by Unknown
I pouted and made sad eyes at my brothers. Jake and Harvey were sitting on either side of me and both tried to pull me into a hug. Harvey won. “Of course we bought you prezzies,” he said in the soft voice he rarely ever used, “Do you want me to go get mine?”
Vicky coughed. “Who bought the presents?” she prodded. Everyone laughed, knowing that Evan and Harvey hadn’t looked at all. Vicky always bought the presents from them. Hell, Vicky bought gifts whenever Harvey had to buy for anyone, whether it be for a girlfriend or a boss or someone else.
“Fine,” Harvey acknowledged, “Vic got you something.”
Candy narrowed her eyes at me. “Too bad you’ll have to wait until the band’s finished,” she said sternly.
“Awww,” I whined playfully.
Donny moved back to the microphone and I noticed that the band looked really keyed up about something. My eyes moved to Candy, Mason and Briar and I watched them fidget anxiously in their seats. I frowned. Something was happening. Were they going to sing Happy Birthday?
Maybe.
I wished they’d hurry up and start. Looking at the band meant my eyes irresistibly fell on Stone…and that was just too painful right now, knowing that I loved him, but not knowing what to do about it or even if I should do anything at all.
Donny smiled over at me and nervous butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I couldn’t look away as he opened his mouth and started talking.
“We have one last song to play for you tonight,” he said slowly, grinning at the chorus of ‘awws’ from the girls in the crowd. “This song is one of our own…one we’ve been working on for the last two weeks, trying to get perfect for tonight.”
He cleared his throat and grinned over at my siblings. “For those of you who don’t know, our songs are all composed by our drummer, Grant Stone, and then we all work together to tweak it and make it work as a finished piece.”
“This song is extra special and we hope our gorgeous birthday girl thinks so too.”
The band members fiddled a little bit, doing a quick tune up, while Paulie leaned over the table to grin at me. “They wrote you a song as a birthday present. Wicked cool, sis.”
Candy and Briar muffled their laughs by taking big sips of their drinks and I started to worry that Paulie might not like this song. Shivers of apprehension crawled up my spine and I bit my lip. I had no idea why I was nervous though. How could a metal song make my brother mad?
Fredi led the song in, playing soft music on her keyboard for a bar or two. She stopped on a high note and Donny’s deep ‘metal’ voice broke in harshly:
Ev-el-yn Vine
Say you’ll be mine
Evvvv-el-yn Vine!
My jaw dropped at the sound of my name, but some of my siblings smiled curiously as Stone started a rapid drum beat and Donny and Alec power-screamed my name at intervals:
(Drum)
Evie!
(Drum)
Evie!
(Drum)
Evie!
A very short guitar rift brought the keyboard and guitars into subtle, background play and Donny started to sing the first chorus, his voice turning sensual and melodic:
We sit, we lie, we talk in silence
Communication, eyes that spell
our thoughts, our wants, our wishes
Communication, touch and tell
Me that you want me, that you need me
Mouths stuck shut, Eyes open wide
Hands that glide, Lips that slide
Spread open wide,
Let me insiiiiide! (Power scream)
I blushed at the sexual double entendres and felt my siblings turn their eyes on me one by one. Paul wouldn’t miss the meanings behind the words – that I knew for sure. I listened hard to each and every clearly sung word, making sure I knew exactly what Stone had written.
As Donny finished his scream and the music picked up, Alec joined in with perfect timing to sing the chorus with him:
Evie can’t you see!
What you mean to me!
I was mute and I was dumb
But I am pinned beneath your thumb
And now I’ll shout it, I will scream it
I will fucking yell it! (Power scream)
The drums sped up again for a repeat of the bridge and I found myself watching Stone, my heart pounding wildly as my hands began to sweat.
(Drum)
Evie!
(Drum)
Evie!
(Drum)
Evie!
I felt hope build even further as the music gentled once again and Donny started the second verse:
I told, I bossed, I straight demanded
Commanding silence, my stony eyes
I bade, I forced, I took for granted
Commanding silence, it’s no surprise
That I lost you, that you left me
My mouth stuck shut, eyes open wide
It hurts my pride, but I won’t hide
Please open wide
Let me insiiiiide (Power scream)
Chorus - Donny and Alec:
Evie can’t you see!
What you mean to me!
I was mute and I was dumb
But I am pinned beneath your thumb
And now I’ll shout it, I will scream it
I will fucking yell it! (Power scream)
Bridge – Donny and Alec:
(Drum)
Evie!
(Drum)
Evie!
(Drum)
Evie!
