“Someone sounds jealous.”
“You didn’t hear anything else, did you?” I asked, rolling my eyes and going back to look for an outfit.
“Nope!”
“Guys,” I muttered into the phone. I finally grabbed something to wear and pulled it out of my closet.
“You get worked up so easy, Princess. It is fun to annoy you.” I could practically see him smirking through the phone.
“Yeah, yeah. Is there anything else? I have to get dressed.”
“So you are talking to me naked? Who knew you had it in you, Princess?” Even though I wasn’t naked, I felt myself blushing.
“Oh, shut up! I’m hanging up now.”
“Okay, okay. Let me know when you are done at your parents’ house, maybe you can still drop by.”
“I will. Can’t promise anything though.”
“That is okay I’ll just sit here, lonely, waiting for you.”
“You, lonely? Yeah, right.”
“Yeah, you are right. Girls just fawn over me,” Gage boasted.
“As lovely as this conversation has been, I have to finish getting ready.”
“I’ll let you go then, Princess.” Gage laughed. “Have fun at your parents’.”
“And you have fun being a wingman.”
“I’ll let you know if he scores.” I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, do.”
“Bye, Princess.” I smiled, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Bye, Gage.” Still smiling like an idiot, I hung up. Even a dumb conversation like that could make my heart flutter and make me smile like a teenage girl. Shaking my head at myself, I sat my phone down and grabbed my clothes to change.
Because it was nearing the middle of October, it was starting to get chilly. This last month had gone by so quickly that soon it would be Thanksgiving and then Christmas. You could tell winter was coming soon, as everyone was switching out their shorts for jeans and leggings.
Grabbing the pair of black leggings I pulled out, I quickly pulled them on. Well, more like wiggled and bounced around my room for five minutes trying to get them on. After I did all that, I slid on a simple black t-shirt and finally my super cute maroon sweater. Because it wasn’t absolutely freezing, I was okay with wearing a thinner sweater.
I pulled on a pair of cute brown lace-up boots and got to work on doing my hair and makeup. Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to add a few extra curls to my hair, to put on some mascara and concealer—if my mother saw the bags under my eyes, she would worry—and to put on some deep maroon lipstick that matched my sweater.
Once I was all ready and had my purse filled with what I needed, I left my room and headed to Macey’s. Hopefully she wasn’t stressed out again and had changed into something warmer. I didn’t think she would be so weird about impressing my parents. The same parents that practically raised her.
“Ready to go?” I asked, peeking my head in.
“Yup.” As she grabbed her own purse, I was happy to see she changed her outfit. Instead of the cute summer dress, she was now wearing a simple light pastel pink sweater, a pair of really washed-out skinny jeans, and matching pink booties that had spikes on the sides. It totally screamed “Macey” to me. It was simple yet cute.
Once we made sure we had everything we needed, we left the apartment and headed downstairs. Macey texted Luke saying we were ready once we reached the stairs, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Luke was already downstairs waiting.
Over the last three days I had had to put up with Luke and Macey being all lovey-dovey. It was nauseating, honestly. Sure, I was happy for them, but it was still gross and weird seeing them kiss. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to get used to them being together.
When we left the building, Luke was there leaning against the wall waiting for us. I rolled my eyes even though it was pretty gentlemanly of him. Luke had definitely changed a little since they have been going out. Once I found out, I started to realize how differently Luke acted. Instead of flirting with any girl that came by, he only had eyes for Macey.
I’d watched him not even break eye contact with Mace when a very pretty, long-legged, brunette walked by. Not once did he look back at her or anything. I even noticed he actually listened to what Mace had to say. It was a different side of my brother than I was used to seeing.
I was used to him flirting with anything that had boobs. Going from one girl to the next. But this Luke was all eyes for Mace. I liked it, and I was glad he was acting this way. Macey didn’t deserve some womanizer guy or jerk like Luke. At least he was noticing that now.
“You look beautiful, Mace.” My brother breathed out once he saw her. I watched her blush a little, but a smile was spread across his face.
