Bonus – The Georgia Peaches: Fourth of July Weekend
From the anthology Hot Wicked Romances
Hey y’all, it’s Fourth of July weekend here in Senoia, Georgia, and let me tell ya, it’s gonna be one hell of a seventy-two hours. Tradition is that every year on this weekend, my sisters and I have all of our friends, the locals, and if anyone else wants to show up to our little shindig, they can. As long as they follow our three simple rules, it’s all good.
It all started four years ago when we were fourteen. Yep, you heard that right. My sisters and I are all the same age because, well, we’re the Georgia Peach triplets. We started with a small gathering with just our friends, but as the years went on, it grew into a full-blown weekend bash. No one knows how to do it like the Georgia Peaches.
We live in a white two-story farmhouse with our momma. City folk like to call it out in the boonies, but we just say it’s in the country, which makes it nice, because we have the acreage to accommodate whoever shows up to this gathering we put on. This year is expected to be huge, and I mean huge. Not only are we eighteen now, but we’re leaving for college in the fall. So I guess it’s like a going away party too.
Tonight will start off with music, dancing, and drinking around a bonfire. Most people just set up their tents and bring sleeping bags so we don’t have to worry about anyone drinking and driving. If someone tries, we put a stop to it, whether that means taking their keys or calling them a ride. That’s one of our rules: when you come out to party with the Georgia Peaches, if you drink, you ain’t leavin’ behind the wheel.
Tomorrow night we’ll go in town, watch the parade and fireworks, and then come back out for music, more fireworks, more partying, and another bonfire.
“Cyd, did you go to the store and get all of the food?” That would be the youngest of us triplets, Callie.
“Not yet. I’m getting ready to go now,” I yell back down the hallway from my bedroom door.
Walking into the kitchen, I grab my car keys off the kitchen table, along with the grocery list. I start up my Jeep Wrangler, then the passenger side door opens.
“I’m going with you,” Cayden says while jumping into the seat, turning the radio up all the way—I’m talking full-blast—playing Brantley Gilbert, and bobbing her head to the hot country singer. “This weekend’s gonna be so much fun!” Cayden yells over the music while I laugh.
“Hell yes it is!” I respond while keeping a steady speed on the gravel road.
Three grocery carts later, we’re ready to check out. Our cashier is Melanie, a classmate of ours that ended up pregnant our junior year of high school. She would never tell anyone the boy’s name, but we all had our suspicions that it was none other than Jimmy Ray. But ya know how small-town talk is.
Jimmy was the star quarterback for the high school football team—and the mayor’s son. He was the kind to do whatever he wanted with no consequences, like run the streets, cause trouble, and not keep his dick in his pants. But he was also destined to go on and do great things, leave this little town, and make something of himself. Once graduation came, he spent no time getting out of Senoia and went on to Harvard or some big-name college like that.
Melanie, however, didn’t come from money, and she didn’t have the best grades in school either, so no scholarships were coming her way. She always kept to herself unless it was a weekend party and booze was involved. I imagine now, with a toddler, she’ll be stuck working at this dead-end job with no help from anyone.
“Hey, Mel. Are you coming by tonight?” I ask as I unload one of the baskets.
“No, Jacob hasn’t been feeling well. I was lucky to find a babysitter just to be able to come to work. Have fun, though.” I look up at her and can see the sadness in her eyes. She was always so pretty, but now she looks tired, run-down, and doesn’t take much care of herself.
“Well, if he starts feeling better, you are more than welcome,” I say with a kind smile.
All through the parking lot, putting the groceries in the back, and driving home, I keep thinking about Melanie. I don’t know how she does it, and I don’t think that could be me. I feel bad for her, and I don’t understand why she made the choices she did.
“Hey, you okay?” Cayden asks when I turn the car off at home. “You seem sidetracked since we left the store.”
I turn to my sister that looks just like a mirror image of me, but with hazel eyes where mine are grey. “I don’t know how she does it.”
“Who, Melanie?” Cayden furrows her brows.
