“What?” he muttered, distracted, but turning in my direction.
“We should go ask Emma to meet us. Even if it’s just one more time. What do you think?” I asked though I could guess what his answer would be.
His eyes cut back to Emma. I nudged him again.
“So?” I prompted. “Are you game?”
He scowled at me, and I thought that if dad hadn’t given express orders that we behaved like perfect little angels—heh, did he think we were still toddlers—or else, he would probably have hit me.
“Do you even need to ask?” his eyes slid back to where Emma was coming up the aisle in front of her mother, with whomever she’d been partnered with. It was a guy we both knew from high school, but he’d been older. Abe frowned, and then turned to me. “My answer is hell yes, and you should know that already. I feel the same way about her, too. But I don’t know if we could convince her.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, frowning at the procession. I knew they had to touch each other, but I didn’t miss the proprietary hand he placed on the small of her back, above the low cut of the dress, and I wanted to go over there and rip him off her. “I know she came here yesterday morning. I went to her mom’s place to look for her, but the bridesmaids wouldn’t let her come out.”
Abe turned his frown to me. “You went without me?”
“I would have dragged you along, but you were off with dad doing I don’t know what. Still, my point is, if she’d really wanted to come out and see me, she would have.”
“So, she’s avoiding us.”
“Yeah.”
But there was no way she could anymore. As she marched down the front, the bride coming up behind her, she saw us, and I could see her eyes go wide. Had she expected us to not be there? Or did she want to see us, just as much as we wanted to see her?
Then everybody was sitting down and the ceremony was starting.
I didn’t pay attention to most of it. I wanted to keep my eyes on Emma the whole time, but she sat in the aisle opposite ours, a couple of seats behind. So, I couldn’t exactly look at her without being obvious about it. I behaved like a good little boy the entire time, Dad would have been proud, but by the time the bride and groom said ‘I do’ and went to sign their certificate, I was more than ready to bolt out of my seat, drag my brother with me and go get Emma so we could all leave and go do something more exciting.
But finally, we were all standing again, screams and shouts celebrating the newly wedded couple. I looked around for Emma, but she was moving with the other bridesmaids, following in her mother’s wake, about half the guests already moving and blocking her from sight in seconds.
I cursed under my breath, feeling a little frustrated. Abe did hit me, cuffing me in the back of the head, but I didn’t think anyone else noticed.
“Calm down, all right? After this is the reception. Emma’s definitely going to be there so just wait a bit.”
I didn’t want to calm down. But I didn’t want to make a scene either. I stuck to my brother, and we mingled with the crowd, also part of Dad’s orders. I smiled the entire time and played the part of the charming twin. Some friends from high school were there for the wedding, pretty much the whole town had been invited, actually. Everyone even chipped in after Dad stopped keeping it a secret, though we did give him the money he’d asked us for.
We made our way to the reception with everyone else. It’s not like it was even far, just on the other side of the garden where the wedding had taken place, but I was looking around for Emma the entire time. Photos were being taken, and we got cornered to take some with Dad and his bride, but she wasn’t there, and we moved on.
Finally, after what felt like too long, I saw her. She was dancing with the guy she’d been matched with. They were one of a few couples moving in the space left around the arranged tables. We both saw her, but Abe was faster getting to her, moving away from me as I followed at a slower pace. He got to them while I was still a few feet away, so I didn’t get to hear what he said after cutting them off. Whatever it was, the other guy suddenly realized he had to be somewhere else.
I limped a little, trying not to make it obvious until I got to them. Luckily, we were at the edge, close to a tent, so none of the other dancers got closer, and no one approached us.
Emma looked up at both of us, nervously licking her lips, looking like a woman cornered. I didn’t like it, that we had to resort to those sorts of tactics just to see her.
“Hey, Emma.”
“You look beautiful,” I told her sincerely, instead of all the words I wanted to say, that sounded vaguely like accusations in my head.
“Hey, guys,” she murmured, glancing around, before looking up at us again. “Um, so how have you guys been the past few weeks?”
“We’ve been fine.” It wasn’t a total lie.
“I see your casts were taken off.”
“It might have been a little too early for Carl,” Abe said, and I glared at him, the damn traitor. “He got a brace for the leg so the injury doesn’t get aggravated, but we met with a physical therapist and the prognosis is he should be fine unless he does something too strenuous too soon.”
“What about your jobs? Racing?”
“We do have something on the schedule, but we have time. Hopefully, we’ll be good enough to go by then. If not, we’ll have to cancel.”
I didn’t like it. We’d never had a cancellation, unless it was because of bad weather, in the seven years we’d been racing competitively. Our team was keeping the news of our injuries low until we absolutely had to make it public in the circuit. At least, we hadn’t gotten any calls from our sponsors about their concerns.
“Look, Emma,” I cut in over whatever she’d been about to say. “To be entirely honest, I wouldn’t be here even for my dad’s wedding, all I wanted was to see you.”
“I probably would have come anyway, but we’ve wanted to see you for a month, now. Since our last night at the hospital.”
She shushed us, taking another quick look around. “You guys shouldn’t be talking about that.”
