He’d put a silly photo of the two of them sticking out their tongues at the camera as her avatar, and he just shook his head when he saw it, wondering what she had been thinking.
Had she been happy? Or had there been some part in the back of her mind that wondered when and if she would tell him that he’d been lied to his entire life.
The whole genetic identity thing? He might have been able to cope with that, especially considering he had cousins who had adopted children or were dealing with second marriages and stuff like that. Yeah, he might have been able to deal with it. Maybe. At least that’s what he told himself. But the fact that they had lied to him for over thirty years? His entire life? That, he wasn’t sure about. Looking down at the photo, he let it ring one more time before hitting the red button so the call would go to voicemail.
He didn’t even feel the little clutch of guilt in his belly.
How was he supposed to feel guilty when he really didn’t feel anything at all?
His mom didn’t call again, and that made him feel a little something. Was she giving up? Was he making her feel bad? Maybe that’s what he needed to do. Because he had been lied to, damn it. Deceived. And everybody expected him to just get over it. Well, fuck that. He wasn’t a Montgomery. How was he supposed to get over that?
He looked down at the tattoo on his arm and growled.
He wore the family brand. The crest.
And he wasn’t even blood.
Yeah, those brought into the family got it too, those who married in. But Liam hadn’t had that choice. He had thought he had been born blood and then found out he wasn’t.
Just as he was thinking about what to make for dinner, his doorbell rang, and then it opened as if the doorbell were perfunctory, a warning that they were there.
Of course, they wouldn’t care that the door had been locked. They all had fucking keys.
“Go away,” he growled from the kitchen, his head in the fridge as he decided what to cook.
“We’re not leaving. You’re dealing with us,” Bristol called out before she walked into the kitchen, her hands full with a covered dish.
Ethan and Aaron followed, both growling at Liam, Ethan’s hands filled with beer, Aaron’s full of another covered dish, as well as a bowl. He had a bag of chips clutched in the bend of his elbow.
“I see you’re just going to have a party here and not ask if that’s what I want,” Liam said, knowing he was being an asshole. But he deserved to be an asshole. Right?
“Yes, we’re bringing you food and beer, and we’re going to hang out with you. Oh, poor you, you have people that love you.” Bristol set down the dish she held on the counter and then punched him in the arm. “Stop being a jerk. We love you. Let us love you.”
“I don’t think you need to say it with such conviction,” Ethan said dryly as he set the beer down on the counter before slowly taking the bottles out and putting them in the beer fridge below. Liam had added a wine cooler as well as a beer fridge in place of the old trash compactor that he didn’t need anymore. It had been a nice addition to his kitchen, but right then, he didn’t want it full. He didn’t want anyone there either. He just wanted to wallow in his misery. Why didn’t the Montgomerys understand that?
That question hit him in the gut, and he swallowed hard.
The Montgomerys. As if he weren’t one.
Because he wasn’t. Jesus Christ.
“I can act like I’m insane if you want,” Bristol said. “But I pretty much am naturally. So, you’re going to play video games with us, you’re going to eat this seven-layer dip, homemade guacamole, and the buffalo cheese casserole thingy that I made, and you’re going to like it. Plus, there’s beer. And we know you like beer.”
“Buffalo dip casserole thingy?” Liam asked, his lips twitching.
“I forget the name of it. But there’s a lot of cream cheese. And hot sauce. And chicken. And it’s really good. You’re going to have to fight me for it once we’re a few beers into our night.”
“What if I had plans?” Liam asked, leaning against the counter as he folded his arms over his chest.
Aaron snorted and then looked down at what Liam was wearing. He did the same.
“I don’t think slacks with holes in them and a tank top is really showing off your best, Liam. It’s not like you were going to leave the house. We know better. You rarely do that, and when you’re brooding, it’s even worse.”
Liam flipped Aaron off and then helped Bristol uncover the dishes.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Liam growled.
“We don’t have to talk about anything,” Ethan said. “We might later. Because once we get a few beers in us, we might want to pry and be all emotional. But we don’t have to start out talking about it.”