“Yeah, Melanie. Could you imagine what she has to deal with, Cayd?”
“No, not at all.” She shakes her head. “That is prime example of why we don’t mix feelings with a good time and always make sure he’s suited up before doing the deed. Now, don’t dwell on it, we have too much to do.”
Cayden is right—we never get attached, and we never let our feelings cloud our judgment. We made that rule the day our daddy left us ten years ago.
After unloading all the groceries for the bonfire, we all took our places in the kitchen. I got the hamburgers prepped, Cayden put all the hotdogs in a pan, and Callie worked on the different kinds of dips and chips. Momma got the grill and soda ready for us before she had to leave for work.
We have three rules when it comes to this weekend. Number one is no one is allowed inside the house. If they need anything, they know to come to one of us and we will be happy to get it for them. Only our closest friends are allowed in, to help us keep the picnic table stocked with food and drinks; other than that, you’re not getting in. Number two is no fighting, and number three is no one drinks and drives. So far, these rules have worked, so let’s hope it’s successful for this weekend also.
Now that all the major work is done, it’s time to get ready for tonight because people will be arriving soon. Out of the three of us, Callie has always been the one to take the longest, but I guess that’s because appearance is everything to her. I’m the tomboy, Callie is the girly girl, and Cayden is somewhere in the middle. I guess it works out better this way, because if we were all like Callie, Momma would go irate waiting hours for us to be ready to go somewhere. Instead, we’re all always ready by the time Callie is—and that says something for four women in one house.
“Damn it, Cayden! Yes, I’m almost ready. By the way, Brody will be here tonight.” Callie yells from the bathroom, where she’s taking forever, as always.
“Fan-fucking-tastic! Nothing like a friend with benefits.” I’ve been hooking up with him on and off for some time now; too bad we’re going off to separate colleges. I’m going to miss our adventures in his truck.
“Cayd, I really don’t think Brody is feeling that way anymore,” Callie responds, and I’m taken aback for a second, because I don’t know what she’s talking about. I don’t have time to dwell on it right now, though—let’s get this party started.
The DJ got set up a few hours ago, and people started arriving and setting up their tents. Now, they’re enjoying the good food, blaring music, and the bonfire as they walk around with drinks in their hands, talking with the same people they see every day.
The sun is starting to set, so it’s time for me to take a breather. I climb out of my bedroom window that leads to our roof. When I want to be by myself I like to sit up here; it gives me some space away from the craziness in the house with Momma and my sisters. I lay my blanket down, take my spot, and look up at the only star in the sky so far. “Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, wish I may, wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.” Closing my eyes, I wish for a good year at college.
When I first started coming out here, it was before our daddy left. Momma never knew because I would have gotten in trouble, being seven years old and climbing onto the roof. They were fighting all the time, so it gave me peace and quiet away from it all. I started making wishes for shit to get better, then for daddy to come back after he left. I was too young then to realize what a piece of shit he really is. As the years went on, my wishes changed, but this place always stayed my sanctuary. I’m going to miss this when we’re gone.
“Hey, I knew I’d find you up here.” Brody plops down beside me. Brody Masters has been my friend with benefits over the last couple of years, and, aside from my sisters, he’s my best friend. I’m gonna miss him too.
“Yeah, just wanted a minute to myself to think.” Lifting my legs, I wrap my arms around my thighs and rest my head on a knee while looking at his handsome face.
Brody has the whole southern boy look down to a T, starting with the t-shirts that have the sleeves ripped off so he can show his muscles. And muscles does he have! From his arms to his chiseled abs and thick thighs, he really is yummy to look at. I don’t know how he fits those thighs in Wranglers, but he manages, and God, that backwards baseball cap kills me with just a little dark-brown hair poking out. And those blue eyes I could get lost in are the color of the sky.
“You want me to leave you to it, then?” Brody asks while looking down at all the people partying.
“Nah, I suppose you can stay.” I bump his shoulder with mine, and both of us smile. “You gonna miss this place when we’re all gone?”
