by BJ Harvey
Abi laughs. “And I’m the wild child. Whereas Cohen is…”
“Intense,” Ronnie says.
“Smart at life, and so so clueless when it comes to women,” April adds.
I giggle at that because even as a teenager five years younger than us, he thought he knew everything there was to know about the opposite sex.
Abi bumps me with her arm. “Faith, remember the first time he got slapped in the face for a horrendous pick-up line he’d heard one of the brothers talking about? He thought the girl had simply misheard him.”
“That’s right,” I say with a smirk. “The next time he tried it, it was with a senior when he was a freshman at high school. He got punched out by her defensive lineman boyfriend. Of course, that meant Jax and Jamie had to pay the guy a visit, not to rough him up, but simply to put the fear of God into the boy and defend the Cook name,” I say with a mocking gruff voice.
“Baby brother definitely learned his lesson after that. Well, we thought he did. Since then, it’s been a revolving door when it comes to his love life.”
“Doesn’t even come close to Ezra though.” I sigh. “I’m just glad most of the men in our lives found good women in the end.”
“You know that includes you too, right?” Abi says.
“’Cause Bry may be many things, but he’s not stupid,” April states matter-of-factly.
Abi locks eyes with mine. “And maybe this is all so new, and he’s living for today rather than thinking ahead because the last time he did that…”
I gasp as the realization hits me. Oh my God. That’s it.
“It’s not that he doesn’t want to—it’s that he doesn’t want to scare me off like last time,” I say. “I can actually fix this.”
Ronnie’s brows bunch together, her expression firmly in the ‘What the hell is she talking about?’ category.
I’m too in the zone now to acknowledge her. “It’s not just about being the perfect wife and learning how to cook, and giving him good sex—”
“Hold up… you cooked?” Abi asks, her eyes wide as saucers. “Bakes? You? The woman who made her Easy-Bake Oven catch fire? You cooked, and he ate it?”
“Oh, yeah. He told Jax all about it. You couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, apparently. It didn’t stop him making jokes about me having a bun in the oven though.” Ronnie covers her mouth as a huge gasp fills the now quiet room.
“What?” April, Abi, and myself all gasp in unison. I do the math in my head. Jax and Ronnie got married five weeks before I got back. These two don’t fuck around.
“Um… surprise?” Ronnie says, her eyes traveling around the group as a whole.
“That’s why you offered to be the sober driver, you sneaky bitch,” April says, playfully whacking Ronnie’s arm before standing up and pulling her in for a hug. We all follow suit, and by the time we’ve all congratulated Ronnie on the news, which I’m now wondering if my husband knows or not, our previous conversation about Bry and my future with him is forgotten. Not by me, though. I had a plan—to be the best wife I could be while proving I still loved and always would love him—but now, it seems I need to step that up to the next level.
Whatever it takes, whatever I have to do, I’ll do it.
As I look back out to this group of women who I know are going to be my great friends—and allies—in life, an idea forms in my mind of exactly what I have to do.
And I’m going to need their help to pull it off.
“So let me get this straight. There are no sex toys?” Dani asks loudly. Apparently, I’m not the only one who didn’t know the code word.
“Oh, little grasshopper, so much to learn have you,” Abi says with a sly smile.
“Zach’s at home expecting a show when I get back. He even said to surprise him with something special,” Dani says.
“You can surprise him. It just won’t be with a toy. I’ve always found a little finger is always a welcome addition,” Nat says with a wicked smirk.
“Definitely surprises them,” Sam says, a knowing grin curving her lips.
Mia giggles. “Oh, yeah. Right when you’re really getting into it, and you can feel them just about to lose it, you just—”
“Stick it on up there,” April says, and I choke on my drink, coughing and spluttering between giggles.
Ronnie pats her palm on my back. “There, there, Faith. Bry won’t know what hit him if you surprise him.”
My wide eyes switch between April and Ronnie. “Are you guys fucking with me?”
“Maybe,” Ronnie says with a wink. “Then again, never say never.”
