by Mary Martel
And I had a legitimate reason to worry as opposed to him just being overprotective of me. Franklin’s job was downright dangerous, and if I let my mind go there, it’d scare the piss out of me.
I needed a distraction. Pronto.
“We’re going to have lunch with my mom first. After, we’ll head over to Jason’s.”
Holy fuck.
Not that kind of distraction!
I absolutely did not want to meet Riley’s mother or anyone’s mother for that matter. I despised the fact that he knew mine, and wished I could erase her entire being from his memory. Just zap her ass from existence.
“Great,” I grumbled sullenly, not thinking anything was really great about any of this.
He laughed at me. The asshole actually laughed at me, and when I glared at him, he laughed even harder.
What a fucking dick.
“Shut up,” I snapped, and he snorted at me. I wanted to punch him, but I didn’t want to get into a car accident and die today, thank you very much.
It took all of ten minutes to drive to his house, and I wasn’t proud of the fact I sulked almost the entire way. He didn’t seem to care, he turned the radio on and hummed along to some shitty old rock song.
The house we pulled up to was a modest two story in a very clean and neat neighborhood. There was a white Tahoe parked in the driveway, and Riley parked his truck behind it.
It was unfortunately too late to back out now, and I found myself with a stomach full of butterflies.
What if she didn’t like me? And why did I actually care so much? This woman meant next to nothing to me, and if she didn’t care for me, then I should be cool with that, relieved even. It wasn’t like I actually wanted to be here, and that would mean I wouldn’t be expected to come back.
I could do this, right?
Fuck, I needed to stop being such a coward lately.
Where had the strong woman I’d been gone to? I feared she’d been buried six feet under with my sister.
Riley held my hand all the way up the driveway and even after we stepped inside the house.
I didn’t know how it happened, but Riley was already attuned to my moods and knew I was nervous and did something to try and make it better for me.
Franklin would be so jealous. That thought gave me a little thrill. I was learning that jealous Franks might actually be good for me.
We found his mom in the kitchen. Immediately, I got where his good looks came from, but his father must be tall because his mother was a tiny, delicate little thing. Riley had her blond hair and blue eyes, but he lacked the lines either age or stress had put on her face. They didn’t make her any less pretty.
She stood there frozen with her hands clenched together tightly to her chest while blinking rapidly.
Oh God, was she going to cry? I fucking hoped not. How horrifying.
Riley squeezed my hand almost to the point of pain before he dropped my hand and raced toward his mother.
I took a step back, away from the woman who still hadn’t looked away from me. Tears began to spill out of her eyes, and I hastily took another fumbling step away.
What the fuck was her problem?
I knew it had been a bad idea to come here. I fucking knew it, but my dumb ass was here anyway. Clearly, I’d let Riley’s good looks cloud my judgment.
The woman brushed her son’s outstretched hands off, and I watched with wide, horrified eyes as she rushed toward me.
Not good. Not fucking good at all.
I forced my body to stay locked in place while she cupped my face with both her hands. Her bright blue eyes slowly roamed over every inch of my face and her fingers had a slight tremble to them.
What the actual fuck? Mission abort! Time to get the fuck out of here.
Any other woman and I would have shoved her off of me already. I couldn’t disrespect Riley like that, but seriously, I was way over this touchy-feely crying business.
Riley’s mom was fucking weird and potentially nuts.
“Mom,” Riley whispered nervously, as he crept up beside our little huddle. My eyes shot to his and I silently begged him for help.
I was going to kill him for putting me through this crap.
The woman patted my cheek gently before letting go of my face and stepping back, giving me some room to breathe again. She swiped her shaking fingers across her cheeks, wiping away her tears. She blushed as she smiled sadly at me.
“Sorry, dear,” she whispered in a softly sweet feminine voice. “It’s just that you look so much like your sister, and I know how heartbroken my Riley has been over her loss. I’m so happy for him that he has you in his life now. I’m glad you two have each other. Gin, she was…”
She paused and shook her head, her eyes taking on a faraway look that I didn’t much care for one little bit.
If something horrible came out of her mouth about my sister, I couldn’t be held responsible if I put my fist in her face, Riley be damned.
I knew this was contradictory behavior and made me sound like a hypocrite, but fuck if I cared. She’d been my twin, I could say and feel whatever I wanted toward her. That didn’t mean other people could talk shit about her to my face and it’d be okay. Riley could get away with it for obvious reasons, and Franklin did whatever the fuck he wanted.
Everybody else, not so much.
Riley must have read something on my face that he didn’t like, because he grabbed his mom and pulled her back into a tight hug.
“It’s cool, Mom,” he murmured quietly to her. “She gets that she looks just like Gin and how hard that can be on people the first time they meet her. It’s hard on her too, you don’t need to explain why to her. Just be cool with her, Mom.”
He was right. I did get how hard it was for the people who knew my sister to meet me now. I just didn’t give a fuck about how other people felt about me. Not unless they were important to me. And right now, I only had two of those, and this lady wasn’t one of them.
