“Very well,” he says.
I frown. “How well?” Does he know his real name?
He sighs. “Tate is my best friend. I won’t stab him in the back by answering your questions. He really likes you, and he has given you his blessing to marry his sister. I wouldn’t try to piss him off.” And with that he walks off after Tate.
What the fuck was that about? Gave me his blessing? I snort. I never fucking asked for it. Hell, I didn’t know who Tate was until after I proposed.
My jaw tightens. All of a sudden I don’t like Scott so much.
*****
I’m waiting for Tate to take a swing when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I take it out hoping that it’s Angel finally responding to my earlier text only to find Parker’s name on my phone.
“Hello?”
“What’s up, fucker?” he asks in his usual dickish tone.
“I’m playing golf with Tate,” I say. Scott, Tate’s friend, got called into work and only stayed the first thirty minutes. Thank God, the guy was getting on my nerves.
“Lucky. I wish I was playing with some balls. Oh,” he says excitedly. “I do have some balls I can play with right below my…”
I laugh and cut him off. “What do you want?”
“Well I have some news for you.”
I try to balance my phone between my ear and shoulder since it’s now my turn up to swing. When it doesn’t work I ask, “Yeah, about that news. Can I call you back in twenty?”
“Listen real quickly,” he says ignoring my question.
I sigh and hold up my finger to the Tate for a second. “Make it quick,” I tell him.
“I’m moving back to St. Louis,” he says making it extremely quick.
“What? How did you pull that one off?” I ask with a smile.
“Well, I got a call that there was an open spot at the precinct. So, I took it.”
“That’s awesome. When are you moving back?”
Tate gives me a smirk.
“As soon as I find a place to live. I’m gonna come down next weekend for the wedding and check a few places out. They want me to start as soon as possible. I guess the guy I’m replacing just quit coming into work.”
Hmm. That’s odd. “Okay. Well let me know what you find, and I’ll go look with you.”
“Sounds good. Have fun with your balls. I know I’m going to. Mine, not yours,” he adds quickly.
I hang up my phone laughing and place it back into my pocket. “Parker’s moving back,” I announce to Tate.
“So I heard,” he says before taking a drink of his water. “When and where?”
I line up my club with the ball. “He’ll be in town for the wedding next weekend. He’s gonna look for a place to move into then.” I swing and hit the ball. “I guess he got a job, and they want him down here to start quickly.”
Tate tilts his head for a few seconds and rubs his unshaven chin as if in thought. “He can move in with me,” he finally offers.
“Move in with you?” I repeat.
He shrugs. “Sure. I have a three bedroom, two and a half bathroom house. It’s just me. He can move in if he wants. If he doesn’t want to live there for long, he can at least live there until he finds a different place.”
Shit, I can already see the two bachelors living together. A fucking orgy every night. “I will call him whenever we leave here.”
*****
After I smoked Tate’s ass at our game of golf I spoke to Parker. The bastard squealed like a kid when I told him Tate offered up his place for as long as he needed it. He pretty much told Tate he’s never going to move out. That they were going to be ‘party brothers’ and ‘live it up’. Tate didn’t correct him. I definitely see trouble in their futures, and I couldn’t help but be grateful for the fact that I only have one woman in my life. Now that I look back at my life over the years—at all the women—there was always drama and headaches.
“Wanna come in for a beer?” I ask Tate as he pulls up to my house.
He looks over at Missy’s car still parked in our driveway and just stares at it.
“We can go downstairs and play some pool,” I offer.
“Yeah.” He runs his hand over his unshaven face. “I guess I could have a beer.”
I chuckle softly at his nervousness of seeing Missy. “She didn’t seem to be bothered by you being here earlier.” I try to loosen him up.
He rolls his shoulders. “Guess I’m the only one being a little bitch about our Vegas night,” he says laughing at himself.
“Seems so,” I say with a smile.
I walk into the house and instantly hear Angel in the kitchen still going to town on the cake.
“Hey baby,” I say sweetly entering the kitchen. I come to an abrupt stop when I see it looks worse than it did yesterday. There’s even flour on the cabinets. How did she manage that?
She throws down a dish rag as she lets out a growl.
“Wow,” Tate says looking around. “Not going so well?” he asks looking at her.
She shakes her head. “I need a break. I need to clear my mind and come back to it later before I lose my mind,” she answers, pushing back all of the loose strands of hair that cover her face.
Missy lets out a little laugh. “It hasn’t been all that bad.” She walks over to the sink and turns on the water to wash her hands. “We’ve actually learned a lot today.”
Missy turns to face her as she dries off her hands. “I’ll do some more research tomorrow. Do you want me to come over after you get off work to help you?”
Angel sighs. “If you don’t mind, that would be great, Missy.”
Missy nods. “Count me in. Although I do have a couple of night classes this week. Other than that I’m here to help you,” she offers with a smile.
“Thank you,” Angel responds.
Missy nods her head and picks up her purse.
“Good luck on your date tonight,” Angel announces.