“And it’s not like you’re coming at him with a strap-on,” Mac says. “I did that as a joke once, and I swear, Daniel locked himself in the bathroom. He said he didn’t, but for a man who’s all man, I swear he turned a whiter shade of pale.”
We’re all laughing now. I haven’t met Mac’s husband, Daniel, but he must be quite a man to be married to her. She’s a crack-up, but I can also tell she’d be quite the handful.
“So strap-on is off the list,” Mia mutters.
“My mom would disagree,” Natalie says. My head snaps to her face, and I feel like one of those cartoon characters with their eyes bouncing out like Slinkies.
“Um…” I say, not quite sure I want to know any more of this story.
Mia catches my look and laughs. “Your expressions are priceless, ladies. Natalie’s parents are in a polyamorous relationship with two others.”
To her credit, Natalie shrugs off the wide-eyed looks on April, Ronnie, and my faces. “Mom and Dad are together. Mom also has a boyfriend, and Dad has his own boyfriend. But there are no three-sausages-one-bun things going on.” She holds her hands out in front of each other and links her fingers together. “It’s three separate relationships that coexist at the same time, within three joint living spaces.”
“You’re so cool,” Ronnie breathes.
“How on earth would I explain that to Ax?” April says, dissolving into a fit of giggles. “He still thinks Jamie and I watch movies and eat junk food every night since it’s like a never-ending sleepover now.”
I shake my head, my lips curved up. “I need to see Axel again. I never really got to talk to him last time.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. He’s got a list of questions longer than his arm for you,” April says.
“Should I be worried?” Surely I can handle an eight-year-old boy. Right?
“Only if he insists on asking you about the size of an elephant’s penis. I’ve tried to dissuade him from that particular question, but I doubt I’ve been successful,”
“You’ll have to bring him ’round. I’ll bring him some zoo stuff from work.”
“Be careful. You’ll steal him away, and you’ll be the new favorite.”
I shrug. “There are worse things to be.” Secretly, I can’t wait to try and be his favorite now.
“Did someone say penis?” Natalie asks, reentering the conversation. “I agree. Whatever you were saying.”
“You’re crazy,” Kate says, shaking her head at Natalie.
Natalie beams. “About cock? Always.”
Not long after that, we all get ready to leave. Despite being nervous about tonight, I’m so glad I came, especially since we’ve all exchanged numbers and I’m the newest member of the phone tree. Mia made a joke about a sex tree, but I got lost when she started explaining how that came about. This group of friends seems to be a little incestuous. Then again, I fell for the first boy I ever kissed, so what do I know?
Abi pulls me in for a hug when we reach Ronnie’s car. I squeeze her tight, loving that I have her back in my life the way we used to be.
“One piece of advice,” she whispers in my ear. “If you want to break through that last wall Bry has, use a wrecking ball, not a sledgehammer. Wrecking balls are more final. You swing one of those, and the results are definitive, and while it takes a lot of effort to do, they leave no doubt.” She pulls back and meets my eyes. “I know you wouldn
’t have gone through with any of this unless you loved him even more than he has always loved you. Whatever you do, go so big that he knows without a shadow of a doubt that this is it forever. And if you need any help whatsoever—or twin baby nieces to distract him while you’re setting plans in motion—let me know.”
“I missed you, Abi Jane Carsen.”
“I missed you too, Faith Marie Bake—Cook,” she says with a huge grin.
“Wait, I thought full-naming was a big no-no?” April says, sidling up beside Abi.
I shoot both of them a smile. “Sometimes it’s like shouty caps. It has to be done.”
Ronnie clears her throat and looks at us from her open car door. “Speaking of doing things—can we get going? These pregnancy hormones have me wanting to go for a ride… and I’m not talking about driving.”
April, Abi and I share a look that screams, ‘Did she really just say that?’
“Jax is so screwed,” Abi says. A snort escapes my lips, followed by a giggle from April, then a snort from Abi before we’re all laughing our asses off.
“You guys are nuts,” Ronnie grumbles, which just sets us off all over again.
