When You Became Mine

by AS Teague

  I turned and with effort, managed to walk to the door. When I reached it, I pulled it open and bolted through it. It was when I realized that Hampton had driven us there that the dam burst, the tears rolling down my cheeks as I pulled up my Uber app and called for a ride to the condo that was apparently no longer my home.

  8

  Lawson

  “No way, dude.”

  Hampton huffed and pushed his way inside.

  “Sure, come on in,” I muttered and then turned and headed for the kitchen.

  It had been two days since the dinner that was a giant shit show. And for the last forty-eight hours, I’d been in a mood so foul that not even Seven had wanted to be around me. I wanted to believe it was because of our unexpected dinner guests, but the truth was the moment I’d seen Piper, standing there looking just as stunned as I was, my stomach had bottomed out, and all the feelings I thought I’d finally gotten over came rushing back. A lifetime of memories, laced with longing and desire flooded my mind.

  But the girl I’d pined over was gone.

  The pictures I had seen did her no justice. And the woman who had taken her place was far more dangerous than I could have imagined. The pixie features I’d always thought were cute had matured into a striking woman. One that sure could bring a man to his knees with a single look.

  And fuck if I was going to let that be me.

  “Listen, Lawson. You’ve been gone for—”

  “Eight fucking years. Jesus, I know. Mom’s spent the last eight years tallying the time and then reminding me every time I talked to her,” I growled. “If we want to be precise, it’s been almost three thousand days since I left this town behind.”

  I loved my hometown. I’d missed the humidity that would damn near suffocate you while living out in the desert. I’d missed the familiarity of the country roads I’d spent my teen years tearing up. I missed my kid sister and her carefree spirit. And even though I wouldn’t admit it out loud, I missed my golden boy brother too.

  What I didn’t miss was the constant reminder that I had no shot with the one girl I wanted.

  I’d left this town to start my own life, and I’d done that.

  “Your refrigerator is as boring as you are.” Hampton had followed me into the kitchen and wasted no time pulling open the fridge door to help himself.

  I rolled my eyes and leaned around him to pull a bottle of water out. “Then get out of it. As a matter of fact, the front door’s over there.” I gestured with the bottle toward the living room.

  He ignored me and jumped up on my counter, leaning his chest forward. “Not leaving till you agree to take Piper.”

  It was obvious I wasn’t going to be getting rid of my kid brother anytime soon, so I stepped around him and leaned against the large island that was the focal point of my kitchen. “Not a chance, Hampton.”

  “Come on!” he groaned. “She’s gotta move out. And she’s got nowhere to go. She’s at the end of a semester, and on ER rotation. It’s brutal.” He crossed his legs at the ankle and ran a hand through his hair, changing tactics. “She’s not any trouble to live with! You’ll hardly see her. She does her share of the chores. I bet you’ll love having her here,” he pleaded.

  I eyed him, taking note of the slight twitch under his left eye. It was his tell, but he didn’t know I knew about it. “Then why are you so desperate to get rid of her?”

  When he squeezed his eyes shut, I pushed away from the counter and rounded the island to stand in front of him. It had been a while since I’d seen my brother, but we’d kept in touch over the years. I didn’t begrudge him the fact he was the chosen one. He’d never set out to be better than me, to be favored over me. And even though he could more than take care of himself over the years, I still felt like it was my job to look out for him. That was the problem with being the oldest: it always felt like it was my job to look out for everyone, no matter if they knew I was taking care of them or not.

  When Jack had died, I’d taken off, carrying the guilt of abandoning my brother with me. It was that guilt that had me even considering doing him this favor.

  “We’ve lived together for eight years, dude. We are the modern-day Will and Grace. And I fucking love her, you know I do, but I’m not interested in growing old with a woman.” The sadness in his face told me the confession was not an easy one, but with one blink he quickly recovered and grinned. “Besides, I’m in loooooooove,” he sang out.