“There’s no one close enough to us to hear. A lot of the people here are getting too hungry to be nosy, waiting for the food. They won’t care what we’re talking about.”
“But you don’t know that,” she shot back. “This town is all about the latest news and rumors. Remember the first night you guys approached me? I said we had to be discreet. Especially in this town.”
“We both know that. We wouldn’t do that to you.” Or wouldn’t want to, but accidents did happen. I looked around, just in case. “We just want to talk to you. And not over the phone, but face to face. Please, Emma.”
“We’re talking now,” she pointed out.
We both gave her matching looks for that. She kept her stance for a second longer, then sighed, shoulder slumping as she ducked her head.
“I missed you guys. But I can’t just disappear from the reception, not this early. And I refuse to talk here, where anybody could walk by and wonder, or just look at us talking and start something just because of that. It’s my mom’s wedding day, the only one I’m ever going to get to attend, and I don’t want to ruin it for her.”
Her expression, when she looked back up, was imploring. When she moved around us, neither of us went to stop her. Then Abe sighed, put his arm around my shoulders and dragged me over to a table.
“Come on and sit down before you fall. You’re not fooling anybody.”
“No?” But I groaned quietly in relief once I sat down. I must have been feeling worse than I thought.
“No. Be smart about this and do what the therapist said. If you intend to ever get on a bike again, you’re gonna need to be in top shape. Just wait here. I’ll get us some food. And don’t worry about Emma. She isn’t leaving right now, and neither are we, we’ll just look for another time to talk to her.”
Yeah. Unless she just runs from us again.
The thought was bitter, a match for the smile curling on my mouth. But then someon
e sat next to me, and when I turned, I saw one of the girls I’d taken to prom senior year. I didn’t have any interest in her, but I gave her the same smile I used to get her to agree to go with me to prom when I already had a couple of other dates.
Chapter Twenty
Emma
“Emma.”
“Hmm?” I turned to my mom, distracted.
I kept trying not to look around at the guys and failing each time. Everyone had eaten, so people were mostly just mingling. Mr. Thomas had been taken away by a group of his friends to go and discuss ‘guy stuff’, leaving me with mom. Carl was still sitting down, but Abe had gotten up to dance a couple of times.
When Mom didn’t immediately say something, I paid a little more attention to her. She was watching me through narrowed eyes, her lips pressed together in a tight line. It was a suspicious look, and it had my heart beating unevenly in my chest.
“What is it, mom?”
Her face smoothed out and she smiled as someone she knew passed by us. Then she turned back to me with a slight frown.
“You’re looking at your brothers that way.”
My heart jumped guiltily, and I carefully arranged my face into an innocent expression. “What way?”
“In a seductive way.”
She commented so plainly, she might as well have been talking about the weather. I glanced around quickly, even though I knew there was no one close enough to hear her murmur. She wouldn’t have said it if there was a chance of it, but still.
I also just wanted to look away from her accusing gaze. My eyes kept drifting on their own, I didn’t think I was being so obvious about it. But she noticed. I fought back a blush, knowing it would give me away as if I’d admitted to it.
“I’m not looking at them in a seductive way, Mom. And either way, I am a grown woman. They are two, very attractive young bachelors. It’s not like I’m the only one looking. I’m qualified.”
I stood my ground even though her eyes narrowed on me again. I refused to feel guilty just because she thought I should. Then mom said something I wouldn’t have expected to hear from her, of all people.
“Well, it’s about time. I was starting to wonder if something was wrong with you.” she scoffed. “A woman at your age shouldn’t still be single, Emma. I know you can be a bit dull, which is probably why your date left you. Try to find one to keep or you might as well spend the rest of your life alone and buried in that job you’re so proud of.”
I watched her back as she walked away, stunned. It was a horrible thing to say, to her daughter while on her wedding day. I didn’t plan on being married to my job, I wasn’t a workaholic. The way she said it, I might as well be some hermit, just with a high paying job. I found myself wondering if she thought I was still a virgin. Of course, I never told her I lost it at nineteen, a year after I left home.
Still. Even though I’d been trying to enjoy myself, behaving, letting the twins off when they cornered me, I was left feeling deflated once again.
Was this her way of trying to make amends to me? Just because she was being more subtle with her insults, did she expect me to be grateful she was trying? My eyes itched for a second before the sensation went away. This wasn’t something to cry over. I’d been cautiously optimistic, but I was nowhere near trusting my mother just yet.
I looked around at the guests, needing a pick-me-up. Hopefully, they hadn’t left yet. Because I’d taken Brandi’s words to heart, and if my mother wasn’t going to behave, then neither was I. They’d moved positions again, but finally, I saw them, at the edge of a crowd with three of the bridesmaids—the younger ones—surrounding them.
Seeing that, I probably should have stayed away. They’d come after me and I’d refused them, after all. We’d had sex a few times, but we never agreed to have strings attached. No matter what they said, I knew they could easily get tired of me, and it wasn’t like they were hurting for prospects. Hell, a lot of the town’s young darlings had come back just because they heard who the groom would be and had some hope that his sons would show up.