I can definitely see more sex-toy parties in my future, and I can’t wait.
Having waved goodbye to the sisters, I let myself inside, lock the front door behind me, and quietly make my way to our room. Undressing as I go, I throw my clothes over my shoulder and move to my side of the bed. Crawling between the sheets, I roll over and spoon Bryant’s warm, naked body from behind. He slowly wakes up, his hand sliding along my arm as he holds me to him.
“Did you have a good night?” he asks sleepily.
I press a soft kiss to his shoulder blade. “Yeah.”
“Good.”
“Did you beat Cohen?”
“Nah, the little shit kicked our asses. Probably because you weren’t there.”
“I’ll get him back next time.”
“You can be my not-so-secret weapon.”
I giggle at that and burrow in closer, pressing every part of me into him. “I missed you tonight, but I also liked spending time with the sisters and everyone else.”
He turns to face me, moving in close and nuzzling my jaw, peppering kisses in a gentle trail to my lips. “Good,” he says, giving me a squeeze. “I missed you too. Especially ’cause I kept thinking about what you might bring home with you.”
I smile against his mouth before slowly kissing him, the feel of his warm skin against mine waking me in delicious ways.
“I liked coming home to you,” I whisper against his lips.
“I liked knowing you were coming home to me,” he says, dragging his tongue along the seam of my mouth. “So these toys…”
“No toys. Just you.”
“I guess you better start playing with me then,” he says, pressing his hips against mine before rolling me over onto my back and pressing his lips to mine, “No batteries required.”
20
Faith
It’s a Friday-night paint party with all hands on deck to get ready for the new kitchen to be installed on Monday. I’m like a kid at Christmas because I can see the house all coming together now and I’m excited to get involved in even a small part of the brothers’ business.
I’m kneeling on the floor and taping up the trim to protect the newly sanded, yet-to-be-polished original floorboards Bry and Jax inadvertently found when ripping up the old vinyl a few weeks ago. What was going to be timber-look tiles is now going to be a gorgeous dark polished wood. I was so excited when I came home from work last week and Bry told me, I may have bounced up and down and clapped my hands. This earned me a wry grin and a messy kiss on the lips before Bry asked for my opinion about the countertops. Since then, I’ve been chomping at the bit to do stuff—anything—to help put my stamp on this house flip.
Ever since Natalie’s drinks, I keep thinking about what Abi said about using a wrecking ball with Bry. Someone less determined than I am might be wary of rocking the boat, but if it takes something epic to demolish the lingering doubts my husband may have about me, then a wrecking ball is what I’m going to use.
“Damn that’s a nice sight.”
I lean up on my knees and look over my shoulder to see Bry pushing off the doorframe, his eyes flashing with heat. “You always did like me down here.”
“I like you anywhere,” he says, closing the distance between us.
I scoot around so I’m facing him by the time he reaches me. He stops in front of me. My face is scandalously close to one of my favorite parts of him. Unable to help myself, I run my gaze over his ratty old UC Davis T-shirt to his hips, smirking when his interest becomes evident.
He narrows his eyes. “Keep looking at me like that and I won’t care that we’ll be interrupted, and I won’t stop until we’re done.”
“Is that a promise? Because I’m not opposed to putting on a show.” I lick my lips, loving the twitch in his jaw as he hungrily rakes his eyes over me. He bends down and hooks his hands under my armpits and hauls me up his body. After turning me around, he backs me into the nook where a refrigerator will go and crowds me in. He dips his head to run his nose along my jaw, his lips dragging against my skin and putting all thoughts about sanding and painting out of my mind.
“You can give me a show later…” He nuzzles my neck. “But for now, you can give me a small preview.” He pushes his body into mine, leaning his weight against me with delicious intent. I hook my leg around the back of his thigh and grind into him. Needing more, I cradle his face in my hands, jerking his mouth to mine and kissing him like he’s the very essence of my existence.
I pull back and catch his bottom lip between my teeth. His responding guttural growl sends me from a simmering burn to scorching with want.