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” she said before going over to him. Immediately their arms went around one another, and they kissed. Gross.
“Come on, love birds, let’s go.” I cut into their kiss after a few seconds. Not even waiting for them to follow, I turned and headed for the parking lot. I did hear them behind me a minute later, Macey giggling.
When we reached the Jeep, I was forced to be in the back so Mace could be up front near Luke. Couples, I tell you. Thankfully, though, through the ride neither of them did anything too disgusting. I might be okay with it but not seeing it, mind you.
“So do you plan on telling Mom and Dad?” I asked Luke once we were getting closer.
“We probably should. Maybe after dinner though,” Luke said, and Macey nodded.
“Don’t want to give Mom a heart attack during dinner,” Mace joked.
“Yeah, right,” I muttered softly.
“What was that?” Macey asked.
“Oh nothing.” I waved her off. Fortunately, we pulled up not too long after. Not seeing Ethan’s car here yet, I figured we beat him. Although Macey’s parents’ car was on the other side of the driveway. Yeah, this is going to be fun.
“Let’s get this over with,” Luke muttered before getting out of the car. He quickly went over to the passenger’s side and helped Macey out. He really was becoming a gentleman.
When we walked to the front door, I saw Macey give Luke’s hand a tight squeeze before she untangled hers. She didn’t want to just walk right inside with their hands together. With them giving me a nod to open the door, I did. The moment I stepped inside, I stopped in place, as did Luke and Macey beside me.
“Congratulations!” my mother Layla and Aunt Kay suddenly yelled at us. They pointed up to a huge banner that said ‘Congratulations It’s A Boy!’ but the ‘It’s A Boy’ was crossed out and placed above it were Luke and Macey’s names.
“Kay did the signs,” Mom said immediately as we read the banner. Kay of course slapped my mom’s arm.
“What is going on?” Luke finally asked. He glanced at Mom and Aunt Kay. Our dad and Macey’s stood in the back staring at us.
“Congratulations on getting together!” Mom yelled and rushed toward him. She wrapped him in a tight hug before moving onto a frozen Macey. As embarrassing as this was, I couldn’t help but want to laugh. I quickly covered my mouth so I wouldn’t get in trouble. I moved over to Dad watching Aunt Kay and Mom hug the death out of the two of them.
“You finally got together! Can you believe it, Kay? Our babies!” Mom gushed. From here I could see both Luke and Macey were red in the face. So this was what my mom had planned. Nice.
“Hey Dad,” I said while Mom still gushed at Macey and Luke.
“Hey sweetie.” He pulled me into one of his famous bear hugs I had missed. I pressed my face against his chest, breathing in his scent. I didn’t realize how much I missed him until I was hugging him. Back when I used to see him every day, I didn’t think I would ever be away from him for so long, but now in college I didn’t get to see him every day. Yes, I was a daddy’s girl, and I was not ashamed.
“How was Europe?” I asked.
“It was good, you know, besides work.” He smiled down at me.
“You work too much, Dad,” I commented before Uncle Nick grabbed me into a hug himself. Both gave the best hugs, I swear.
While they turned back to watch their wives attack their children, I moved around them and squatted down to love on Sammy, our dog. Why you couldn’t have a dog at campus I don’t even know. When Sammy finally got sick of me and went to greet Luke, I noticed a familiar girl coming out of the bathroom.
“Lizzy?” The sixteen-year-old jumped and turned to face me, her eyes widening.
“Carter!” She suddenly came running at me. Macey’s younger sister ran into my arms, pulling me into a tight hug. It has been so long since I last saw her. She wasn’t here the last time we had dinner, so it had been a good two to three months.
“You finally came to eat with us commoners,” I said, sending her a smile as she stepped back. I looked over the younger version of Macey. She had definitely changed since I last saw her. Her hair was dyed a dark brown color, instead of the pretty honey-brown it had been before. Her eyes were a light blue, which struck out more from her hair. She was taller and was about the same height as me. Her baby face was turning into a mix of her father and mother’s face. High cheek bones, plump lips, pretty face. She had definitely grown into herself lately.
