by D. L. Roan
“No! Wait!” Charlotte screeched with a mixture of shock and giggles. She tore herself away from Connor and slid backwards on the blanket. “Your mom told us to be back before dark, for dinner. We’re going to be late.”
Strung tight with anticipation, Carson’s body deflated and crashed onto the blanket beside her.
“I’m sorry, Car, it’s just that...I can’t do this.”
Her gaze darted to his brother and her bottom lip began to tremble. Oh shit. No. She couldn’t tell him. She’d promised. “It’s okay.” He sat up and pulled her into his arms. He’d pushed her too far.
Connor removed his condom, tucked, buttoned and pushed up to sit beside her. “Car’s right. It’s okay, Char. We only want to go as far as you’re comfortable going.”
Carson felt like a world class jerk. “I’m sorry,” he offered, leaning in to give her a reassuring kiss. “Don’t worry.” She’d done enough worrying for the both of them over the past week, and if he couldn’t calm her down, she’d ruin everything.
“C’mon,” Connor said and popped to his feet, scooping up Carson’s shirt and tossing it to him before pulling on his own. “We should get back before mom sends Dani and Jonah out looking for us again.”
“Yeah.” His brother was right. The last time Dani walked in on them with Charlotte in the barn, they’d ended up doing a week’s worth of her chores to keep her from blabbing to mom and the dads about what she saw.
Charlotte took Connor’s hand and he pulled her to her feet. Carson scooped up the blanket and fell into step behind them, but Connor stopped short and turned to Charlotte.
“I want to make love to you, Char.” He lowered his head and trailed his lips along her jaw. “However long it takes, I want it to be right.”
Carson didn’t miss the way her breath hitched at his twin’s choice of words. It was as close as either of them had ever come to saying they loved any girl, which made him a bastard. Connor loved her and he’d gone and screwed it all up.
“I want that too, Con.” She rose onto her tiptoes and placed a gentle, innocent kiss on his lips.
Carson closed his eyes and prayed to heaven that she meant it, because if she didn’t, he was going to go to hell for being the worst brother ever.
The first stars were blinking in the sky by the time they made it back to the house. When they walked hand in hand into the kitchen together, their mom gave them her signature raised eyebrow, her silent yet effective way of scolding them for testing her limits.
“Hi, Mrs. McLendon. Let me help you with that.” Charlotte rushed over to the counter where their mom stood.
“Hi Charlotte.” Their mom set a stack of dinner plates on the end of the bar and pointed to the silverware drawer. “Forks, spoons and knives are in there. We’ll need enough for twelve. Papa Daniel and Uncle Cade will be joining us.”
“Gabby, baby, have you seen my—oh there you two are.” Hands in his pockets, their dad, Grey, stopped and leaned his broad shoulder against the doorframe. He pinned Carson with his all-knowing stare, his lips curling into a heavy smirk. “I was just about to send Dani and Jonah out to round the three of you up for dinner.”
Connor nudged Carson’s shoulder. “Told you he knew,” his brother mumbled under his breath as he ducked past their dad into the dining room, picking up the large stack of plates on his way.
Sounds of clanging utensils and dishes clamored with a string of muted thuds from closing cabinet doors and all the other familiar noises that filled their kitchen almost every night. The cacophony mingled with the heady scent of their mom’s lasagna, almost distracting Carson enough to ignore the weight of Grey’s silent stare.
“Gabby, do you have an extra roll of paper towels in here, doll?” Their uncle, Cade, asked, rescuing Carson from the impending we need to talk statement Grey was about to hurl at him. “Cory tipped over Daniel’s soda. My boots caught most of it, but the rug in front of the couch took a few stray splatters.”
“I’ll get you a fresh roll from the pantry,” Carson offered, grabbing the lifeline his uncle offered and using it to pull himself out of the oh-shit storm that was brewing inside the kitchen. He should have known better than to trust two nine-year-olds determined to ruin his life, not to rat on them no matter how many damn chores he and Connor did for them.
