Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 48446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 242(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 242(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
I ended up with iced tea, and afterward I was dragged to the living room, where Tristan pushed a controller into my hand and I was supposed to drive.
“You gotta hit the boxes ’cause there’s stuff in ’em.”
What?
“Weber, you hafta use both hands to steer and make the car go,” Victoria instructed me.
“Why are you driving into the wall?” Vanessa wanted to know.
Pip flopped down into my lap and tried to explain it to me again. At four, he knew what he was doing better than I did.
Tristan was cackling, Micah was giggling beside him, and Victoria, who was logical and thoughtful, figured she would show me how to work my car, demonstrating with her controller. Tristan kept making suggestions, interrupting her tutorial as I started to laugh. I gave up, told them all that Pip was driving for me, and told Vanessa, who was draped over my back, that she was strangling me. Once I stretched out, she lay down beside me.
“Hey, you guys, why don’t you let Weber come talk to the grown-ups?” Lyn told them.
But I excused myself instead and retreated to the bathroom because watching Cyrus talk to the setup guy was bothering me more than I thought it would. It was why I had not been able to give Mario Kart my full attention—I kept glancing over at him.
It was one thing to hook up and fuck each other’s brains out, but another to be at his parents’ house and pretend I could compete in any way. I splashed cold water on my face and stood staring at myself in the mirror, wondering why the man had ever even looked at me in the first place. My eyes were plain faded denim blue; my hair that looked ginger when it was long was now a darker red cut short, with eyebrows, lashes, sideburns, and stubble all the same rusty color. I had a square jaw, a nose that had been broken many times, and thin lips. Why did the man want me? Sticking around was a mistake, but an even bigger one was coming along for the weekend.
Heading for the door, I heard voices in the hallway.
“Jesus, Ross, I’m sorry.”
“Forget it,” Ross replied. “You had no idea your brother was into guys like that.”
“Shit.”
Ross laughed. “It’s fine. We’ll try again when the cowboy leaves.”
“Really? You’d give this another shot?”
“Are you kidding? I know you don’t get it, but unlike you, your brother is really hot, and on top of that, he’s a neurosurgeon.”
Brett sighed. “You’re a stockbroker. You make a fucking mint. What do you care?”
“Because dating someone who has their own money and isn’t looking for me to take care of them would be a really nice change, let me tell you.”
“But Cy was such a dick to you.”
Which meant that maybe I shouldn’t have been upset about Cy talking to him earlier.
Ross scoffed. “The man is a world-class surgeon. I think the ice-queen thing is part of it. You don’t see it because you’re family, but I bet that’s how he is with everyone he doesn’t know well.”
“I just thought you guys would make sense together, you know? I mean, you both live in the city, you both—”
“Give it a rest.” Ross sounded amused. “I’m gay, and your brother’s gay—that’s all you thought.”
“Well, yeah,” Brett admitted with a short laugh.
“Listen, I’m really glad to be your and Rachel’s only single gay friend so I could have the chance to be invited up here to meet your brother.”
More snickering from Brett. “I just, I wasn’t even aware he knew someone like Weber whoever.”
“See, just goes to show, you never really know your own family.”
“I guess not. God, I’m surprised my folks even let Cy bring him in the house.”
I leaned my head against the door and listened to the two men chuckle over me some more before they walked away, their voices trailing down the hallway.
I waited a couple of minutes, then returned to the living room. I took a seat on the floor between Micah and Tristan. In seconds, Pip was in my lap.
Angie called us to dinner, and I sat on the end with the kids, keeping a seat open next to me. There was one open next to Ross as well, and when Cy came into the room, Brett gestured for him. I pulled the chair out a bit, and Cy was there quickly, slipping into the seat next to me, leaning sideways to kiss the side of my neck. It was obvious who the man had chosen.
I talked to the kids, Cy talked to Lyn and Rachel, and when Tristan was done, he started to stand up, clearly ready to go do something else.
“Where are you goin’?”
He turned to me. “I’m done eating.”
“Oh?”
“What?” he asked, his tone defiant.
“Don’t say what, say pardon me.”