Missy’s blue eyes get bigger as she stares at her. And I see Tate’s body stiffen beside me. My eyes move over to Angel, and she begins to throw some stuff away as if she didn’t just make this uncomfortable situation even more awkward.
“Yeah.” Missy swallows nervously. Her eyes land on Tate for a second then she quickly looks away. “Thanks,” she says before running for the front door.
“What are you guys doing?” Angel asks as she sits down on at the kitchen island. She places her chin in her hands and stares at us with sleepy eyes.
“We were going to go downstairs to play a game of pool and drink a few beers,” I say slowly trying to gauge Tate’s mood now. It’s pretty obvious he is pissed.
She gestures to the door leading downstairs. “Don’t let me stop you.” She yawns. “I’m gonna clean up my mess and then go to bed.” Her eyes travel over the messy kitchen, and she sighs. “I’m tired.”
I look from her to Tate as he stands as stiff as a statue beside me. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he says before turning and walking out the door.
*****
We have two days before my brother’s wedding. Parker came into town last night, his truck already attached to a small U-Haul. We all got his stuff unloaded, which wasn’t much. Since Tate already has living room furniture and stuff like that, all Parker brought was bedroom furniture. The rest he stuck in a storage in Arkansas. We all ended up back at my house.
That was a bad idea.
Missy and Angel were in the kitchen working on the cake, and Courtney was eating up all their mistakes. Parker, of course, gave them a hard time, and Angel ended up throwing a spatula at him. He ducked, and it just ended up getting cake batter on the wall. So, when Parker and Tate called me to get together tonight, Angel threatened me with my life if I brought them back to our house. And she was holding a little saw in her hand when she did it.
Needless to say, I ran out of our house and headed straight to Tate and Parker’s after picking up my brother and Josh on the way.
Now we all sit in t
heir living room watching a hockey game.
“It can’t stay.” Tate shakes his head at the black and white cat that sits in Parker’s lap.
“She has to,” he pouts. “We’re a package deal.”
I almost laugh at how attached he is to this cat.
Tate sighs. “I don’t want to be responsible for it. And it will claw at shit.”
“You won’t be. And she’s declawed,” he says with a pouty face.
Tate looks at me, and I raise my beer. I didn’t know he was bringing a cat.
“Come on,” Parker holds up the cat, and he smiles at Tate. “Puss puss has to stay.”
Josh spits out his beer as he laughs. “Puss puss?” he asks laughing.
“Yes,” Parker says placing her down on his lap once again and starts to pet her. “She’s my good girl.” He praises her like a mother would her child.
“Fine,” Tate finally growls before frowning at the fat cat.
“Thank you.” Parker looks down and runs his hand down her back. He then looks to the TV. “Is this your shitty excuse of a bachelor party?” Parker asks frowning at it. “Where are the naked girls?”
Micah laughs. “My bachelor party was Vegas. Were you that drunk that you don’t remember that?”
“No. I remember alright, but your wife was there. That’s not a bachelor party.”
“What would you consider a bachelor party?” I ask tipping my beer back.
He looks over at me with a serious look on his face. “Anything that shows nipples and some pussy.”
I point to his cat in his lap. “There’s your pussy for the evening. And your entire life has been a bachelor party. One night watching hockey with the guys won’t kill you.”
He huffs as he sinks down into his seat.
Tate gets up from his recliner when there’s a knock at the front door. “Hey,” he says sounding surprised. “What are you doing here?”
I hear a girl giggle, and I roll my eyes as Parker sits up and adjusts himself. “Well, you told us you were getting a roommate, and we thought we would bring you guys something for dinner,” a high pitch voice says.
Parker looks over at us with a big smile on his face and mouths we. Then holds up two fingers as if we didn’t understand what that meant.
There’s a moment of silence before Tate speaks again. “Okay. Come on in.”
Tate then appears as he comes around the corner into the living room. A tall blonde and an even taller brunette follow shortly behind him both carrying a dish of something.
“Guys, this is Jeannette,” he gestures to the blonde, and she raises her hand as she waves at us. “And this is Christy,” he gestures to the brunette who says hello.
“Hello, ladies.” Parker lays his charm on thick.
I nod my head, and Josh mumbles a hello as well. Micah is too busy on his phone, texting Holly I’m sure. She is spending the evening with her mother tonight, so I’m sure she is probably going bat shit crazy.
“So who is the new roommate?” the blonde asks.
“That would be me.” Parker raises his hand with a smirk.
The blonde, Jeanette, raises her dish and speaks. “I made fettuccini alfredo for you guys.”
Parker looks over at Tate. “Do women always show up with dinner?” His mouth is half open as in shock.
Tate shrugs before plopping back down in his recliner.
The brunette, Christy laughs. “We do it often. If we don’t he’ll starve. He can’t cook for shit.”
“Hey that’s not true. I have a microwave,” Tate says in defense.
“We brought dessert too,” Christy adds.
Parker rubs his hands together. “Hope you are the dessert.” He wiggles his eyebrows making the girls laugh.
I sit back and watch them flirt back and forth. I have to ask myself, was I that annoying? Did all the women act that stupid?
“You guys are watching hockey?” Jeanette asks looking at the TV.