“I’ll miss some things.” He leans in, kissing the top of my head. “What about you?”
“Same. I was raised a small-town girl, but I never had that mentality like my sisters. Once I’m outta here, I’m not coming back.” I look up at the sky once again, seeing more stars shining bright.
“Don’t forget this will always be your home, Cayd. Don’t count it out just yet, because we never know what the future holds.” Brody puts his arm around my shoulder, and I lean into his hard body. We stay silent for a while longer as we watch all of the people below. “One last time to remember each other by?” he questions, and I have to laugh.
“I hope when you find a girl at college you’re more romantic with her.” Pushing away from Brody, I stand and remove my panties, giving a silent thank you to myself for wearing a summer dress.
“That’s the brilliance of us, baby. I don’t have to be romantic. You take me as I am,” Brody replies as he pulls his shirt up over his head then grabs me around my legs, pulling me close.
“You’re right about that,” I respond as I straddle his lap.
Brody’s rough, farm-working hands start at my calves just above the cowboy boots I have on, slowly gliding up over my thighs and around to my ass. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull Brody in close, placing my lips against his. Our tongues dance to a rhythm all their own as my fingertips travel down his tight and toned body until I land at the button on his jeans. Brody’s fingers find my clit just as I pull him free from his jeans. We work each other up into a frenzy until we can’t take it anymore—I need him inside of me.
Once the condom is secure, I slowly sink down on his hard, long length. Finding the perfect pace that we both love, I ride his cock, switching between rough and hard, then slow and steady. Brody’s hand grips the back of my long auburn hair, bringing my lips to his for another heated kiss.
As my hips rotate, his head goes back and his eyes close. This is my time to memorize how beautiful he is. It doesn’t take long for the burning fire to start building in my core. I work faster, chasing my impending orgasm, and Brody can, as usual, sense I’m about to come. He wraps one arm around my back and takes over, thrusting deep inside, hitting right where I need him to. My cries are muffled as he takes my mouth, swallowing the noises so no one below can hear. Brody follows suit as he bites down on his lower lip, filling the condom with his cum. We hold onto one another, catching our breath and letting the night air hit our sweaty bodies.
After a while, we get dressed and decide it’s time to get back to the party and see all of our friends before we collapse. One thing about Brody is he’s just like me: no need for all the mushy shit afterwards. We both got what we needed, and it’s time to move on. We don’t need to cuddle and comfort, we don’t need to have meaningless talk, and we sure as hell don’t need to make each other feel like this is more than just fucking.
The bonfire burns bright against the darkness of night. In front of me, the burning embers rise into the air before floating to the ground, burning out once they hit the dirt. Looking all around, I see everyone having a good time, but I keep thinking about the changes that are coming my way.
I know the university isn’t that far away, but I’m really going to miss Momma. It’s not going to be the same; everything is going to change. As I look around, I can’t believe that this is the last time we’ll do this. I can’t believe that we leave for college next month, and then we’re on our own. I’m over-the-moon that Cayden and Cydney will be there with me, but will we stay as close as we are now, or will we all find our own paths in life and go our separate ways?
“Hey, Cyd,” I say as I see her approaching, seeing the concern on her face.
“Hey, Cal, what you sittin’ here thinkin’?” Cydney asks as she takes a seat beside me, bringing me back from my thoughts.
“I’m just thinking about the future, going off to school, what’s going to happen when we get on our own.” I know that I’m taking it the hardest that we’re leaving.
“Cal, we’ll figure it out. Let’s enjoy this weekend, and then we can worry about the rest.” Cydney flings her arm around my shoulders and I lay my head on hers as we watch the burning fire together.
After a few minutes, I decide she’s right. No reason to ruin this weekend with my worrying. “Sounds good. Let’s get a drink and dance.”
“Atta girl,” Cydney says while shaking her hips.
Not too long after we start dancing, Cayden walks up to us and joins in. Grabbing each other’s hands, we jump around, spin and twirl, just letting loose like when we were little girls in our bedrooms and no one was watching.