Both sets of triplets and Paul were alternatively glaring up at the stage and trying to pierce me with hard looks. I ignored them, my focus completely centred on the stage. On Stone. That’s why I startled when the format changed and Fredi sang the next verse in the sweetest, softest voice I’d ever heard her use:
Grant, grant me just one thing, explain the rules of this damn fling
Grant, grant me one small smile, Is it really such a trial
To let me know
Just what’s the go?
Your eyes may spell, but they don’t tell, me
What you’re feeling, you’re concealing
Tear open wide, let me inside.
As Fredi held the last note a little longer, Alec and Donny started the chorus straight away, their voices louder, clearer, more energetic, and laced with a fervent frustration…only this time, the words were a little different:
Evie can’t you see!
What you mean to me!
I was mute and I was dumb
But I am pinned beneath your thumb
And now I’ll shout it, I will scream it
I will spell it out it for you
You’re divine, you’re so sublime
I fucking love you Evelyn Vine!
There was a crash of drums on the last words, all of the instruments stopping abruptly, creating a tense silence throughout the field as the words sunk in.
He loved me.
I held my breath and heard several people audibly gasp in surprise and excitement as Grant Stone himself leaned toward his microphone.
No, I thought, there is no way he’s going to sing.
But he did.
He looked straight at me and opened his mouth, letting that deep, growly, erotic, masculine voice throb through the microphone and speakers, making goosebumps break out all over my body…my limbs trembling, my chest vibrating with his voice. His words were slow and measured, clearly heard in the dead silence:
So say you want me, say you need me
Mouths unstuck, Hearts open wide
Nothing to hide, lips that confide
Evelyn Vine,
please say you’ll be…
Mine.
His last word was softly uttered, but everyone heard it. The silence continued as heads turned to stare at me. For once, I didn’t blush at the attention. I barely registered it. I didn’t even realise that our table was all standing – including me. I couldn’t take my eyes off Stone.
He arched a
brow when I didn’t move. He looked confident, but I saw the nervousness flickering in the depths of his eyes – even from a distance. I felt a gentle push in my back, just as my siblings started to stir. “What are you waiting for,” Bridget hissed in my ear, “Go get him.”
I felt a wide grin stretch across my face. Stone was mine…all I had to do was go to him.
His lips started to quirk at one corner and I found myself running through the crowd towards the stage, barely feeling the brush of Harvey’s fingers as he made to grab at me. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, drowning out the whoops of excitement coming from Briar and Candy. I started towards the side steps, but suddenly, Stone was there at the front of the stage. He reached down and grabbed me mid-run, hauling me up onto the stage in a show of brute strength. My feet landed on the wooden floor and I gripped his arms tightly for balance, my knees shaky and weak.
He leant down and pressed his forehead to mine. “Does this mean you’ll take me?” he murmured softly, his silver eyes hooded. I shook my head. “No,” I whispered.
He straightened with a small frown, watching my face intently. I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye, letting him see all that I was feeling.
“This does,” I answered breathlessly, before reaching up and firmly bringing his lips down to mine. I kissed him fiercely, possessively, vaguely registering the cheers and cat-calls of the crowd around us. Stone chuckled into my mouth, as if taken aback by my vehemence, but he fisted a hand in my hair and used the other to pull my body up his. I wrapped my legs around him, tightened them around his waist and let him take the kiss to deeper, even more intense levels.
When we resurfaced, gasping for breath, it was to find that all ten of my present siblings had closed in around us. Logan and the twins were smiling, but Paul and both sets of triplets were glaring. Stone raised an eyebrow. “Your brothers?” he murmured. “And sisters,” I muttered, grudgingly climbing down, but staying against Stone to hide his erection. Not good. “We still need to talk,” Stone whispered in my ear. I nodded my agreement. We had a lot of talking to do. Our relationship wasn’t out of the woods yet.
“Who the fuck is he?” Vicky and Harvey demanded in unison. They flanked Evan, whose glare was icy enough that no words were necessary. Stone’s erection died a quick death and I bit back a giggle. Jake snatched me from Stone’s arms and Mike grabbed him by the shirt. “Why was my sister upset with you?” my younger brother demanded. Stone eyed him, but didn’t take an aggressive stance. Nor did he give anything away in his expression.
Charlie rolled her eyes and smacked Mike in the head. “Let go, Michael. Didn’t you listen to the song? They don’t communicate properly.”
Paul snarled, “I also heard a lot of shit about touching and kissing and…(his nostrils flared angrily) spreading legs!”
Mike’s grip tightened on Stone’s shirt, but Logan chuckled. “Right, Paulie,” Logan said with another laugh, “I’m sure you sit around having tea parties with your girlfriends. They’re uni students. They’ve probably been fucking for months. It’s too late to stop them now.”
