Tied with Me

“Me, too. Gimme the cupcakes, Montgomery,” Sam demands, her hands outstretched.

“Kiss my ass,” Will replies and holds the box close to him.

“There are a dozen in there,” Nic assures them all. “Plenty for everyone.”

“Are you kidding?” Will laughs. “That’s one serving for me.”

“Seriously, you have to share, babe.” Meg laughs and loops her arm through Sam’s.

“Why did we invite them?” Will pouts, then opens the box. “What kind are they?”

“There are some carrot cake, red velvet and strawberry shortcake.” Nic returns to my side and wraps her arm around my waist, as if we’ve been together for years.

I loop my arm around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head. She needs to be close to me right now to feel secure, and I’m happy to give that to her.

Fuck, I’ll give her anything she wants.

“We haven’t tried those.” Leo grins. “You’ll have to try something new, sunshine.”

“Happily,” Sam responds.

“Well, before you all get high on sugar, let’s have dinner.” Meg shoos us all into the dining room as she takes the pastry box from Will. “I’ll put these in the kitchen until later.”

“What’s for dinner?” I ask loudly. “I’m starving.”

“Chicken Parmesan with pasta,” Meg calls back as we all sit around the table, and Will sets one more plate.

“Lots of carbs,” I comment with a raised brow at Will.

“Fuck off, man, it’s summer.”

“Just saying. You don’t want to ruin your girlish football figure.”

Nic is watching Will move, his shoulders and arms. She appreciates men, and I can’t find any fault in that.

“Will has the hardest body in this family,” Sam mentions casually while sipping a glass of wine. “I don’t think one meal of pasta is going to ruin that.”

“Sam, do you want to run away with me?” Will asks sincerely. “You’re clearly now my favorite.”

“I’d have to kill you, and I can’t make records from prison,” Leo responds with a laugh.

“Sorry, football star,” Meg replies as she returns to the dining room with a big bowl of salad. “You’re stuck with me.”

“No one else I’d want to be stuck with.” Will sweeps Meg into his arms and kisses her soundly. “You sit. I’ll go get the rest.”

Meg sighs and drops down into her chair, a happy smile on her lips. “He’s hot.”

Nic lays her hand on my knee and squeezes. I love that she likes to have her hands on me, always touching me. It makes tying her up that much more fun.

She’s smiling widely, enjoying the banter of my crazy family.

“They’re fun,” she whispers to me.

“Just wait until you’re with all of us. It’s never dull.” I kiss her temple and turn to Leo. “When do you head back out on the road?”

“Not for a few weeks. We’re taking some time off.”

“Did you bring your guitar?” Meg asks hopefully.

Meg and Leo grew up together in several foster homes and have maintained the sibling relationship throughout the years. They didn’t speak for a while, but they’ve recently been reunited and spend a lot of time together.

“Not tonight.” Leo shakes his head. “I want to go over some lyrics with you after dinner. We just need one guitar for that.”

“You write songs together?” Nic asks and passes me the pasta.

“We have for most of our lives,” Meg confirms. “I’m better at it than he is, though.”

“You wish,” Leo tosses back.

“That’s so cool.”

“Do you play any instruments?” I ask Nic.

She nods and chews on some salad. “I’m classically trained in piano.”

I lower my fork to my plate and stare at her in surprise. “Seriously.”

“Yeah.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “My aunt was a concert pianist, and she taught me and my sister.”

“Cool.” Sam grins. “I play, too.”

“I always feel so musically stupid when I’m around them,” Will mutters with a laugh.

“I bet we can’t throw a football sixty yards,” Nic replies.

“And I can’t bake cupcakes to save my life,” Meg adds. “I can cook all day, but ask me to bake, and I’ll end up poisoning everyone.”

“What can Matt do?” Sam asks with a tilt to the head.

“He can…” Nic begins, but I clamp my hand over her mouth and laugh.

“I can arrest you for harassment,” I reply drily.

Nic’s eyes are smiling above my hand.

“Yeah, you scare me, Montgomery.” Sam’s voice is dry as she eats her meal.

“Have you heard from Caleb and Bryn?” Meg asks.

“I got an e-mail from him,” Will responds. “But it was about a week ago. He said they’re having fun.”

“They head back on Friday,” I reply. “I got an e-mail the same day you did. Sounds like Dom’s place is nice.”

“I’d love to take Meg there sometime,” Will replies and grins at his fiancée.

“You won that silent auction for a trip to Italy, remember?” Meg reminds him.

“That’s right.” He nods.

“You could swing by and check out Dom’s place while you’re there,” I suggest.

“Good idea.” Meg grins and takes a sip of her wine. “So, what else has been going on?”

“Luke is throwing a birthday party for Natalie at their place next Saturday,” Sam announces.

“At the new house?” I ask.

Sam nods. “Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

“It’s not far from here.” Meg grins. “So I can love on those babies any time I want.”

“When is Natalie due?” Nic asks.

“Not until this fall,” Sam responds. “Her belly is so cute. Nat is beautiful pregnant.”

“Nat is just always beautiful,” Meg adds.

“So is it going to be a pool party?” Will asks. “We can set up the pool volleyball.”

“Yep, pool party,” Sam confirms. “The parents are keeping all the kids, so it’ll just be the siblings.”

“Can you get Saturday off from the shop?” I murmur down at Nic.