Totally out of character for me, though, it only solidified my decision. Instead of walking off, tail tucked between my legs, I firmed my shoulders and headed in their direction, ignoring everyone else. Abe saw me first and then nudged Carl. Then they were walking toward me, ignoring the women surrounding them.
All because they had their eyes on me.
I liked that they were so focused on me that everything else seemed to fall away. No guy I’d dated had ever looked at me like they did. It made me feel… powerful, sexy, something I couldn’t say I’d ever felt. Before them, I was just… average.
Did I really want to go back to that?
I decided that, no, I didn’t. Screw what my mother thought. What I did with my life wasn’t any of her business anyway.
We stopped with only a couple of feet between us. I looked up and met their eyes, first one, then the other, and they waited for me to say what I wanted. For a second, I almost chickened out. But all three of us wanted this. And Brandi had been right, being with them was the happiest I had ever been. There was no reason to keep denying myself, or them.
“Meet me at my house.” I bit my lip, glanced around, and then smiled at them, a little nervously. “I have a surprise for you.”
They didn’t even take a couple of seconds to consider, giving their answer immediately.
“We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
I grinned at them, adding a little sway to my hips as I turned and walked away. Any other time I would have felt ridiculous, but I heard one of them growl behind me, and I couldn’t help the grin spreading wider on my face. I probably looked like a loon, but I couldn’t help myself.
No one stopped me as I left the party. Of course, no one was really paying attention to me, any more than I’d ever had, which wasn’t much at all, to begin with. I did go around and look for the few people I called friends, quickly made my excuses before going on my way.
I didn’t even bother looking for Mom to tell her I was leaving. After that comment earlier, if she expected me to still stick around, she was an idiot. I just plain didn’t care what she thought anymore because I was growing tired of her letting me down.
But I was too excited to let thoughts of her ruin it for me. I planned on making the time unforgettable for all of us, just like every other time I’d had with them.
Even though I hadn’t been sure I would approach them, I’d packed some sexy lingerie while hoping I’d get it on with the boys. Maybe I’d been planning it the whole time without consciously thinking about it. Either way, I was going to have fun with it.
I was going to let my hair down. I was a qualified doctor and I was proud of my achievements. Whatever failings Mom still found in me didn’t matter in the face of that.
Chapter Twenty-One
Carl
We weren’t being very discreet.
When Emma walked off with that swing to her hips, it took all I had not to just grab her and run. I couldn’t get her swaying ass out of my mind. Better yet, seeing it naked. We went around the place for a little bit, and we both saw Dad but didn’t bother to approach him.
“I think it’s too obvious what we’re up to,” Abe muttered, but as I left the reception, he went with me. We hadn’t even lasted ten minutes, and it wasn’t that long a walk to Emma’s place.
We’d both missed Emma like crazy. Abe, always the voice of reason between the two of us, wouldn’t admit it, but I didn’t need to hear it from him. His actions spoke loud and clear.
Getting away for us wasn’t as simple as it was for Emma, though. Dad wouldn’t have cared if we’d driven off into the sunset, but a lot of the women kept stopping us for a chat, asking Abe for a dance. I was lucky I had the excuse of my injury to get out of it.
To be fair, some of the guys stopped to chat, too, mostly about our career. And a few of the women were people we knew from when we were all kids, some even dating back to kindergarten. I wouldn’t say we w
ere close with any of them in particular, a few of them were even exes of mine—if I could really call them that, considering we just had sex and went our separate ways.
I couldn’t keep up ‘charming’ for long, though, not when we had Emma waiting for us. After she left, even my brother cut off the politeness, giving everyone an excuse they’d buy.
“I could stick around longer, I don’t really mind. But I just hurt my arm. Carl injured his leg and he’s been standing around too long. I think he needs to go home and lie down. And I have to go with to make sure lying down is all he’s doing.”
I didn’t even care that he used me as the excuse. Some of the guys laughed, a few of women caught the innuendo and shot me interested looks. I’d just smile and shrug, and in no time at all, we were leaving. I didn’t try to disguise the limp, making it a little pronounced, even leaning on Abe, and no one else stopped us.
Once we were away from the rest of the party, I pushed off my brother, walking somewhat normally. He narrowed his eyes at me, suspicious.
“Honestly, just how bad does your leg really hurt?”
“I’m fine, Mom.” I rolled my eyes. “It really isn’t that bad, though. At least, I can survive with it for a few hours.”
“We could…”
“If you’re about to suggest we do anything other than showing up at Emma’s place like she wanted us to, I am going to hit you.”
He grumbled, but he kept his mouth shut the rest of the way.
We turned up at the house, and I knocked on the door, waiting impatiently for her to open or tell us to come in. I waited maybe a minute before I was reaching for the door handle. It wasn’t even locked. I pushed inside, Abe right behind me. We looked around, but couldn’t see, or hear anybody, but then something caught our attention.
There was a shoe at the foot of the stairs, and we moved for a closer look. I hadn’t seen what Emma was wearing on her feet, but it was the same color as the dress, so it must have been hers. I looked up the steps and saw the other one.
I shared a look with Abe and we both grinned.
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