“Just what Mom said too.” She rolled her made-up eyes at me, but still smiled.
“Look who it is,” a new voice said. Macey walked in and hugged her sister. Elizabeth tried to act like she didn’t like a hug from her sister, but I could tell she missed her.
“Yeah, look at the girl who caused this whole thing,” Liz shot back at her sister.
“What? I didn’t think Mom or Aunt Layla would know about me and Luke. Nor would they get a banner!”
“It is all she talks about lately.”
“How did she know?” Macey asked her sister. All Liz did was gesture to me with her head before leaving the room. “Carter?” Macey turned to look at me.
“Traitor!” I hissed at Elizabeth, who just winked and left the room. “What is up with her?” I asked.
“She is going through the whole ‘I hate everyone, especially my family’ phase. That is why she hasn’t been around when we come over. Too obsessed with her friends and apparent boyfriend.” Mace rolled her eyes at that.
“Liz has a boyfriend?” I raised an eyebrow.
“So my mom says. Dad isn’t too thrilled.” I smiled. Nick was just as bad as my dad with being protective of his little girls.
“I bet.” We both laughed at that. “Oh, and hey, now you don’t have to tell my parents or yours about you and Luke,” I commented.
“Yeah, about that. You told your mom.”
“I…uh…maybe,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “I was upset and needed someone to talk to, so I called Mom and it slipped. I just didn’t think they would do this,” I admitted.
“Car, it is okay. It is embarrassing, but hey, it’s easier than us telling them.” She shrugged.
“You’re right about that.”
“Girls, come help us finish with lunch!” Mom yelled. Rolling our eyes, we headed in the direction of the kitchen. The day was just getting started.
***
“I can’t believe you bet on us!” Luke exclaimed as we all sat around the table eating. He was sitting next to Macey with his arm wrapped around her. Next to them were Ethan and Amy, who arrived not long after we did. Mom was just as excited to hear about them being together, and she gushed around them.
I swear the only people here without anyone was me and Lizzy, but she had a boyfriend that just didn’t come, so technically I was the only one. Great! Note the sarcasm there.
So far lunch, or I guess early dinner, not sure, was going well. Like always, Mom had tons of food to eat, which all the boys ate like they hadn’t seen a meal in ages. It was nice to be home with my family and hear about what we had missed in the last few weeks. You never know how much you miss your family or things like this until you don’t do it as often.
“So anything new going on with you, Carter?” Aunt Kay asked after a little bit.
“Uh, nothing much honestly, just school.” I shrugged, taking a bite of my pasta salad.
“Really? Nothing interesting happen since we last talked?” There was a glint in her eyes that I couldn’t place.
“She got a boyfriend.” Amy suddenly butted in. My eyes widened at her words and my head snapped in her direction. I heard silverware hit plates.
“What?” Both my brother and father, Ashton, said at the same time. I winced at their voices and glared at Amy. She shot me an apologetic look. Everything was quiet as they waited for my answer.
“Uh, nothing,” I said, looking down at my plate. Right when I thought the day was going to go smoothly. |
“Carter Miller, what did she say about you having a boyfriend?” my father asked. It was his business tone, and it could make anyone shake. I wanted to lie and say no, but Gage and I kind of were dating. As far as Ethan knew we were, even though it was fake. I wasn’t even sure it was still true between us but if I said no, Ethan would know I was lying.
“Uh, yes.”
“Who?” Luke said this time. I dared a glance up and saw my father and brother were leaning forward staring at me. The others were leaning back quietly. Even my mom was quiet. So much for help.
“Gage.”
“Gage? As in Gage Harper?” Luke spit out.
“Who’s that?” my father asked, turning to Luke.
“A guy on campus. He isn’t a good guy, Carter.”
“You don’t know him, Luke. You can’t judge him by what you hear,” I said, feeling angry that he was saying that about Gage. He had no idea what he was like.