We drink, dance, and party until early morning. This is going to be the best weekend of our lives.
I finish pulling my long auburn hair into a ponytail and take a look in the mirror. I chose my favorite black tank with my cutoff jean shorts, no makeup, and simple black flip flops to wear into town for the Fourth of July celebration.
Walking down the stairs, I yell, “Cal, Cayd, you ladies ready to go?”
“Hell yes!” they say in unison, one handing me my bag and the other dangling the jeep keys from her finger.
When we woke this morning, most everyone was already gone after the party last night. I imagine they left to go get ready as well. Later tonight, everyone will be back at our place, ready to party some more. The University of Georgia won’t know what to do when we arrive on campus in the fall.
Once we get into town, parking is a madhouse, but we find a spot about a block away, and all Callie and Cayden can do is scream, “We have arrived, bitches!”
I laugh, but join in. “Let the fun begin!”
We walk around town for hours, riding all of the carnival rides, playing the games, and flirting with all the hotness that is visual.
The parade just finished up as we round the corner, and fuck me if we don’t see the last person we ever expected to see again. Once upon a time, we all wished he would come back, but over the years, we grew up, realized how he really was, and never wanted to see him again.
Cayden looks at the two of us. “We gotta get the fuck out of here!” Just as much shock is written on her face as ours.
We race back around the corner, hoping he doesn’t spot us. Catching my breath, I tell them, “Damn, that was close!” With big eyes and my chest heaving, I know I probably look crazy right now. “Why the hell would he show up here and now?” I ask, a mix of emotions going through me.
“Cydney, why wouldn’t he show up? All these years, he’s stayed in the same area, being the boil on the ass of humanity,” Cayden says as we reach the Jeep. Callie can’t do anything but laugh—it’s her defense mechanism—and all I do is smirk.
“I don’t even care about the fireworks and dance anymore. That was enough excitement for me; let’s just go home and get ready for everyone to show up. Y’all, I can’t believe this is the last bonfire before college,” Callie says from the backseat.
“Me either,” Cayden and I both respond.
It was a quiet ride home, and then we went about our business, making sure the DJ was ready to go, food was prepped, drinks set up, and the fireworks set in position for later.
We’re going to close out this weekend with a bang!
People started arriving about an hour ago and I look around, realizing just how many enjoy their time here on the farm. “Cal, damn, there are more people here than last night. Let’s recruit some of the guys to help us keep an eye on everyone. There’s no way we’ll be able to do it on our own. Do we have enough tents set up in case someone needs one?” Everyone usually brings their own, but I like to be prepared in case someone needs somewhere to sleep.
“Yes, Cyd, we have plenty of tents, and no one will be going anywhere tonight. I’ll go ask Brody and some of the others to help watch everyone,” Cayden reassures, reinforcing that everything will be taken care of, and it lets me release the breath I was holding.
So far, there’s been no sight of our father, and it has me stressed. I hope he doesn’t show up here, trying to ruin the celebration. He would do something like that, though, the drunken bastard. We will just have to stay on our toes, keep our eyes peeled, and thank God that Momma is working.
The night is alive with friends, family, food, and fireworks. As I head into the house for a moment to myself, I stop dead in my tracks on the porch. The despicable man himself is standing at the door under the porchlight. Getting a good look, I notice he’s aged since the last time I saw him, and not gracefully.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Ted? Why show up now after all these years?” I ask, disgust ringing out sharp and clear in my voice.
“Oh, come on now, I’m Daddy, remember? Which one are you, again? Anyhoo, I can see my daughters anytime I damn well feel like it.” He staggers towards me, and I take a few steps back.
He’s drunker than I remember he used to be. It’s in his eyes, speech, posture, and the way he stumbles as he walks. My heart starts to race and my blood starts to boil. I don’t know what his plan is, but Momma says when it comes to Ted, it never ends well. If there is one thing she taught us about this man, it’s that, when the rage starts, there is no getting away. She instilled it in our brains since he left that we must stay away from our father at all costs.
