“See! I told you he was fine,” Beau whined as I got closer.
I never thought I wasn’t. Sure, a broken collarbone ached like a bitch and made sleeping uncomfortable, but it definitely wasn’t life and death. Couple of weeks and I’d be as good as new. No one would even know it’d happened.
“Stop being an ass, Beau. Let’s get inside. Lunch is ready,” Payton scolded him like he was a child.
Watching them together never ceased to amuse me. Beau treated Payton like she was the best thing since sliced bread, and to him, she really was. In return, Payton acted like his mother. She told him when he had food on his face, scolded him to pick up his dirty socks, and dragged his complaining ass from bed each morning to make sure he got to work on time. It was possibly the oddest relationship I’d ever witnessed, but in its own awkward way it just worked. Perfectly. They were both happy and wanted for nothing. And the baby growing in Payton’s belly, which looked decidedly rounder than last time I’d seen her, was only going to add to their joy. I for one couldn’t wait to see Beau be a father. I knew he’d kick ass at it. He’d stepped up around here when we’d needed him, gone into overbearing, overprotective mode when Holly fell down, I kinda felt sorry for his own baby, especially if it was a girl.
“What’s for lunch?” I asked, dropping my overnight bag in the hallway.
“Ryan?” Zoe’s meek little voice reached my ears. Just.
“What’s up?”
“I’m going to take off. I want to go see Mia and Derek, so I’ll leave you with…”
“Like hell you will!” There was no fucking way Zoe was abandoning me now. We had a deal. And I was damn well going to hold her to her end of the bargain. “You’re staying. You promised. You promised me you’d ‘handle’ Connor.” I even used air quotes to emphasise my point.
“You’ll be fine…”
“Yeah, I will be. Because you will be sitting right beside me!” I’d played dirty. I pulled out her chair and ushered her into it. Zoe was going nowhere anytime soon.
While everyone else fussed about, I took in the table. Payton had outdone herself yet again. You could barely see the navy and white table cloth that was buried beneath the mountains of food. There were fresh rolls, homemade coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad, something that looked like pumpkin, and couscous. There were cold cuts of ham and roast beef, a barbeque chicken, as well as all the salad trimmings you could imagine.
“Come on, everyone. Eat up!” she encouraged as she rocked back on her chair and absentmindedly rubbed her protruding belly.
It was noisy and chaotic and home. As much as I loved being in Melbourne, having the time and space to do what I needed, there was something about coming home that made me miss it. Yep, everyone was certifiably insane. Yep, we fought and argued and more often than not we wanted to strangle each other. At the end of the day though, this was my home. And nowhere could ever compare to that.
When Dad stepped into the room a silence fell. Knives clattered to plates and the sandwich construction ceased. He didn’t say a word. Didn’t smile at me or ask how I was, how the shoulder was. Just nothing. He slipped into his chair and Carly handed him a plate.
“Better grab something quick, Adrian! With this lot of vultures around all the good stuff will be gone if you drag your ass.”
I held my breath.
No one ever spoke to Dad like that, let alone used the word ‘ass.’ Yet there was Carly, talking to him like that without batting an eyelid.
As he reached for the plate of chicken, I caught the wink he shot in her direction, “You’re probably right about that!”
It took five full beats of my heart. It was like I was waiting for the explosion to happen yet it never came. Instead, laughter filled the room and everyone was back to making lunch.
Two over-stuffed bread rolls later I was ready to curl up in a food coma and have a nap. The girls cleared away the empty dishes. How we got through all that food I’m not entirely sure, but I think Connor had more than his fair share to do with it. I unsnapped the button of my jeans where they bit into my bloated belly.
“Payton, that was delicious!” I confirmed.
Calling out from the kitchen, she replied, “Wait until you try this!” When she returned to the table, both hands were full of pie dishes, but it wasn’t just her hands, either. Holly, Carly, and Zoe each carried one as well.
“Payton,” Beau sighed defeatedly. “I thought we talked about this. No more pies.”