There was a chorus of male growls, including a small one from Stone at the word ‘fucking’. Vicky took a menacing step forward. “It’s not too late,” she responded, her fists clenching, “I can remove his dick.”
For the first time, I saw Stone wince. “No thanks,” I told her softly, breaking away from Jake and moving to stand between her and Stone. “I like it where it is.”
They all gaped at me, Logan and Charlie choking on laughs.
“This is your fault,” Evan said, shoving Logan hard, “You’re a bad influence.”
“Me?” Logan asked incredulously, snorting a little, “What about you, Ev? Or Charlie? Or Mike? You’re all as slutty as me, if not sluttier.”
“I’m practically engaged,” he added smugly, “I’m the only one of you close to getting married.”
Paul snorted this time. “Yeah, but only because you knocked her up.”
Shit.
Logan seized Paul by the shirt and lifted him off the ground. “What the fuck did you just say?” all playfulness vanished from Logan’s face and, for the first time, I noticed how much he resembled Zane. Cooper cleared his throat. “Bridge and I got engaged last week.”
Everyone but Charlie turned to stare at Coop. Logan carefully put Paul down as all animosity faded and he wrapped Cooper in a man-hug. The rest of my siblings offered up their congrats and I took the opportunity to try and edge away with Stone. Bridget walked up to our group with a grin, halting our escape. “Is the chest beating over?” she asked with a cute wrinkle of her nose, “Lets open presents already.”
My brothers and sisters looked between each other, then at me and Stone. “We’ll have a talk with your man later,” Evan said grudgingly. The others mumbled unenthusiastic agreement.
I smiled - at least they’d acknowledged Stone was my man.
Forty
I smiled at the people sitting squished around the table and rolled my eyes. Harvey and Evan had immediately sat down on either side of Stone, thinking to make me sit somewhere else. Vicky was sitting next to Ivy, giving her the ‘don’t hurt my little brother or I’ll drop a bomb on your house’ expression…all while cooing and smiling at Dylan. Charlie and Candy sat either side of Coop, who had Bridge perched in his lap and Paul and the younger triplets had parked themselves opposite Stone – all the better to glare at him. The band, Briar and Mason sat in a big clump, gesturing for me to join them. I shook my head and made a point of sitting down on Stone’s lap. There was another chorus of growls from my siblings, but Stone cautiously slid his arms around me, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Logan broke the tension by appointing himself the present handler and placed the first wrapped gift in front of me. Paul and the little trips sat a little straighter, telling me that this present was from them. I checked the label…Yep. I opened it slowly, carefully, not wanting to tear the paper or break something inside. Charlie let out a groan of impatience, before leaning over the table and tearing the paper down the centre.
“Charlotte!” Harvey snapped angrily.
Charlie just stuck her tongue out. “It’ll take all day if she goes at that pace.”
“She can do whatever she - ”
“Ooh!” I interrupted Harvey, “Awesome!”
I held up the matching car seat covers, steering wheel cover, car mats, car care products and fuzzy dice. “Thank you!” I beamed across the table at my brothers. They preened, looking extremely happy with themselves.
Logan quickly shoved their present to the side and placed another one in front of me – this one from the older triplets. Glass clinked together as I carefully moved the large box and Harvey sent a warning glare at Charlie. I unwrapped this present more quickly just in case. I peeked inside the cardboard box and my eyes flew wide at the amount of alcohol they’d given me.
“Welcome to adulthood,” Vicky said, lifting her beer in my direction, “I went a little crazy with the duty-free purchases coming back from the US.”
Paul stiffened, “She shouldn’t be drinking-”
“Can it, Paul,” Evan told him and his face fell a little. I looked over at Paul in sympathy. He tried so hard to find his place in our family and was constantly being shut down. I knew how that felt…but at least I was given heaps of affection to make up for it.
“It’s okay Paulie,” I told him softly, “I’m not a big drinker. This supply will probably last me all next year.”
I turned and placed a kiss on Harvey’s cheek. “Thanks Vic,” I said with a grin and a wink at Evan.
After that, I opened a lovely pearl necklace from my mother and a laptop from Zane. I was a little disappointed they couldn’t make it, but my mother was in Sydney for work this week and Zane was still God-knows-where. Ivy had to leave with Dylan, but Logan stayed. Alec gave him a push toward Ivy’s chair and took over on the present front.
“This one’s from me, Briar and Jamie,” he told me w
ith a grin, placing a package in front of me.
“It’s from my family as well,” Briar added as I read the card.