“I don’t have to call you my father—you lost that privilege a long time ago. You, TED, are nothing but scum. No, better yet, you are the horseshit that people try to wipe off their boots. You have no right to be here, or to be called father by any of us. You need to leave!” I scream the last part.
Ted’s head snaps back with a rage roaring in his bloodshot eyes. Oh shit, there it is the rage that I remember seeing too many times for any little girl. Only, it’s not directed at Momma. It’s all for me, because my mouth can get me in trouble. With a speed I didn’t think he would have, Ted’s hand reaches out, grabbing a hold of my arm.
He’s in my face with his filthy alcohol breath, too close for comfort. “You little bitch! You will not talk to me in that tone! Do I need to show you respect like I did your mother?”
Once he’s done speaking, I brace for what I know will be next, but not before I get my last few words out of my mouth. “Like hell I will! You fucking piece of shit!”
I hear Cayden screaming my name just as Ted’s palm lands hard across my cheek. Son of a bitch, that hurt! I will not give him the satisfaction of one single tear, though. This fucking bastard has done enough damage already, and I’m tired of living in fear of him. He gets another blow in, and another, and another. I will not give up!
Damn it, it’s time for me to stand and fight like our momma couldn’t. It’s time to take advantage of his drunken stupor and put him down. I do the one thing that I know will bring a man to his knees. That’s right; I fight back by taking my knee to the bastard’s balls. As he drops to the ground, I bend down, punching, kicking, clawing, and scratching as screams rip from my throat. Cayden pulls me away as my own emotions of anger and rage begin to surface. To hell with this man that has hurt us so badly!
Tears cascade down my cheeks as I continue screaming. “Cydney. Cydney, are you ok?” my sister yells, directly in my face. “Take a breath, babe. He’s down, and the guys are carting him off,” Cayden informs me as she checks the swelling I can already feel. She grabs me in a tight hug, calming me down by running her hand up and down my back and telling me it’s okay.
As I look at my sister, all I can think is, Never again. No man will ever lay a threatening hand on me or my sisters—I will kill before I let that happen. My face fucking hurts, and my head is pounding. “Where’s Callie?”
“I don’t know, that’s why I came looking for you. She took off with Roger and has been gone for a while.” Cayden looks worried.
“Roger?” I question, before asking, “Why would she take off with him?”
“We were dancing and he came over, asking her to take a walk so they could talk.”
“Okay, let’s walk around and see if anyone has seen her.” We take off in separate directions, searching for our missing sister.
Dancing around and around with Cayden has me forgetting all about the future in this moment. The alcohol swims in my head, and I laugh at how ridiculous we look, but I couldn’t care less. Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I spin around and stop at the sight of Roger.
Roger was a boy that I tutored this past year, but we never hung out outside of school, so I’m a little curious as to why he would be coming over here, tapping me on the shoulder. “Hey, Roger.” I give him a kind smile.
“Hey, Callie. Will you take a walk with me? I wanted to talk to you about something.” He returns the smile.
“Yeah, I’ll walk with you.” I turn back around and tell Cayden that I’m going to go with him. She gives me a nod before dancing away from us.
We walk to the edge of the woods before I stop and ask, “What did you want to talk about?”
“Come on, just a little further and we can sit,” he responds, still with the smile on his face. In my drunken state I don’t think anything about it, so I continue to follow him.
He grabs my hand, leading me into the dark trees, away from everyone. I don’t know how long we walk or how far in we are before I start feeling funny about our isolation. “I think this is far enough.”
“Just a little farther, I promise.” I can’t see much of anything. I’m starting to get a little scared.
“No! This is far enough. Just tell me what you wanted to talk about.” My heart starts to beat faster as my pulse races.
“I wanted to tell you how thankful I am that you helped me pass History.” I can’t make out his face in the dark.
“You’re welcome, but I think I’m gonna go back to the party now.” I try pulling my hand free of his, but Roger’s grip tightens.