  I squeezed the back of my neck, a headache beginning to form. “Jesus, please don’t tell me you’re into show tunes now.”

  He threw his head back, laughing loudly. “Fuck no, dude.” He paused and shuddered. “Musicals make me want to stab myself.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ve got to say, you might be the straightest gay man I’ve ever met. You hate musicals, make fun of show tunes, think Cher’s overrated. Explain to me again how you ended up married to an actor?”

  Waggling his eyebrows, he lowered his voice. “Sometimes good dick trumps everything else. Know what I mean?”

  With a groan, I squeezed my eyes shut. “No, actually, I don’t know what you mean.”

  He barked a laugh and made a show of looking me up and down. “Maybe not, but you’ve always had a stick up your ass. At least dick is enjoyable.”

  My mouth gaped open. I had no problem with my brother’s sexuality, and I never had since the moment he came out to the family the week after Jack’s death. But that didn’t mean I wanted to sit here and discuss my ass and what did or didn’t belong in there with him. “Dude, shut the fuck up.”

  He grinned with pride. “I will when you say Piper can stay here.”

  I wasn’t sure which was worse, but decided to resolve the immediate problem. “Fine. Jesus.”

  Hampton jumped off the counter and threw his arms around me, squeezing me tight. I pushed against him, but eventually gave up and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him back.

  “Dude, you’ve been working out,” he said, releasing his hold on me.

  “Guys I work with spend their downtime in the gym. I joined them one day.”

  He grinned. “Picked up more chicks at the gym than behind the computer screen too, huh?”

  For the first time in two days, I laughed, throwing my head back. “Something like that.”

  He gave my arm one final squeeze. “Good to have you back. Missed your dorky ass. Haven’t had anyone to pick on in ages.” He winked and I frowned at him.

  “Pretty sure I could take your ass now.” I jabbed him in the stomach.

  He held up his arms and flexed, showing off his large biceps, proving that while he may not be an athlete anymore, he hadn’t let himself go. “I’d like to see you try. Thanks for agreeing to take Pip.”

  I tipped my chin up. “What’re we talking? Like a week or two?” I had no idea how much longer her rotation was, but it was nearly the summer, so I was assuming she was nearly done.

  His left eye began to twitch again. “Yeah, sure, something like that.”

  My eyes narrowed. “You’re not telling me something.”

  I wasn’t convinced that having her in my house was a good idea, but I’d have to worry about that later. There was something more pressing weighing on my mind. “Listen, Hampton. You sure getting married so fast was a good idea? I mean, what do you really know about this guy?”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “I know all I need to know about him.” He winked and finished, “If you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. But what do you know about him? His family? His childhood? Where is he from? It’s not all about sex.”

  “No shit, asshole. I know everything there is to know about him, okay? Everything that’s important.”

  I shook my head. It was beginning to pound. “I don’t know about that. There’s something about him I don’t trust. Call it a gut feeling.”

  His face transformed, no longer in a joking mood. “What’s your problem, Lawson? You think you can come back
after years and suddenly start spouting advice? That you know a person after spending a couple hours at dinner with him?”

  Hampton stepped around me, making a beeline for the front door.

  I squeezed the base of my neck, that pounding now a full-blown headache. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to cause a fight here. I’m just looking out for you,” I called after him.

  He skidded to a halt, his hand on the door. Not bothering to turn around, he snapped, “I don’t need you to do anything for me except take care of Piper. I can take care of myself.”

  I followed him to the door and grabbed his shoulder to stop him from walking through it. He was right, he could take care of himself. I’d just have to trust him. “Sorry, dude,” I murmured.

  He turned back toward me just as Seven meandered into the living room.

  “You’ve got a fucking cat?” Hampton laughed loudly. “Pip’s gonna love that.”

  I scooped Seven up and tucked her into the crook of my arm where she immediately closed her eyes and began to purr. “She’ll never even notice her.”