Riley’s mom cleared her throat as she broke away from her son and held a hand out for me to shake. “I’m sorry, Gem. I knew what to expect, but it still somehow caught me off guard. I’m Amara, Riley’s mother, and it’s so nice to finally meet you.”
I shook her hand and nodded my head but chose to remain silent. I didn’t know if it was nice to meet her yet or not. The jury was still out on that one.
I pulled my hand away from hers and somehow managed to stop myself from wiping it off on my jean shorts like an asshole. She seemed nice enough and everything, there was just something I didn’t quite like about her.
Maybe it was because she seemed nice that she felt off to me. I didn’t know how to handle nice people.
How fucked up was that?
“What are we having for lunch, Mom?” Riley asked into the awkward silence left by my lack of returning her lame attempt at pleasantries after she’d started to diss my twin. “Gem and I are hungry, we didn’t eat much for breakfast.”
Fuck him.
Toast and coffee were perfect for breakfast. The bread soaked up the liquor from the night before and the coffee made it so I could actually function. After a hot shower, I’d been as good as new.
Poor Riley couldn’t handle his hangover like I could, and he hadn’t been able to even stomach toast. Fucking amateur.
“Oh,” Amara said, sounding startled as her eyes moved between her son and me. “Where’d you sleep last night, Riley?”
Riley didn’t even blink. “With Gem at her house on the beach. Pretty sure I told you I was staying the night at her place when I texted you yesterday to let you know I wouldn’t be coming home. Don’t be like this.”
She wrung her hands in front of her while looking worried. “I want you to be careful, Riley. Girls are capable of doing all kinds of things to trap a good boy like you. If you’re having sex, you need to be careful. You don’t want to become a father right now. I know you’re infatuated with her, and I’m worried it’s affecting your judgment where she’s concern
ed. Just please be careful, son.”
It was official, I fucking hated Riley’s mother.
Like I wanted a damn baby or would be willing to trap him in order to get one. How fucking rude was this bitch? Absolutely disgusting.
“Gem,” Riley growled, and I pried my eyes off of his mother, whom I was now fantasizing about possibly strangling the life out of, and sought out his bright baby blues. He threw his keys at me and I caught them on the fly. “Go wait out in the truck. This won’t take long and then we can go out to eat before heading to Jason’s.”
I nodded and didn’t waste any time getting the hell out of there.
I was the only person glad to not be staying for lunch, and by the time I reached the front door, I could hear his mother sobbing dramatically.
He hadn’t said anything about her being irrational before, so I didn’t understand the dramatics. In fact, he’d only spoken of her fondly and with love.
I didn’t get it. Was this how a normal mother was supposed to behave? How could you love someone who acted like this when you brought your new friend home with you?
No thank you.
The next time Riley invited me home to visit his mama it’d be a pass from me. Perhaps Franklin could come with him next time and scare the shit out of the stupid woman—while hopefully not scaring Riley away from us at the same time.
I climbed inside the truck and turned it on so I could flip through the radio stations until I found one playing hip hop.
I opened the glove box and rifled through everything inside. Normally I wouldn’t do such a thing, but I wanted to know every little detail about Riley that I possibly could, so I didn’t feel too badly nosing around through his stuff.
Besides, there wasn’t anything good in there—a manual for the truck, registration and insurance papers, and a flashlight.
Boring.
I rolled my eyes and slammed the little door closed and it clicked shut.
His ashtray was full of change and that was boring too. There wasn’t even an empty wrapper on the floor, for goodness’s sake.
Luckily for him, he’d taken his phone inside with him, or I probably would have snooped through that as well. It probably would have been just as boring as his truck was.
I gave up the hunt and dug through my bag. I pulled out my cigarette case, popped it open, and plucked out a pre-rolled joint. Franks always kept me stocked, bless his soul.
I lit it up with my zippo and puffed away on it, flicking the ash out the open window instead of on the change in the ashtray just to spice things up a bit for him. Who knew I could be less of an asshole where Riley was concerned?
The curtain on one of the windows in the next house over moved, and a middle-aged woman with bad hair eyeballed me. I waved my middle finger in her direction and the curtain immediately closed. And here I thought I was a nosy bitch.
Huh.
My bag vibrated, and I pulled my cell phone out. Fucking finally! Franks had texted me back.
Franks: Sorry, Gemmy girl, but I’m not going to be able to make it back to you tonight. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it back by tomorrow night, but no promises.
I frowned down at my phone. Something about this felt off to me. He didn’t even bring up Riley, even just to be able to simply call him a derogatory name. And what happened to him being so eager to get back to me?
Gem: What’s happened? I hope you’re being safe. Come back to me when you can, I’m not going anywhere. XO
I sat there staring down at my phone while smoking and waiting for him to respond. No response came, and when Riley came back, I stubbed out my joint that was now a small roach. I tucked it back into my cigarette case and dropped it into my bag.
“It smells like pot in here,” he snarked at me.
“Well, it’s a good thing you drive like an old grandma so we won’t have to worry about being pulled over.”
He sighed and backed out of the driveway. He didn’t say anything about his mother, and for once I let it be and didn’t ask. Only because I liked him.
