by Maddie James
Allison fought back the tears. His confession was his moment and she wasn’t going to cry. If anybody needed to, it would be him. She’d be strong for him like he had for her after she was passed over for the promotion at work.
“What’s with the sad faces? This is a party.” Grandma danced in front of them with a large sombrero on her head. The brim sagged low in the front almost blocking her eyes.
“You are right. Let’s dance.” George jumped up, grabbed Allison’s grandmother by the hand and shimmied across the floor with her.
Allison’s relationship with her family wasn’t perfect. Their love for each other was apparent. She knew the physical distance she placed between them didn’t make closing the gap easy. Even though she would never be close with her mother or Audrey, having them think for a few days that she was engaged helped ease any tension she felt around them. She’d take one for the team to keep the mood light and focus on her brother and his wedding.
Chapter Fourteen
“Eep,” Allison yelped.
“That was priceless.” Adam looked down on her limp body lying on the floor.
Allison’s eyes shot open wide when she realized who was speaking. “Adam?” She rubbed the newly forming bump on the back of her head. “What the heck? What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know what is causing you to make that I just smelled something nasty face but knock it off. This is my room. You’re in my room.”
Her eyes went wide. The view from the floor was distorted and she hadn’t been in Adam’s room since high school but things began to look familiar.
“Why am I in here?” She eased herself into a sitting position. Her head spun a few rounds but she managed to not make a mad dash for the closest trashcan.
Adam wrapped his body in the blankets from the bed and fell to the floor beside Allison. He pulled a small section free for her to use. “You honestly don’t remember anything from last night?”
Her eyes shot open and then closed from the pain radiating along her temples. “Oh my…what the hell.” With the covers pulled over her head, she let out a moan. “My head.”
“Um, yeah. That’s what happens when someone drinks like five of Dad’s margaritas.”
Allison sat up quickly, allowing the blanket to fall from her head. She regretted the action. “Five?” Her voice croaked.
“That’s what Dad thinks. He lost count after a while. I’m sure he’s nursing a hangover too.”
“Did you sit back and watch?”
“Pretty much.” A devilish smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Okay, so I drank too much. That doesn’t explain why I’m in here.” Wanting to block out the small crack of morning light pouring through the window blinds, Allison sunk back against the floor, pulling the covers with her.
Adam grabbed two pillows from his bed, tucked one beneath Allison’s head before he followed suit and lay beside her. He secured the cover beneath his chin, leaving his face clear. A dusting of morning stubble kissed along his jaw line. Brown eyes returned her stare. Memories of waking up in the same manner, minus the hangover, rushed back to her. Even as little kids, they’d take turns camping out in each other’s room. Only until they were older and they stayed at other friends’ houses did their mini sleepovers cease to exist.
“Well, when you tried to start a conga line with Grandma, she said you needed to find someplace else to sleep.”
“But it’s my room.” Her voice held a scratchy squeak. Thinking about her grandmother, Allison couldn’t help to remember the older woman dancing with Ryan and imagining herself replacing her grandmother. Before her thoughts ran away from her, she shook her head, forcing herself to forget the dance. The movement caused her to cringe from the pain.
“And since Mom wouldn’t let you sleep in George’s room, mine was the next best place.”
“What about the couch?”
“Ryan’s on the couch.”
For the second time in a matter of minutes, Allison shot up from the floor. Her head swooned and protested. She pushed against her temples trying to stop the snare drum thumping.
“What?” Her voice barely above a whisper.
“Yeah. I’m not sure what happened or if Dad made the two of yours drinks stronger or maybe you were having a drinking competition without inviting anybody else but he seemed to match you sip for sip.” Adam, having better control over his body, sat up, pushing his back against the side of his bed. “What was up with you two, anyway?”
Her hands covered her face, trying to pretend the pain was too much for her to handle when all she wanted to do was cover the heat rising along her skin. “Um,” she said through her fingers. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Behind her fingers, Allison felt her brother’s brown eyes boring into her hands causing her temperature to rise higher. Heat travelled from her face to her neck before it kick started a fire in her belly.
Her brother would see straight through any lie she attempted to tell him. After all these years, did she have the strength to tell him what happened? Or how she thought about Ryan whenever she was alone in her bed?
Would he hate her?
Her hands, slicked in sweat, inched down her face. As she had assumed, his stare bore into her.
“Um yeah.” He challenged her to continue.
With her hands completely away from her face, she busied herself pinching the creases and folds in the blanket. The blue cotton blanket worn and soft beneath her touch.
“Nothing much, really. I started to tell you last night. I ran into Ryan when I was getting my dress and we had lunch.”
He raised one eyebrow daring her to try to stop her confession.
The lump in her throat slid slowly down to the fire in her belly. “And when we were done, we went our separate ways.” Her words spoke volumes of truth. Six years ago and yesterday mimicked each other and both similarities brought a smile filled with irony to her lips.
“Why don’t I believe you? You’ve never held back from me before, why now? Does this have to do with George?”
Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow in surprise. “George? Why would my drunken fest have anything to do with him?” She hated how perceptive he was. Damn her brother.
“All I know is you show up to my wedding with a guy that you’ve only mentioned a few times over email and now you’re engaged to him. I don’t know, Al. That seems a little…rushed. I mean how well do you know him and do you really think he’s right for you.”
“I’ve known George since my first day at work. He started a few weeks before me. We instantly hit it off and he’s been my only form of support in Chicago. Trust me, he’s a really good guy.” Allison knew she was being truthful and her brother wouldn’t catch her in a lie…yet.
“I never said he wasn’t a nice guy. In fact, I think he’s great but is he the right guy for you?” His tone indicated more than his words. She wondered what he really meant but she wasn’t brave enough to ask.
“We have a great time together.”
“So. I have a great time with a lot of people but you don’t see me marrying them.”
“Yeah well we can’t all be lucky to meet the love of our life in high school,” she snipped at him. Truth was, at one point she thought she’d found her true love in Ryan in high school. Of course her feelings were one sided. She was beginning to think marriage wasn’t in the cards for her.
“Nice try in changing the subject. You had lunch with Ryan. What else happened?”
Adam caught her.
Avoiding his penetrating gaze, Allison pulled herself from the carpet and stood on unsure feet. The room spun and her stomach threatened to empty itself on his bedroom floor. The room smelled of her brother’s cologne which normally reminded her of home but she swallowed down the bile burning the back of her throat. She fell on top of her brother’s bed, letting her eyes slide shut.
She needed grease and copious amounts of coffee. Both were located on the lower level of the house.
Where Ryan slept. On her family’s couch.
“You can try and pretend you’re too sick to talk but I’m not stupid. Something is going on and I’m not letting you leave until you tell me.”
Once again, her brother stared down on her. He wasn’t going to let her leave. She was at a disadvantage not only with his size but being unable to stand would make any sort of fight to leave his room tough.
Allison couldn’t help but wonder when Adam became a bully.
She closed her eyes again, thinking the truth wouldn’t be as hard to reveal if she wasn’t staring directly at him. “Fine. There might have been tension.”
“And why, exactly, would there be tension.”
“Ugh,” she moaned into the air. “I kissed him.”
The weight she carried didn’t vanish with her confession. In fact, pressure continued to rest upon her shoulders. She squeezed her eyes tight, hoping, Adam didn’t make a big deal.
“You what,” his voice carried and Allison wondered who in the house heard.
She pulled in a deep breath, readying herself for the ultimate confession. “Ryan and I kind of made out one night…here…before we left for college. No big deal really, except I’d had the biggest crush ever on him. You knocked on my door, interrupting us. Ryan bailed and I never heard from him again. The next day, I went off to school and apparently he went off with Lynette.”
“And you never came back home,” Adam added.
“Right. Anyway, the other night at the club, he tells me he’d hoped I’d come home for your wedding unattached. And I was shocked.”
“But you’re with George.” Adam added.
Allison wasn’t sure if he was making a statement or asking a question.
“Yes, I’m with George. Then I run into him yesterday, we have lunch and it all feels really…familiar. He apologizes for what he said. I go to leave and he walks me to my car and I’m not sure what happened but I kiss him.”
“What!”
“Sshh. I kissed him. He pushed me away and I came home. Please don’t say anything. Especially to George. I’d hate to embarrass him. I’ll tell him when we get back home.” She hated adding to the lie but if her brother liked her fake fiancé at all, she hoped for his sake, he’d keep his mouth shut. The more people aware of her secret, the harder it became to keep it.
“I don’t understand why you kissed him when you’re with someone else.”
“I know. I suck. You don’t have to remind me. I love George,” like a friend “and the last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt him. I had a weak moment where I wanted to know if I was missing out on something. Like I said. I’m terrible.”
The bed dipped from Adam sitting down. He lay back, keeping his feet planted on the floor. The warmth from his body, rested along the side of her body. She was happy to finally share a secret with Adam but she hated keeping more from him. But she couldn’t risk embarrassing George. Her lips remained sealed and definitely away from Ryan’s.
“That explains a lot.”
Allison turned her head, staring into her brother’s eyes. “What explains a lot?”
“Why for the past six years, no matter what him and I were talking about, Ryan’s always found a way to ask about you.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sweat slicked the hand holding the doorknob. She glanced both ways down the hall, making sure no one saw. She pushed the door open and slid inside.
“Good morning sunshine. Here to give your honey a real good morning?” George’s voice laden with sleep sounded chipper for the early hour.
Allison didn’t say a word, climbing beneath the blanket, tucking it under her chin.
“You realize I was kidding, right?” George faced her. Resting on his side, he lounged against his arm, keeping his body facing Allison.
“I know.”
“What’s going on then?” His free arm smoothed the covers between them before he laid it flat on top. “You seem a little…I don’t know…not you.”
“First, I’m hung over.”
“Yeah, that’s obvious.”