“I feel like he’s making fun of women here, but I’m not sure exactly how,” Bristol said as she opened up a bag of chips and poured them into one of Liam’s large bowls.
“I’m not making fun of women,” Ethan drawled. “I’m more making fun of us because that’s what we do. We growl at each other and say that we don’t want to talk, then we drink, and then that’s what we do anyway. We talk.”
“I don’t want to talk today,” Liam assured them. “I had to do enough character building today with Nash. I don’t want to deal with it myself.”
“So, you don’t think you’re putting any of yourself into your characters?” Aaron asked, looking completely serious.
“How many Criminal Minds episodes do you watch a day?” Liam asked, laughing. Huh, he hadn’t known he could laugh today. That was good.
“So, you’re saying that you’re a serial killer? Or that you have the chance to become a serial killer? Tell us how that makes you feel,” Aaron said, his eyes dancing with laughter.
“He really does watch that show far too much,” Bristol put in.
“I can’t help it. The first like three seasons were amazing. But then when Mandy Patinkin left, it just went downhill.”
“Please do not start talking about Mandy again.”
“I can’t help it. He was Inigo Montoya. He is one of the greatest actors of all time.”
Liam met Ethan’s gaze, and the two of them cracked up laughing. Liam’s whole body shook as Aaron went on and on about the depths of Mandy Patinkin’s characters.
“You seriously need to stop talking about that man,” Ethan said, wiping tears from his eyes.
“I can’t help it. Plus, I made Liam laugh. I think I win.”
Liam narrowed his eyes, not laughing anymore. “Was there a bet to see who could make me laugh? Because I’m going to kick some asses.” He narrowed his eyes even further at his sister. “I’ll kick your ass, too. Don’t think I won’t.”
Bristol just rolled her eyes and put her hands up in mock surrender. “We didn’t actually have a formal bet. We were going to talk about it. But you were laughing, so Aaron wins. And the rest of us do, too. Now, let’s bring all this food out to the living room. I do believe Mario Kart is up first.”
“Dear God, you’re vicious when it comes to Mario Kart,” Ethan said, grabbing the guacamole and chips.
“I am. That’s why we’re going to play it before we get drunk. Because you all curse even worse than you normally do and get violent when you’re drunk and playing Mario Kart.”
“We can’t help it, Mario Kart is a very violent game,” Ethan said, and Liam just followed along, shaking his head.
Liam hadn’t wanted them there, but he couldn’t kick them out of his house.
No, he wasn’t over it. Still wasn’t sure what to think. But his siblings weren’t going to just let him be.
And he would be grateful for that. Later.
Right now? He was going to kick his family’s ass at Mario Kart.
About two hours into the game marathon, the curses were flying, the beer was getting low, and all of them were full and at least content.
Liam didn’t want to say “happy” because he didn’t really feel that wa
y, but they made him laugh over and over again. Plus, watching Ethan get his ass trounced by the rest of them really just made up for everything. Ethan was seriously the worst Mario Kart player.
“Rigged,” Ethan shouted. “This whole game is rigged.”
Liam just shook his head. “Yes, because Nintendo goes out of their way to make sure that Ethan Montgomery doesn’t know how to play. It’s all a conspiracy.”
“Thank you. Vindication.” Liam met Aaron’s eyes, and they laughed. Ethan was a computational chemist and had a big, brilliant mind. But the man could not play video games. Watching him play, though? Perfection. It made for a wonderful afternoon.
They paused for a little bit to clean up and start on the next wave of food and games, and Liam looked down at his phone. Since he’d had about three beers, and was feeling a little better, he went to his messages and texted Arden.
Liam: Are we still on for tomorrow?
Arden took a little bit to respond, but thankfully, his siblings hadn’t returned back to the living room.
Arden: That’s the plan. Having a good night?
Liam grinned.
Liam: Yeah, my siblings are over, and we’re playing video games like we’re twelve.
Arden: My siblings are over, and we’re playing Scrabble. I would rather play video games, but I lost the coin toss.
That made Liam laugh, and all three of his siblings gave him weird looks as they walked back into the living room.
