and went to greet Luke, I noticed a familiar girl coming out of the bathroom.
“Lizzy?” The sixteen-year-old jumped and turned to face me, her eyes widening.
“Carter!” She suddenly came running at me. Macey’s younger sister ran into my arms, pulling me into a tight hug. It has been so long since I last saw her. She wasn’t here the last time we had dinner, so it had been a good two to three months.
“You finally came to eat with us commoners,” I said, sending her a smile as she stepped back. I looked over the younger version of Macey. She had definitely changed since I last saw her. Her hair was dyed a dark brown color, instead of the pretty honey-brown it had been before. Her eyes were a light blue, which struck out more from her hair. She was taller and was about the same height as me. Her baby face was turning into a mix of her father and mother’s face. High cheek bones, plump lips, pretty face. She had definitely grown into herself lately.
“Just what Mom said too.” She rolled her made-up eyes at me, but still smiled.
“Look who it is,” a new voice said. Macey walked in and hugged her sister. Elizabeth tried to act like she didn’t like a hug from her sister, but I could tell she missed her.
“Yeah, look at the girl who caused this whole thing,” Liz shot back at her sister.
“What? I didn’t think Mom or Aunt Layla would know about me and Luke. Nor would they get a banner!”
“It is all she talks about lately.”
“How did she know?” Macey asked her sister. All Liz did was gesture to me with her head before leaving the room. “Carter?” Macey turned to look at me.
“Traitor!” I hissed at Elizabeth, who just winked and left the room. “What is up with her?” I asked.
“She is going through the whole ‘I hate everyone, especially my family’ phase. That is why she hasn’t been around when we come over. Too obsessed with her friends and apparent boyfriend.” Mace rolled her eyes at that.
“Liz has a boyfriend?” I raised an eyebrow.
“So my mom says. Dad isn’t too thrilled.” I smiled. Nick was just as bad as my dad with being protective of his little girls.
“I bet.” We both laughed at that. “Oh, and hey, now you don’t have to tell my parents or yours about you and Luke,” I commented.
“Yeah, about that. You told your mom.”
“I…uh…maybe,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “I was upset and needed someone to talk to, so I called Mom and it slipped. I just didn’t think they would do this,” I admitted.
“Car, it is okay. It is embarrassing, but hey, it’s easier than us telling them.” She shrugged.
“You’re right about that.”
“Girls, come help us finish with lunch!” Mom yelled. Rolling our eyes, we headed in the direction of the kitchen. The day was just getting started.
***
“I can’t believe you bet on us!” Luke exclaimed as we all sat around the table eating. He was sitting next to Macey with his arm wrapped around her. Next to them were Ethan and Amy, who arrived not long after we did. Mom was just as excited to hear about them being together, and she gushed around them.
I swear the only people here without anyone was me and Lizzy, but she had a boyfriend that just didn’t come, so technically I was the only one. Great! Note the sarcasm there.
So far lunch, or I guess early dinner, not sure, was going well. Like always, Mom had tons of food to eat, which all the boys ate like they hadn’t seen a meal in ages. It was nice to be home with my family and hear about what we had missed in the last few weeks. You never know how much you miss your family or things like this until you don’t do it as often.
“So anything new going on with you, Carter?” Aunt Kay asked after a little bit.
“Uh, nothing much honestly, just school.” I shrugged, taking a bite of my pasta salad.
“Really? Nothing interesting happen since we last talked?” There was a glint in her eyes that I couldn’t place.
“She got a boyfriend.” Amy suddenly butted in. My eyes widened at her words and my head snapped in her direction. I heard silverware hit plates.
“What?” Both my brother and father, Ashton, said at the same time. I winced at their voices and glared at Amy. She shot me an apologetic look. Everything was quiet as they waited for my answer.
“Uh, nothing,” I said, looking down at my plate. Right when I thought the day was going to go smoothly. |
“Carter Miller, what did she say about you having a boyfriend?” my father asked. It was his business tone, and it could make anyone shake. I wanted to lie and say no, but Gage and I kind of were dating. As far as Ethan knew we were, even though it was fake. I wasn’t even sure it was still true between us but if I said no, Ethan would know I was lying.
“Uh, yes.”
“Who?” Luke said this time. I dared a glance up and saw my father and brother were leaning forward staring at me. The others were leaning back quietly. Even my mom was quiet. So much for help.
“Gage.”
“Gage? As in Gage Harper?” Luke spit out.
“Who’s that?” my father asked, turning to Luke.
“A guy on campus. He isn’t a good guy, Carter.”
“You don’t know him, Luke. You can’t judge him by what you hear,” I said, feeling angry that he was saying that about Gage. He had no idea what he was like.
“Carter, he is a womanizer and I heard he does underground fighting. That doesn’t make for a good boyfriend.” I could see my father’s eyes widening at that and looking back at me.
“You actually believe those rumors?” I said, even though they weren’t rumors. “Gage is sweet and kind. He isn’t what people say about him.” I glared at my brother. From the corner of my eye I noticed Macey smile at my words.
“Then I want to meet him,” my father said. I turned to look at him with wide eyes.
“W-what?” I squeaked out.
“I want to meet this Gage Harper.”
With my mouth hanging open, I stared at my father not registering his words. He wanted to meet Gage. Gage who I wasn’t even dating, who barely tolerated me, and now he had to meet my overbearing family. Yeah, this was going to be a disaster.
Read on for a sneak peek at the next book in the Silent Love series!