“Yeah,” Tate answers, “Football is over so we have to watch something.”
She frowns. “I hate football, it’s so barbaric.”
I smile. Angel loves football, and I love that about her. She even loves it more when they start throwing their helmets and pushing each other around.
“I’ve been trying to get them to go to a strip club,” Parker says as he points his longneck over at Micah. “He’s getting married in two days.”
Micah starts shaking his head quickly and the blonde bounces up and down excitedly. “I have a girlfriend who strips. She has lots of hot friends.”
“We’re not going to a strip club,” Tate states and then gives Parker a hard glare.
“Oh.” She frowns. “They can come here,” she suggests.
“No,” we all say in unison. Well, except Parker.
The blonde frowns and then looks at the dish in her hand as if she just realizes she’s still holding it. “Let’s take these to the kitchen,” she says to the other girl before they walk out of the living room and to the kitchen.
“Tate?” Parker whispers harshly. “Which one do you want?”
“Have them both.” He waves his hand in the air. “It can be your welcome home gift.”
Parker claps his hands as places his cat on the floor beside his chair before he stands up and fixes his shirt. “Don’t mind me later. I’m a screamer.” He then walks on after them.
“I hope he’s joking,” Tate smirks.
“He’s not.” I take a drink of my beer. “I’ve fucked in the same room as him. He’s vocal,” I say with all seriousness.
Tate chokes on his beer as he laughs. “This could be interesting.”
“You’re really gonna give him both?” Josh asks wide-eyed. “The blonde one is really into you.”
Tate sits there texting on his phone. Once he’s done he lifts his head to see we are all staring at him. “Did you say something?”
Josh repeats himself. “That blonde seemed really into you. Why are you throwing them both to Parker?”
Tate lifts his phone. “I already have one coming over.”
I lean back into the couch and take a sip of my beer. This could get interesting indeed.
*****
“So how did last night go?” I ask Tate as I lean over to line up the cue ball. We didn’t stay over at his house very late last night. We had a few beers then went on our way. When the girl Tate actually invited over showed up, you could see the tension from the other two.
“I guess it was okay. Cindy and I went to bed after you guys left. Then when we were done, she left.” He shrugs. “I never had to hear Parker scream.” He smiles. “So all in all it was a good night.”
“What’s the story with Cindy?” I ask curious. She didn’t look like someone he would go for. She had real short black hair with red streaks that she wore spiked. She wore a short skirt with stockings and combat boots. It was a sight to see compared to the other two girls who showed up.
“I met Cindy one night when I went to see Missy’s brother’s band play. She was in the all-girl band that played before his did.” He stands and walks over to the pool table to take his shot. “We just started talking and then started to hook up.”
“So it’s nothing serious?” I ask.
He lets out a sigh and straightens before he turns to look at me. “Not you too.”
“‘Not me too’ what?”
He glares at me. “Sam asked me the personal ‘why don’t you date Missy’? ‘Why are you not getting serious with that one girl I saw you with’ questions a few months back. Now you’re doing the same.”
“No I’m not,” I deny.
“So then what are you doing?” he questions.
We could play this game, but I wanna know what he’s thinking. Tate is hard to read. He keeps his emotions pretty hidden. Unless he’s angry, which is most of the time. When it comes to guys, it’s pretty easy to tell when they are into a girl for more than sex. And I know he feels more for Missy. “Why haven’t you spoke to Missy?”
He huffs as he spins around giving me his back. “Has my sister turned you into a fucking chick, Slade?” he asks dryly.
I chuckle. “Not the last time I checked.”
“Then why do you care about me and Missy?”
“Because men who fuck women don’t usually ignore them unless there is a reason.”What I used to do was just move on to the next. He acts like he’s walking on eggshells when he’s around her. If he didn’t feel so awkward he wouldn’t treat her different.
He spins back around to face me. “What would you like me to say? I already told you I don’t love her.”
I arch an eyebrow daring him to say that again with more feeling. He totally loves her.
“And she deserves more than someone using her. And that’s exactly what I would be doing; using her for my own selfish needs. There are plenty of other women who I can do that with. As you saw last night.”
And those words just proved my thought. I nod my head. “I did see that.”
“We both get what we want, and then they fucking leave. Missy deserves someone who will cuddle with her and tell her sweet shit. I’m just not that guy.”
I smirk. “What is so funny?” he demands.
“I used to feel the same way until I met your sister,” I say truthfully.
“Well, let me reassure you that will not be the case with Missy and myself.” He then gestures to the pool table. “Can we fucking play now without talking about love and chicks?”
I nod my head.
“Thank God,” he mumbles.
“So how about that hockey game?” I add making him laugh.
*****
We are on our third game of pool and can still hear the girls going at it up above us.
“How many times do you think they are going to make that cake?” Tate asks looking over to the stairs that lead up to where Angel and Missy are.
I shrug. “Angel is a perfectionist. So, I imagine she will do it as many times as it takes.” The wedding is tomorrow, so tonight is her last chance to get it how she wants it.
The UN Series Complete Box Set Page 103