“Oh, be quiet, Beau. If she likes making me pie, then she should make pie!” Carly added.
This was one of the moments that made me miss living here. I was still family, and that wouldn’t change, at least I hoped it wouldn’t, but it was the inside jokes and the sassiness I missed. I missed being a part of their day to day lives. And with a niece or nephew on the way, I could only imagine it was going to get harder.
“What sort have we got?”
“Lemon meringue. Apple. Rhubarb and apple. Banana cream. And my favourite, pumpkin.”
“Who eats pumpkin pie?” Connor scoffed, helping himself to a huge slice of lemon meringue. Someone needed to move that dish from in front of him and quickly. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d eaten the whole thing.
“Payton’s in love with anything pumpkin. We eat pumpkin with every damn meal!”
“Oh, poor Beau! Gets served dinner every night and it’s got pumpkin in it!”
“Bite me, Gage!”
“Someone’s hormonal, and it isn’t Payton!”
“Okay, boys! That’s enough. Let’s just enjoy dessert.” Who was this polite old man sitting at the table? He wasn’t the dad I’d remembered from the last couple of years, that’s for sure. This guy was nice.
After Payton and Carly served everyone, there wasn’t a peep other than the scraping of plates, appreciative moans, and chewing.
“So, since we’re all here, Payton and I wanted to tell you something,” Beau began, dropping his spoon into his licked clean bowl.
“Not now, Beau!” Payton hissed under her breath as her cheeks turned pink.
“Yep. Now’s as good a time as any. We’re moving.”
A chorus of whats and wheres went up. Some people, we call her Carly, began to object venomously.
“Calm down, Carly. It’s not like that. We’ve put a deposit down on a house in town. It’s too much for Payton to commute each morning from out here to the bakery, and I don’t want her driving in the dark, anyway. The roads and the roos aren’t good. And the apartment above the bakery is too small. I mean, it’s okay for now, but when our baby makes her appearance in the next eight weeks or so, there’s just not enough space.”
“Wait! What? Her appearance? You’re having a girl?” Holly squeaked loudly.
“Yep. There’s another McIntyre girl on the way.”
“Fuck yeah!”
High fives all around. With the announcement of another little princess coming to join our crazy, it’d overshadowed the whole relocating news.
“When’s your due date, Payton?” Zoe asked.
“Nineteenth of October.”
“Damn it!” Carly snorted angrily.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve been asked to photograph a wedding on the seventeenth. In Vegas. It’s no big deal, I’ll cancel.” Carly was having a conversation with herself. She was already on her feet, pacing back and forth, tapping at her phone.
“Carly, you can’t cancel that one,” Gage reminded her as he grabbed hold of her hips and dragged her down into his lap. I was really glad he did. That girl was making me dizzy.
“I have to. It’s Payton’s baby.”
“And Payton will understand.”
“Payton will understand what? What’s going on, Carly?” Payton folded her arms under her ginormous boobs and waited for an explanation. I mightn’t see Payton every day, and I might not be her best friend, but I couldn’t believe a world would exist where Payton would ever stop someone from doing something that ma
de them happy for her.
Carly bit her lip. It was obvious she didn’t want to say. Thankfully, Gage wasn’t about to let that happen. “You know that ridiculous show you two love, The Bachelorette?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Carly’s been asked to photograph the wedding of Tara and whatever dude she picks in Vegas. They’re filming it all. She’s being flown over, all expenses paid.”
“How the fuck did you land that?”
“It was dumb. I entered some competition online. It was nothing. You’re more important. My niece is more important.”
“Bullshit. You’re going to Vegas. And your niece and I will be here waiting to hear all about your trip when you get back!”
“You sure?”
“Hell yeah! Just bring me back a casino chip and we’re all good.”
Carly looked relieved. It was obvious to us all she wanted to go. Desperately. And who could blame her? This was a once in a lifetime experience and no one would ever begrudge her for wanting it. Payton certainly wouldn’t. Besides, when do kids ever arrive on time, anyway.