He was on his way out of the pantry with Cade’s paper towels, when Dani and Jonah came barreling down the stairs like twin tornadoes. “Well, if it isn’t Tattletale and Snitchy. I was just coming to have a little chat with the two of you!”
He grabbed for Jonah’s shirt, but the slippery little shit twisted his way out of Carson’s grip, running into the safe haven of the kitchen and leaving Dani to take the brunt of his wrath.
That was a definite difference between those two and he and Connor, when it came to being twins. Jonah and Dani were on opposite ends of everything. He and Connor always looked out for one another. That was until he’d gone and stabbed Connor in the back.
He tamped down the regret that had been his constant companion for the last week. He still had time to make it right; he just needed to stick to the plan and make sure these two stayed out of their business.
“Let me go, A-hole!” Dani screeched and pushed against the arm he’d snaked around her waist.
“Not until you tell me what you told the dads about seeing us in the barn with Charlotte.”
“Nothin’!” Dani squawked. “I didn’t tell them nothin’, but I will if you don’t let me go!”
“Anything,” their dad, Matt, corrected her as he stepped around them at the base of the stairs. “You didn’t tell us anything. You’re gonna get me in trouble with your mom if you keep talkin’ like that.”
Carson thought he was in the clear until Matt paused in the hallway and turned back to face them. Their dad studied Dani as she struggled, his forefinger tapping his chin with an impatient tick before he braced one palm on his knee and pointed to the phone clutched in her hand.
“You have video evidence on them, don’t you?”
Dani stopped squirming.
Carson’s throat constricted with panic when she silently nodded.
Their dad chuckled. “Your uncle Cade taught you well, darlin.” Matt winked at her. “No chores for a month if you let me see it first.”
“Promise?” Dani asked.
Matt held up his hand and extended his little finger. “Pinky promise.”
“Deal!” Dani hooked her pinky around Matt’s and slapped her phone into his other hand.
Matt glanced up at Carson, his eyebrows bouncing in taunting arches as he tucked her phone against his body, like a running back guarding a football, and took off down the hallway.
“No! Dad, wait!” Carson released Dani, sending her spinning out of his path as he rushed down the hall after their dad.
If there was a video, and any one of their parents saw it, he and Connor would never be able to look them in the eyes again! When he reached the kitchen, all three of their dads were tossing the phone back and forth like a hot potato until their mom ordered them all into the dining room, where dinner had apparently been served.
“Give me that and go have a seat,” his mom ordered, taking the new roll of paper towels Carson retrieved from the pantry before she disappeared into the living room.
Carson joined Daniel and Cade as they herded little Cory across the hall and into the family dining room where Connor, Charlotte, Dani and Jonah sat with their three dads at the long table. Their mom followed a few moments later.
After saying grace, they spent the next hour devouring every ounce of the delicious Italian meal their mom had made. He and Connor also spent that hour dodging innuendoes from their dads about the video none of them had hopefully seen yet, if it existed at all. Dani, that little brat, had better have been telling a fib about recording them. He knew where she kept her diary. Daddies’ little girl or not, the gloves were coming off if she had even so much as a picture of him and his brother with Charlotte.
> Connor’s cell phone rang beneath the table, the sound of the latest song they’d written and performed at the fair last week blaring from the speaker.
“That’s five bucks, Con! Pay up!” Their dad, Grey, announced from the head of the table, extending his hand to Connor to collect.
Their mom had a longstanding no-cell-phones-at-the-dinner-table rule that at least one person inevitably violated. Each violation cost the violator five dollars, all of which went to their mom at the end of the month to spend as she pleased. It was a silly rule, seeing as she almost always spent it on them anyways.
The room went silent when Connor didn’t immediately switch it off, but answered it instead. “Hello?” he said, holding up one apologetic finger as he rose from his chair and left the room. “Yes, this is Connor McLendon.”
Carson watched all four of his parents as their shocked gazes tracked Connor out of the room. Charlotte gave him a questioning look and he shrugged. Who could be important enough to risk the wrath of their dads for disrespecting one of their mom’s top five rules?