“You’re not going anywhere yet. I wanted to show you just how much I appreciate all the tutoring.” I hear an edge to his tone that I don’t like.
“No, that’s okay; you don’t need to show me anything. I want to go back now. Let go of my hand!” My body starts to shake.
“I said you aren’t going anywhere.” I don’t even see it coming when his fist connects with my cheek.
I go down to the ground and try getting up, but he is on top of me. I fight and flail against Roger, but he’s too strong. I scream, hoping someone will help me, but the booming from the fireworks drowns out all hope.
Roger’s hands tug at my panties, trying to get them off after he hikes my dress up around my waist. I kick around and throw punches at him, but nothing is working. Tears have started falling from my eyes and I can’t believe this is happening.
One side of my panties is torn and he is working on the other side. “Shut up!” he yells before backhanding me a couple more times. It’s hard and hurts; my vision blurs and I can taste the coppery flavor of blood from where he split my lip. My mind starts to shut down; there’s absolutely nothing I can do—he’s going to rape me.
All of a sudden Roger is ripped off of me; he flies backwards and the tall, broad figure neither of us noticed before says, “Go now!” in a deep voice. I can’t see who it is or what he looks like, but I waste no time. Jumping up, I run. I run as fast as I can, trying to make my way through the trees. The fireworks give me some light, but I fall a few times until I get to the clearing.
I run to the back door, fling it open, and run up the stairs to the bathroom. I turn on the hot water, making it as hot as I can. I don’t even worry about taking off my boots or my clothes; I just fall to the shower floor, letting the water scald my skin. I feel dirty, so fucking dirty as I scrub and scrub, trying to get the feel of Roger off of me. I don’t know how long I stay in the shower, but the water turns cold by the time my sisters find me.
They help me out and I tell them what happened. We call the cops, and when they arrive we inform them of all that took place with our father and Roger. We didn’t get in trouble for the underage drinking because of what transpired, but if it would have been any other time, I’m sure we would have. The police found our father passed out in his car, and Roger was lying unconscious at the perimeter of the woods, beaten and bloody. They were both arrested on assault charges, and Roger got an additional attempted rape charge.
My sisters and I stayed in the house for the rest of the night, not wanting to be around anyone. We held each other, giving comfort and support. I realized in that moment that no matter where we are or what we become, we will always be there for one another, and that sisterly bond can never be broken.
After the Fourth of July celebration weekend, we were well on our way to healing and starting to feel freer and back to normal. The summer flew by in no time, and, before we knew it, we were packing up all our stuff into a U-Haul, ready to leave for college. We will be leaving first thing in the morning; that will give us a week before classes start.
One last night in the place we call home. We know we will be back every once in a while, but we’re closing out a big chapter in our lives and moving forward with our futures. It’s bittersweet to think about.
We walk into the kitchen, where Momma is getting dinner ready. When she realizes we’ve entered, she starts the “be safe” speech. “Now, girls, listen to me. I want you to have fun, but you are there to learn, don’t forget that. Please promise me you will be safe. Be careful in all that you do.” She points her spatula at the three of us. “I’m not stupid—I know that none of you are virgins anymore. So… if you are going to be having sex, I hope I have taught you all well enough that you make him wrap it up. I am too young to become a grandma.” Momma turns back around to the food on the stove, leaving all three of us standing there with our mouths on the floor, just looking at her, dumbfounded. She keeps on talking. “You think I don’t know these things? Mommas know everything, and I was young once. Did I ever tell you about the time…”
“Momma!” we all say in unison, stopping her because we do not want to hear the story she was about to tell us.
After dinner, the four of us spend the night talking, pigging out on junk food, and laughing with Momma until it’s time to sleep.
The next morning, we say our tearful goodbyes to Momma. We jump into our Jeep and head for the highway to start this new adventure in our lives. What lies ahead, we don’t know, but the future feels good and as bright as we want to make it. University of Georgia, here come the Peaches! I hope you know what you’re getting into with the three of us, because we will be taking college by storm. There is only one way to do it, and that is the Georgia Peach style.