“Fuck later,” he rumbles before his fingers tangle in my hair. His mouth slams down on mine, and then he’s plundering me. A loud moan escapes me as I lose myself in this hot-as-hell kiss when a clearing throat breaks through my Bryant-fueled haze.
He tears his lips away and leans his forehead against mine.
“Good evening, brother.” Jax’s amusement is more than evident. “Looks like I got here just in time.”
“For the show?” Ronnie asks with a laugh.
“Seems like inopportune interruptions are a Cook family tradition,” my husband’s doppelgänger murmurs.
Bry lifts his head, his expression one of resigned amusement with lingering heat. His eyes roam my face, warmth suffusing his features. He brushes his lips against mine one more time before stepping back, hooking an arm around my shoulder, and situating me in front of him. I struggle to stifle a giggle when I realize he’s done that to hide his enjoyment of the interrupted make-out session.
“Five more minutes, Ronnie, and you would’ve had your answer as to just how identical we are,” he says, pressing his lips to that special sensitive spot below my ear, giving me goosebumps.
“You’re just lucky we got here first. Jamie and Axel pulled into the driveway behind us, and somehow I think eight is a little too young for a birds-and-the-bees talk.”
“Bees?” Axel asks, appearing out of thin air. Speak of him and he shall come. “I don’t like bees. Birds are pretty cool though.” He shrugs and looks between the four of us. “Dad is just outside looking at stuff. He told me to come in and make sure you guys were working hard. Are you?” he asks, putting his cute little hands on his hips and looking every bit like a mini Jamie, right down to the bright yellow hard hat on his head.
“Bryant was trying to do something,” Jax muses. Ronnie shoulder-bumps him, and a snort escapes my mouth.
Bry gives me a squeeze and looks down at me, his eyes narrowed. “He thinks he’s funny.”
“Uncle Jax is funny, but you’re the cool uncle, Bry. And Dad is the boss, but he’s funny and cool.”
Jamie comes through the living room, his eyes soft on his son, obviously hearing what Axel just said.
“And Dad says I can help pick the
colors for the guest bedroom walls today with Aunty Faith’s help since it’s her house with Uncle Bry.”
Bryant drops a kiss on the top of my head before letting me go and moving towards his nephew. “It’s not our house, Ax. We’re just living here, like when your dad lived next door to your old house,” Bryant explains.
“Oh. So will you live in your place after this? Or will you be like Uncle Co and live with Nana Marcy and Grandad Rick?” Axel asks, speaking a mile a minute.
Bry laughs and ruffles Axel’s hair. “Maybe we’ll live with you in that awesome room Jax designed for you.”
Axel’s eyes widen. “That would be so cool! We could have sleepovers and stuff.”
We all chuckle at his adorable innocence. Maybe Bryant and I will have a son like him one day.
I shake that thought off. We’re definitely not there yet. “Before that though,” I say, walking over to join them, “I’d love to pick colors with you. We don’t want Jax and Bry picking them. They’ll pick bright pink or something.” I scrunch my nose up.
Ax bursts out laughing and reaches out, grabbing my hand. He looks up at Jamie, who’s standing there grinning down at him. “Dad, Faith is my new favorite, and it’s not ’cause she works with elephants.”
I grin. I totally love this kid. “Tell you what. If you tell me your favorite pizza, I’ll let you steal me from Uncle Bry,” I say with a wink. I bend down and bring my mouth to his ear. “Besides, you’re much more handsome than he is.”
I straighten and bite my lip to hold back a laugh when his chest puffs up.
“Okay, let me think.” Ax taps his chin as if contemplating how to solve world peace, not choose pizza toppings.
Ronnie grins at me and comes up behind Ax, loosely looping her arms around his neck and shooting me a fake filthy look. “Back off, Aunty Faith. Ax is all mine.”
The boy giggles and pats Ronnie’s arm before looking up at her. “It’s okay. There’s enough of me to go ’round. I have girls fight over me at school all the time. It’s exasperating.” He sighs dramatically.