“Niece, hey?” Gage teased.
Carly wasn’t family. At least she wasn’t blood related. There would be a day, undoubtedly soon, when Gage would man up and make her an official part of the McIntyre clan, but until then, she was Payton’s best friend, and for all intents and purposes, sister.
“Shut up, Gage!” She slapped him in the stomach. “You know what I mean!” Carly looked embarrassed, but she wasn’t one to back down. Not today. Not ever.
“So, Payton and Beau are having a baby and buying a house. Carly’s going to Vegas to shoot some fancy pants wedding…are you going with her, Gage? Or are you going to let your gorgeous girlfriend go alone so she can get hit on and maybe even hitched to some American sleaze on the strip?”
“Fuck you, Connor! I’m quite capable of going on my own. I don’t need anyone chaperoning me.”
“Never said you did.”
“I’m going.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
Obviously that discussion hadn’t taken place yet, but it was resolved now. Whether Connor had just planted the idea in Gage’s head, or he’d already been thinking about it, didn’t matter. Looked like Carly had an assistant to carry her bags whether or not she wanted one.
“What’s new with you, Connor? Got any sexy blonde crawling out of your bed at the ass crack of dawn? Or redheads. I know you don’t like to discriminate,” Beau asked, throwing Connor under the bus. Beside me, I felt Zoe’s whole body tense as she sucked in a breath. What I wouldn’t give to know what was going on with these two.
“Piss off, Beau. Like I have time for that. Remember, I’m the one out there fixing fences and up to my knees in shit each day. You just float in and fluff about. You only get dirty enough to go home and make Payton think you’ve worked hard when most days you’ve barely broken a sweat.” Connor sounded bitter. Or jealous. Or both. “I’ve hired Jack Reynolds part time to help keep up. At least he’s not afraid of a little hard work.”
Beau and Gage exchanged glances and looked at the floor. There had to be some merit in what Connor was saying for them not to fight back. Instead, they let it go. Guilt weighed on me heavily. I should be here. I should be helping. Not running away. And this trip home I wasn’t going to be much use. It wasn’t like I could carry anything. Not with a busted shoulder, anyway.
“Speaking of Jack…Holly, want to explain what I saw behind the tractor the other day?”
“What are you talking about?” Holly squirmed. She knew exactly what he was alluding to. She just didn’t like it. Trying to make herself look small on the chair, she slid down and started picking at her fingernails.
“When I walked around the shed, I saw that Jack had you pinned up against the tractor tyre. At first I was about to kill the prick, but you…you, my darling, innocent little sister leaned in and kissed him.”
“You what?” Beau boomed. I’m sure Jack heard that. Even from his place.
“It was nothing. Like a one-time thing, okay?” Holly protested adamantly.
“One time. Sure.”
“It was!” Holly pouted and folded her arms over her chest. She was trying to be a brat but we knew better. When she was pretending to be pissed her ear twitched and her cheeks turned pink.
“I believe you. Most wouldn’t, but I do. One time behind the shed. One time on the swing on the veranda,” Beau teased.
Not be outdone, Payton chimed in. “One time out the front of the bakery. One time in Jack’s ute.”
“One time down by the river,” Carly giggled.
“One time out the front of the school. One time in the kitchen,” Gage joined in.
“That’s a lot of one times, Holly. Does little Holly McIntyre have a boyfriend?” Connor sing-songed.
“Why, you jealous, Connor?” Holly threw back the barb, hoping for a reaction. That was one thing about Connor, he could always be counted on to bite.
“What the fuck would I be jealous for?”
“’Cause you’re single and not getting any?” Beau added quickly. “Maybe it’s not a girlfriend you’re looking for. Maybe it’s a boyfriend?”
This was spiralling into dangerous territory. I glanced over at Dad as he leaned back in his chair, sipping his Coke. Why today of all days did he have to be sober?
“Screw you, Beau!” Connor argued, giving him the finger! “I don’t want a fucking boyfriend! I’m not gay.”