And maybe later when I got him drunk again—which I knew for a fact I would get him drunk again, it was going to happen—I could bring it up again and totally blindside him. Then he wouldn’t be able to bullshit me.
We ate lunch at a little pizza place I probably never would have noticed had I been on my own. He told me Chance’s family owned the building, so I knew some shady shit went down here because Chance’s family was similar to Franks’. Only Franklin was prettier to look at.
Though, now that I thought about it, Chance wasn’t ugly by any means. He was the exact opposite.
Shit, like I needed to find another man attractive. I sure as shit didn’t.
He was still seriously hot though. Franklin could never know. He’d take Chance out, then their families would go to war with each other where even more people would die.
I’d pass, thanks for asking.
The food was delicious. Thankfully they didn’t just make pizza, and I ate probably the best pasta I’d ever had. Apparently criminals made good food. Or at least their employees did.
Riley and I fought over who was going to pay the bill, and I eventually gave up because I got sick of arguing with him. His smug ass paid the bill and we left to go to Jason’s house.
I was ready to get this part of the day over with.
Chapter Seventeen
Girl, Byyyeeeee
Gem
Jason’s house was bigger than Riley’s and in a nicer neighborhood. Still, it didn’t hold a candle to either my beach house or my dad’s house. Not that I was bragging or anything. I didn’t need to brag.
Riley drove around back and parked in front of a detached, three-car garage with a staircase outside leading up to what appeared to be an apartment above the garage.
Riley parked the truck and we got out. He grabbed hold of my hand and laced our fingers together. He’d been doing that all day and it was starting to feel normal, like every time we got out of the truck I now found myself reaching for him how he reached for me. How utterly ridiculous.
It was almost like we were some cutesy couple who just automatically gravitated toward each other and just couldn’t not touch. Maybe we needed to have some kind of conversation so we were both on the same page here.
Were we a couple now?
Did this make him my boyfriend? And what did that make Franks? My other boyfriend?
Lord help me.
Lord help us all.
Who needed two boyfriends? Apparently I did, that was who.
My stomach churned thinking of my father and the way he’d treated his multiple partners. I never wanted to be anything like either of my parents, but it was beginning to look like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
I promised myself then and there that I would never treat any of my relationships the way either of my parents had treated theirs.
We walked up the stairs with Riley leading the way. He didn’t let go of my hand when he knocked on the door. Then, without waiting for someone to come to the door and open it for us, Riley opened the door and walked right in.
How freaking rude.
If someone I didn’t know just walked right into my house uninvited, I’d be so pissed, and Riley just dragged me right in here making me that person.
The TV in the center of the room blared so loudly the people on the couch with video game controllers in their hands and their eyes glued to said TV probably hadn’t even heard the knocking.
Riley was lucky.
It was more than just Belinda’s jockstrap from the funeral. There were two other guys on the couch with him, and I couldn’t remember if they’d been at Gin’s funeral or not. I’d been too focused on other, more important people at the time.
A stunning redhead with bright, vibrant green eyes sat in an armchair looking bored out of her mind. She had on a teal tank top that clung to her body, leaving nothing to the imagination, and her cleavage was out of fucking control. Clearly she didn’
t feel the need to wear a bra, and I guessed more power to her. Her cutoff jean shorts rode high up her things, clinging tightly to her crotch like a hungry coochy monster.
Huh.
I had on a tank top, though mine was black and my tits weren’t bursting out of it, and jean shorts. Mine weren’t cutoffs, but they were short, just not at her crotch eating level.
I was willing to admit it, I judged her right on the spot and found her lacking in everything except for the tits and hair department. The girl had great fucking hair.
“Fuck,” Riley hissed under his breath, and I immediately went on high alert.
He glared at the redhead and something unpleasant slithered through me. Jealousy was not a good look for me, but there the green-eyed monster was, front and center.
Just how did he know this broad? And did I need to claw her eyes out for him? Because I would.
Of course she noticed our arrival first. Her eyes landed on Riley and immediately lit up with raw, primal lust that only came from knowing exactly what Riley was working with. She had previous knowledge of Riley’s sexual prowess, and she wanted another taste.
I fucking hated her.
Yup, that green-eyed monster now owned my ass, and if this broad didn’t take her eyes off Riley soon, I just might be forced to do something drastic about it.
Like, say, maybe thumbing them the fuck out of their sockets.
Her eyes slid down to our linked fingers and a mean sneer crossed her pretty pink glossed lips. I couldn’t keep the deranged smile off my face.
That was right, bitch. Whatever you had with him was over. He was mine now, and I wasn’t about to let some pretty hussy drool on what was mine.
Girl, byyyeeeee.
When she finally looked at me, her eyes widened comically, and she quickly scrambled up to her feet.
“Oh my God,” she squealed happily, as she clapped her hands in front of her chest like some preppy cheerleader. “You’re Gem! I’ve been waiting for what feels like forever to meet you! I’m so glad Riley finally brought you around to meet the rest of us. I know Be—”