  “Sure, she won’t.” He was smirking as he pulled the door open. “Just keep her for a little while, and I’ll find somewhere else for her to go.”

  “She’s not a dog, Hampton,” I grumbled. “And last I checked, she was a fuckin adult. She can’t find her own place to go?”

  “Oh, you noticed she’s a grownup, huh?” He grinned before throwing two fingers in the air. Waltzing through the door, he shouted over his shoulder, “Forgot to tell you, Smith’s moving in this weekend…I’ll let you tell Piper the good news.”

  “Hampton, you asshole!” I shouted at his large figure as it folded into the sports car that was barely big enough for him. He threw an arm out the window and gave me a wave.

  I waved back. With my middle finger.

  “What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” I said aloud.

  Seven’s yellow eyes that were too big for her head blinked at me slowly, and she meowed loudly.

  I swear, it sounded like she was calling me an idiot. And she would be right. I was a dumbass.

  9

  Piper

  Bam! Bam! Bam!

  “I’ll get it!” Hampton announced as he leapt to his feet.

  “Jesus, is it the cops?” I grumbled. “They almost beat the door down.”

  I stood from where I was hunched over the laptop at our kitchen table and rolled my stiff neck. I pushed up onto my tiptoes to look over the bar and through the window. “Uhm, why is there a moving truck parked in front of the house?” I shouted to Hampton’s retreating back.

  He ignored me and pulled the door open. Lawson stood there dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with a picture of a keyboard and the words “Push my buttons” below it. Despite the grimace on his face, he looked good.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, my stomach fluttering. I wasn’t sure of the reason for my sudden queasiness, but it was either because Lawson looked just as good as he had a few days ago or because there was obviously something going on.

  “Here to move you,” Lawson stated plainly, his head swinging back and forth between his brother and me.

  The fluttering in my stomach became an ugly churning as Lawson’s eyes traveled the length of my body. “Take it you aren’t packed?” he murmured, his eyes still appraising me.

  When I finally found my voice again, I ignored him and pinned Hampton with a glare. “Kitchen. Now!” I snapped.

  “Want a beer, man?” Hampton asked his brother as he sauntered in. His nonchalance only pissed me off further, but I managed to bite my tongue as he pulled the fridge open and handed Lawson a beer. He pulled another one out and tipped it my way in question.

  I continued to glare at him as he shrugged and twisted the cap off before taking a long pull on the bottle.

  Lawson opened his own beer and then settled himself into the chair I’d just been studying in.

  “Excuse me,” I ground out through gritted teeth. “Mind giving us a little…privacy?”

  Lawson flashed his pearly whites as he shook his head. “Not a chance I’m missing this.”

  I rolled my eyes at him and whirled back toward where Hampton was leaning against the counter, as though we were just having a friendly get-together.

  “What the hell is going on?” My voice was shrill and I was sure that coupled with the ratty pajamas I was wearing I looked like a lunatic.

  Hampton took another swallow of his beer, then dropped the bomb he’d been holding onto for a few days. “Smith’s moving in tomorrow.” He tipped his bottle toward where his brother sat in front of my laptop. “Lawson’s been nice enough to agree to let you move into his new house. He’s got plenty of room. I was there a couple days ago, it’s really nice.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I sputtered. I glared at him, hoping that all my medical training was wrong, and that looks really could kill. Because in this moment, there was nothing that would make me happier than to shoot daggers from my eyes, directly into Hampton’s chest. The exact spot where his heart used to be, until Smith stole it.

  Much to my disappointment, Hampton was completely unfazed and continued to stand there, without even having the decency to look guilty. “We talked about this, remember?”

  I shook my head. “No, we didn’t. You announced at dinner that you’d eloped and that I had to move out.”

  He nodded. “Right. And remember, I said Lawson’s house was near the hospital and it was perfect?”

  My voice was shrill as I shouted. “That’s not talking about it! Jesus, Hampton. I don’t want to move in with Lawson!”