He could hear Connor agreeing to something before he said goodbye and came rushing back to the table, whipping back around to leave his phone on the buffet table in the hallway outside the room.
“Sorry,” Connor said as he hurried back to his seat. The whole table was mute, waiting for him to say something. Surely he didn’t expect to get away with that without at least some attempt at an explanation.
“I think that should cost him at least ten bucks,” Jonah said, breaking the tense silence.
“Well?” Carson prodded when Connor didn’t cough up any details. “Who was that?”
Connor shrugged and reached into his front pocket, pulling out two fives and tossing them onto the table. “That was Fletcher Barnes, the lead talent scout for The Big Break.” A sly grin curled the corner of Connor’s mouth as he met Carson’s questioning gaze. “I sent him a video of our performance at the fair last week.”
Carson felt the proverbial floor crumble away from beneath his chair. Not a little collapse. It fell all the way away. Completely disappeared. Should he dare even think the words he hoped Connor was about to say? The Big Break?
Not only was it a chance to meet the reigning god of country music and play with some of the most amazing bands, but it was nationally televised on a major network! Getting a shot at competing on that show could give them...well...their big break! “What—” Carson swallowed against the sudden dryness in his throat. “What did he say?”
Connor shrugged. “He said he loved it and wants to meet with us next week.”
“What?” Carson’s face went numb. He didn’t know why that one thing above all else stood out about that moment, but it did. “Holy shit! We’re going to be on The Big Break?”
“Language!” Gabby warned over his excited outburst and surprised gasps of everyone in the room. “How did he get your phone number, Connor?” she asked.
Carson heard his mom’s question, but it didn’t quite register with all the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he reached over the table and grabbed his twin, pulling him into a back-slapping hug. “Bro, this is epic!”
“Hello, is this Fletcher Barnes?” At the sound of Grey’s voice, Connor and Carson froze. Sudden silence denoted their joint sense of panic as they looked over to see Grey standing in the doorway with Connor’s phone to his ear. “This is Grey McLendon, Connor and Carson McLendon’s father. Sure, it’s nice to talk to you too. Listen, I understand you want to meet with my sons regarding a video they sent you?”
“Dad!” They said in a unified, horrified whisper. Everything moved in slow motion as they flung themselves at Grey. Carson felt like he was running through a foot of mud, the weight slowing every step before he finally made it the few feet to the end of the room. “You’re going to make him bail on us!”
“Yes, yes, I agree. They’re amazingly talented, thank you, but I want to make it clear that these boys, my boys, are under eighteen. If you want to talk with them, I insist you contact me first. Is that clear?”
Mother of all that was holy, he was going to ruin their music career before it even started! Carson reached for the phone, but Grey held up a finger that only accentuated the lethal warning in his eyes. “Dad, please. I’m begging you!” he mouthed, falling to his knees in front of Grey with his hands clasped together.
“I understand. Next week is fine.” Grey nodded as he spoke. “Let me give you my number so you can call me with the details.”
Oh, dear God, help them. If the man called back it would be a miracle. Carson looked over at his brother and saw the same shocked expression on his face, but in typical Connor fashion, he stood back and kept his horror to himself. “A little help here?” he asked, nodding to their dad.
“Get off the floor, Carson,” their dad, Mason, ordered as he gestured to the empty chair at the table next to Charlotte. “Stop being a drama queen in front of your girlfriend.”
Carson glanced up to see Charlotte’s lips bowed into a beautiful smile and excitement twinkling in her cobalt eyes. It was that same star-struck adoration he saw there each time he and Connor played a big gig, only more. Much, much more. Oh, yeah. They were definitely going to hit that double soon. They were going to be rock stars, and everything was going to work out with Charlotte. Life could not get any better than that!
“Thanks, I’ll talk to you then,” Grey said before powering off Connor’s phone. “Charlotte, thanks for joining us for dinner, but I believe it’s getting late,” he said with polite sternness and nodded towards the old grandfather clock that sat in the corner.