“You’re not, but I am.”
Chapter Eight
Alex
I have no idea what Shane was so scared of. Selena’s parents were awesome. Better than ours, anyway. Not that that was saying much, really. From the moment we walked through their front door, the scent of sizzling garlic and tomatoes assaulted me in the very best ways. My mouth watered. Selena appeared, looking nervous and unsure. Part of me wanted to burst out laughing. It was too late to be second guessing decisions now. She already had the rock on her finger.
When we didn’t get any further than the entry way, a husky voice called out from somewhere in the house, “Selena! Let those boys inside.”
Shane and Selena exchanged strange looks as he dug his hands deep into his pockets. It was like he was trying to make sure he didn’t reach out and touch her. Walking through the house, it was like a time warp. Thick shag pile carpet. Dark, drab curtains hung from wooden curtain rods. The mission brown leather lounge was covered by a thick plastic, and had colourful hand knitted blankets draped over the back. And the television. I don’t think I’d ever seen one quite like it in real life. It was a box television on legs. Every TV sold in the last decade was a slim line, wall-mounted model. Not this one, though. And sitting on top of it, like it was the item of most importance, was a box of tissues covered with some kind of pink woollen thing.
“Wow!” I exclaimed under my breath.
“Alex!” Shane scolded me. He must have caught my mutterings. Surely, he couldn’t disagree with me, but for the sake of his sanity I needed to shut up and behave.
“Well, it’s about time you came to meet us, Shane,” a round woman chastised as she smothered me against her chest.
“Um, Mum…that’s Alex.” She dropped her hold and stepped back, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“Sorry, sweetie.”
All I could do was offer her a smile. Innocent mistake. When I turned and spotted Shane, however, he was sweating bullets. His brow was furrowed and the vein in his forehead was in serious danger of popping. I would have laughed if he didn’t look like he was about to shit himself.
“Then you must be Shane.” She smiled, moving towards the statue formerly known as my big, brave brother.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
I snorted.
Like actually snorted. That earnt me a snicker from Selena and the stink eye from Shane. I began wishing I was filming this whole thing. It’d make a damn hilarious story for their wedding day.
“Oh shh! N
one of that. My Selena tells us we’re going to be family, so you can just call me Marnie.”
She was so soft and warm and welcoming. Scanning my memory, I couldn’t even find one childhood memory where my mum had been like that. She’d always been proper and harsh. Maybe the stick was too far up her ass to know any different. A wave of jealousy coursed through my veins as reality sunk in that Shane now had another family. One who acted like a family.
After Marnie pulled out of the hug, she pushed open the kitchen window and screeched into the deserted backyard, “Jeremy! Selena’s young man is here. Get in here and meet him!”
While she turned back to stir the saucepan bubbling away on the stove, a ball of energy came flying through the back door, almost knocking me on my ass and throwing himself into Shane’s arms. I’m guessing this was James.
It didn’t surprise me when I saw the wide, genuine smile covering my brother’s face. He loved this kid. James may not be his by blood, but blood didn’t mean shit when a kid was involved. I could see, hell, anyone with eyes could see just how much Shane loved him. It was indisputable and pretty fucking fantastic to witness. Not that I ever doubted him. After the way Shane had stepped up and stepped in, taking care of me when everything fell to shit, there was no way he was going to be anything other than a kick ass dad. Or step-dad.
“Hey man. What’s been happening?” Shane asked, completely zoning out and forgetting there were other people in the room. James had commanded one hundred and ten percent of his attention.
“Pop and I were in the shed.”
“Yeah. What were you guys up to?”
James tugged on Shane’s arm and he bent down to meet him. When he whispered in Shane’s ear, Shane’s booming laughter filled the room. Must have been some secret.
“What have you two been up to out there?” Selena asked in her best Mum voice.
“Never you mind,” a bald man, with a round belly and glasses perched at the end of his nose confirmed as he stepped through the door. “James and I have our secrets, don’t we?”
Meet The McIntyres - The Complete Series Page 78