“Carter, he is a womanizer and I heard he does underground fighting. That doesn’t make for a good boyfriend.” I could see my father’s eyes widening at that and looking back at me.
“You actually believe those rumors?” I said, even though they weren’t rumors. “Gage is sweet and kind. He isn’t what people say about him.” I glared at my brother. From the corner of my eye I noticed Macey smile at my words.
“Then I want to meet him,” my father said. I turned to look at him with wide eyes.
“W-what?” I squeaked out.
“I want to meet this Gage Harper.”
With my mouth hanging open, I stared at my father not registering his words. He wanted to meet Gage. Gage who I wasn’t even dating, who barely tolerated me, and now he had to meet my overbearing family. Yeah, this was going to be a disaster.
Read on for a sneak peek at the next book in the Silent Love series!
***Sneak Peek***
Silent Love Series, PART 3
Chapter One
I want to meet this Gage Harper.
For a whole week that was all I could think about. My parents wanted to meet Gage, the guy I was supposedly dating. The guy who would probably not want to meet my parents. I was scared to even ask him if he would, so for the next week I didn’t bring it up. We hung out almost every day, but not once did I say anything about it.
My father’s words stayed in my head, and it was actually making me keep some distance from Gage. I wasn’t sure how to bring it up or how to convince him to meet my parents. They were really intimidating, and it didn’t help that my brother told my dad false things about Gage, which may make him hate him.
Of course my mother was no help. She wanted to meet him as much as my father, if not more. I couldn’t count on her to talk my father out of this, so I was stuck. And knowing my family they wanted to meet him as soon as possible, so it wasn’t like I could hold off for months, until they forgot.
It was now Saturday again, and I was supposed to meet up with everyone. And I meant everyone: Macey, Luke, Ethan, Amy, Dylan, and Gage. Just knowing that all of them would be in the same room was enough to make me want to stay home. Macey somehow convinced me it would be fun if Dylan and Gage went out bowling with us, and then we’d all go to dinner. I still didn’t know why I agreed.
/> Even with all of that, I was even more shocked when Gage and Dylan said they’d go bowling with us. I wasn’t even sure what made them say yes; it might have been my begging, but still. I never thought they’d actually come; well, I was sure Dylan would go, but Gage was another story. I was just happy they agreed.
Now, as I was getting ready, I was freaking out over what might happen. I didn’t want any of the guys to get in a fight or to do or say something stupid, which was bound to happen. I knew Ethan and Luke don’t like the other two, but I hoped for my sake they would all just get along for once.
“Carter, you ready?” Macey asked coming into my room and breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Uh, not really,” I muttered staring at my closet. I wasn’t sure what to wear, and with worry about tonight I couldn’t think straight.
“Car, we have to leave in like ten minutes!” Mace said walking toward me.
“I know, but, Mace, I’m worried about tonight.”
“Don’t be. Everything will be fine. Luke promised that he would be on his best behavior.”
“How did you get him to promise that?” I asked. That was a first for my brother.
“I said we wouldn’t have sex unless he was good.” At her words I clamped my hands over my ears.
“Ew! That is so fucking gross.” I glare over at her. “I didn’t need to hear that!” All she did was laugh and shake her head at me. Instead of saying anything in return, she turned to my closet. It didn’t take her long to grab some items and throw them at me.
“Hurry and put these on.” She shoved them into my arms before leaving my room so I could get dressed. Forcing myself to push aside any negative thoughts, I quickly got dressed. There was nothing I could do about today; all I could do was hope that things turned out okay. If the boys were going to fight, there was nothing I could do.
I slid on the dark blue skinny jeans, doing a little hop around the room. Because it was slightly warmer today, I put on a cute grey tank top that had a heart with the American sign on the front. Just in case it got cold I grabbed one of my checkered long-sleeved shirt to tie around my waist. Hearing Mace call my name, I quickly slid on some cute heeled booties and a beanie before I was ready. I made sure I had extra socks in my bag in case, and everything else I needed.
Silent Love [Part 2]_Forbidden Series Page 21