  I whipped my head to where Lawson was sitting, feet propped on my kitchen table. “No offense, Law.”

  He tipped his beer bottle in my direction, not even bothering to conceal the humor on his face. “None taken.”

  “Piper, you can’t live here with Smith and me,” Hampton pleaded. “We’re newlyweds. We can’t have a roommate while we’re…getting to know each other.”

  I pushed a hand into my hair. “You should have gotten to know him before you married him!”

  He lifted a shoulder in a shrug, the sly smile on his face just making my blood boil more. “Sometimes you just know.”

  “Yeah,” Lawson mumbled. “You can’t help who you fall in love with.”

  “What does that mean?” I snapped.

  He waved a hand in my direction. “Nothing.”

  “Can you just stay out of this?” I huffed.

  Lawson tipped his chin and smirked. “You’re moving into my house, but you want me to stay out of it?”

  He had a point, damn him.

  Turning back to Hampton, I reined my temper in and through clenched teeth told him, “I cannot believe that after eight years of living together, you’re kicking me out with no notice!” My heart raced as the reality of what I’d just said sank in. I swallowed hard, squeezing my eyes shut. I needed to get a grip. But no matter how many times I practiced deep breathing, I was still crushed that Hampton was abandoning me. “But if you don’t want me here, then fine. I’ll go.”

  Hampton shuffled toward me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into his large frame. “Pip…” he trailed off.

  I allowed myself only a moment’s comfort in his arms before I pushed away. “You don’t get to do that. Not this time.”

  He threw his arms to the sides. “Why can’t you be happy for me? I’m in love! You should try it sometime.”

  “Uh!” I scoffed, my body jerking as though he’d physically pushed me. “I’ve been in love before.”

  Lawson laughed and I snapped my head at him. “What are you laughing at?”

  “You,” he said simply. “I can’t believe you still think your feelings for a gay guy were genuine.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I glared at Hampton. “You expect me to live with this asshole?” Looking back at where Lawson remained seated in my chair, I seethed, “Offense intended.”

  Lawson laughed again
, looking completely unbothered by my insult.

  “I’m taking the dishes,” I told Hampton. “And the couch. And the TV in the living room. Let’s see you get to know your new husband on the floor.”

  Lawson made a noise that sounded like he was choking as Hampton replied, “I’ve already gotten to know him pretty well on that couch. The floor sounds like a good place to try next.”

  I’d walked right into that one and couldn’t think of a retort, so lamely I huffed. “Well, good. This table’s mine too. And I’m taking the laptop.”

  Hampton’s eyes widened. “You can’t take the laptop! It’s not yours.”

  “Yes, it is! I paid for it.”

  “No, we paid for it together. Remember, when the storm hit and fried the desktop, we went in together to get a new one.”

  He was right, we had split the cost evenly. “Well, I use it more than you. And I need it for school. And I’m the one being thrown out on her ass. So, I’m taking what I deserve.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake. You aren’t being tossed to the street. You’re going to be staying at Lawson’s place. Which, I might add, is a hell of a lot nicer than ours,” Hampton huffed. He was exasperated.

  “Well, whatever. You’re still sticking me with someone I don’t even like!” I glanced back at Lawson once more. “I didn’t mean that. I like you. You know what I mean.”

  He finished off the last of his beer and his lips curved around the end of the bottle. “Feeling’s mutual, Pippie.”

  His words shouldn’t have stung. But adding to my confusion, they did.

  With a groan, Lawson dropped his feet to the floor and pushed to his feet. “Well, this show’s been pretty damn entertaining, but can we get going?” He checked his watch and then murmured, “Got shit to do.”

  Hampton cleared his throat. “You can take the laptop.”

  “Yeah, I know I can,” I snapped over my shoulder as I grabbed it from the table and marched past the guys. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta get dressed. Apparently, I’ve got a long day ahead of me.”