“And I had to sleep in my brother’s room because my grandmother thought I’d molest her or something.” Allison pushed past the pain and rolled her eyes. She needed to write some of the crap her grandmother said to keep around for a rainy day.
“I have to say. I love that woman. She’s great. And a hoot.” George’s laugh rolled from his tongue with ease. Allison loved his laugh. His chuckle brought a smile to her face, which she regretted as the movement of her cheeks brought on another round of pain shooting through her temples.
“Stop. It hurts to smile…and laugh…and breathe.”
“Fine. Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”
Once the pain subsided for a minute, Allison risked a peak at George. His brilliant blue eyes gazed back at her. His blonde hair stood up in a cool, I just woke up with sexy hairstyle. She imagined hers stood up in back with one side matted to her head in a come hither and let me kill you with my demon breath look.
“Ryan’s sleeping on the couch.” Her tone remained flat. She didn’t want to make the fake situation even worse for George by getting all stupid girl on him about her crush sleeping in her house. Truth was. She desperately wanted to rush downstairs and spy on him but that idea bordered on stalker territory. An area she wanted to avoid.
“Really? I guess I went to bed before I was aware of that tad bit of information. It makes sense though. You two were pretty drunk.”
“So I’ve heard from Adam.” Her words came across muffled the more she dropped her mouth below the line of covers. George’s bed remained warm from his night’s sleep and the small cocoon she’d created begged her to sleep. “How bad was I?” She didn’t dare bring up Ryan’s inebriated state.
“There was the conga line.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” Allison held back a groan. Conga? Really?
“Then you tried to do the limbo but your mother refused to let you use the broom.”
“Ugh. Go on.”
“My personal favorite was you pulling me to the center of the room and grabbing my butt when we danced. I wasn’t a fan of the grabbing. It was you telling me how pretty I was and how happy you were to have me in your life that I enjoyed.”
Forcing through the pain she looked up. George smiled back at her and she noticed he enjoyed himself way too much on her behalf.
“You keep buttering me up like that and I might just marry you for real.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anything else I should prepare myself for?”
“Hmm. Let me think. No, I don’t think so. I was actually impressed. Even drunk, you seemed to keep yourself away from Ryan and you didn’t spill the beans.”
“Knock. Knock. George? Can I come in?” Allison’s mother called from the closed door.
“Crap,” she whispered.
“Are you decent?” Her mother eased the door open, keeping a hand covering her eyes.
Allison sat up straight in bed, pulling the covers with her. She wore a pair of her brother’s old sweatpants and a T-shirt of his. “Mom.”
Her mother’s hand fell from her eyes to find Allison and George in bed. Together. Alone. Her brown eyes bugged out matching the shape her lips made. She looked behind her and stepped into the room, shutting the door.
“Allison,” she snapped. “What in the world are you doing in here?”
“Mom, relax. I didn’t sleep in here. I stayed in Adam’s room after grandma kicked me out. I just woke up and came in here to check on George.
“But you’re in bed.”
“Mrs. Daughtry, I promise, nothing nefarious happened in here last night. Allison is telling the truth. She just got in here and she is nursing one hell of a hangover. That’s why she’s in bed.”
“Thank you George but don’t say the h word.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Her mother tiptoed over to the bed. In her hand she held a small navy blue box. She began to sit on the edge of the bed but stopped
as if the idea of sitting on a bed where an unmarried couple rested was a sin.
“Um, well. I was hoping to do this with just George, but since you’re in here,” her voice emphasized you’re. “I might as well include you also, Allison.”
George matched Allison’s pose and sat with his back to the headboard. His covers stretched across his lap with his hands resting on top. Allison was thankful for small touches. Who knew what her mother would’ve done if he’d kept his hands unseen.
“Here.” Mrs. Daughtry shoved the box at George.
“Gee, Mrs. Daughtry. You shouldn’t have. I didn’t get you anything.” He accepted the box and angled his body to Allison. “Why didn’t you tell me to bring a present?”
Allison shrugged. He was on his own. She hadn’t a clue for the reason behind her mother’s gift or what was in the box.
The box clicked as he pulled the lid open. Allison noticed his eyebrows raise and then dip toward the center of his face. “I don’t understand,” he said.
Allison’s mother moved to the end of the bed and sat on the corner. She crossed her legs and laid her grasped hands in her lap. “That’s my mother’s ring. When Audrey became engaged, we offered her Grandma Daughtry’s engagement ring for her to use as either part of her set or she could just keep it. Then when Adam got engaged, Grandma offered Grandpa’s ring, which I think he’s using as his wedding band. And now with Allison, I’d like her to have my mother’s ring. I wore it on my wedding day and on special occasions but I thought you could wear it now, if it fits, since you two haven’t purchased a ring yet.”
“Oh mom…”
“I know you said you’re keeping it a secret at work. Well, this isn’t work. We’re family and you don’t have to hide from us. This way you have something to wear and show that you two are together during the rehearsal and wedding. Unless…of course…there’s another reason.”
Allison couldn’t help but hear skepticism in her tone. Did she know something? Had she been eavesdropping? Or did she simply not like George?