“We can take her home after dessert,” Carson said, pointing to the half-eaten cannoli on his plate. What the heck was Grey so T’d off for? This was an amazing day!
“No,” Grey answered. “We need to have a talk.” He swiveled his wrist in a circle to indicate Connor and Carson, as well as all three dads. The dreaded family meeting.
“I’ll take you home, Charlotte,” their mom said, pushing her chair back from the table. “Let me grab my keys.”
“I’ll go with you,” Daniel said.
“I wanna go too!” Dani jumped up and grabbed her plate. “Let me get my shoes.”
“Want-to-go,” their mom corrected her. “Wanna is not a word.”
Carson slumped in his seat. What was the problem? This was the chance of a lifetime. He couldn’t for the life of him imagine not only making it onto that stage, but winning the whole competition. That would mean a cool million dollars and an instant recording contract. They would be set for life! It was their dream. It’s what they were working so hard and writing all those songs for! They could do this! If our dads don’t ruin our lives first.
Chapter Five
“We’ll call you tomorrow.” Connor cradled Charlotte’s heart-shaped face between his palms, hoping for one final taste of her lips, one final kiss goodnight before his mom drove her home. She tensed in his arms and he hesitated. Had they crossed a line earlier? Sure, he’d been horny as hell, but he’d never meant to pressure her. Carson had been relentless—something he was going to address before the night was through—but neither of them wanted her to do something she didn’t want. “I meant what I said, Char. If you’re not ready we’ll wait. However long that takes.”
Charlotte nodded, her eyes filled with a sadness he couldn’t place. There had been a sweet desperation in her kiss before he let her go, handing her over to Carson for their goodbye.
Something felt off as he watched them together. It wasn’t jealousy or envy, far from it. He’d always known they would share a girlfriend and eventually a wife, but something had changed between them. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it felt as if he was watching two strangers, instead of two people that were supposed to be a part of a whole—a part of him. His parents were like that. He couldn’t look at one without seeing the other three. He wanted that.
Connor shook off the strange sensation. He’d felt on edge since he’d
opened his eyes that morning and had been hard pressed to explain why. The earlier mood was but a tremor, a warning of the complete riot that was taking place inside him now. After that phone call, there were a million different feelings rushing through him all at once. Lust, excitement, anticipation, they were all warring for equal possession of his body, but there was also an odd undercurrent of pensiveness and dread he couldn’t explain.
He should be ecstatic. Everything he and Carson had spent the last seventeen years dreaming of was about to happen. They were going to get a shot at a recording contract and a chance to share their music with the world. If Carson slowed his ass down and didn’t screw things up with Charlotte, they would be losing their virginity soon, too. That was a plus. Life would be great once they survived this little chat with their dads.
“Shit, our mom’s coming.” Carson peeled himself away from Charlotte and righted her clothes. Connor gave her one last peck on the cheek before he opened the car doors for both her and his mom.
“Thank you,” Gabby said as she slid into the driver’s seat. Before he could close the door, she reached out and touched his arm. “Love you,” she said and Connor was compelled to give her a hug.
“Love you too, Mom.” The words came freely, though he was a little disappointed in her initial reaction to their news. Carson, on the other hand, didn’t share the same temperament.
“Love you, Car,” Gabby said. Carson closed Charlotte’s door and walked away without so much as a wave goodbye.
“Well, this should be fun,” Connor grumbled and gave his mom an apologetic grin. Papa Daniel slipped into the passenger seat of their mom’s Jeep and Dani hopped into the back seat alongside Charlotte. Dealing with their parents was one thing. Dealing with Carson’s ego and tendency to overreact and obsess over every little thing was the reason he hadn’t told his brother about submitting the video in the first place.
“Your dads love you, honey,” Gabby said. “We only want what’s best for you.”
“I know, Mom.” Connor gave her a reassuring wink and closed her door, taking a moment to steel himself for the upcoming parental intervention. Stalling was more like it.