Liam: Not good at Scrabble?
Arden: Oh, I’m the best. It helps with my job, after all. But I would really rather play something else tonight. I’m glad you’re having fun.
Liam: Well I hope you get to have at least a little more fun soon. Gotta go. Sibs are back, and that means it’s time to take them down in the next game.
Arden: Kick some butt. See you tomorrow.
Liam was grinning as he put his phone away and looked up as all three siblings stared at him expectantly.
“What?” Liam asked, looking for his controller.
“Who were you texting?” Bristol asked, sing-songing her voice.
“No one,” Liam grumbled. He probably shouldn’t have texted Arden when his siblings were around, but three beers made him do silly things.
Or stupid ones.
“It’s a girl,” Bristol said, checking both of her brothers.
Ethan and Aaron met gazes, and then both grinned back at Liam evilly. The two weren’t twins, even though they sometimes acted like it. It was creepy.
“Really? Who were you texting?” Ethan asked and then shrugged. “I bet it’s that girl from the hospital.”
Liam froze. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, we all saw you with her, even though we were trying to be sly about it. What was her name again?”
Ethan growled and knew it was time to give up. “Her name is Arden. And, yes, it was her. I didn’t text her or call her after the hospital for a while for obvious reasons—that we are not going to get into tonight. Do you get me?” Three nods. “But she lives around the corner, and we met up when I found her dog for her.”
“Aw,” Bristol said and shut her mouth when Liam narrowed his eyes.
“We’re going on a date tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure we were still on. Is that okay with all of you?”
“That’s fine with us. We’re excited. A date. And Arden is really pretty.”
“It’s kind of cool that you guys had two little meet-cutes like that,” Ethan said and then put his hands in the air when everyone gave him weird looks. “What? I like meet-cutes. Sue me.”
“Anyway, I don’t think she gets out much, so I wanted to make sure she was still up for going out.”
“You don’t get out much either, pretty boy,” Bristol said, grinning.
“Fuck you,” Liam growled and then glared at his brothers. “And fuck both of you, too.”
“No thanks,” both of the guys said at the same time and then high-fived.
Dear God, they really needed to stop drinking beer, it turned them into imbeciles. All of them. Including himself.
“Anyway, I’m going out with Arden tomorrow, so just let me be, and let’s play a game.”
“You’re not going to tell us anything about her?” Bristol asked, sitting down next to him.
“I don’t know a lot yet. I know she has a dog named Jasper, a white Siberian Husky. Although his face was blue at the time because, apparently, he got into her blue food coloring.”
Bristol smiled at that. “So, she bakes? Is she a baker?”
“Yes, she bakes, but she’s not a baker. She actually works in my industry. We’ve actually worked together and didn’t know it.”
“Three meet-cutes,” Ethan cheered, and Aaron punched him in the stomach. “Ouch. What was that for?”
“Seemed like the right thing to do at the time,” Aaron said casually and then picked up his controller. “Anyway, Arden sounds nice, and it’s kind of cool that she works with you.”
“Sort of works with me. But it is interesting.” Liam paused and wondered why he was going to say the thing he was about to say next. But, why not? Three beers, after all. “I don’t think she has a lot of friends, actually. So, even if this doesn’t work out, it’s kind of nice to know her. You know?”
“Aw,” Bristol said again. “You like her.”
“I don’t even really know her. It’s only a date. And I could use just…I don’t know. A distraction.”
“Don’t call her a distraction, bro,” Ethan put in. “That’s probably the worst thing you could ever do.”
“I second that,” Aaron added.
“Thirded,” Bristol put in. “But I hope you have fun. And I hope she has fun, too. And you guys have fun together and get married and have a bunch of little babies, and everything is wonderful.”
“And…that’s enough beer for Bristol,” Liam said, taking the bottle from her.
“Tequila!” she shouted. The three brothers looked at each other and then broke out laughing, before, of course, breaking out the tequila.
Chapter 8
“Please leave. Please, please, please leave.” Arden clasped her hands in front of herself as she begged her brothers to leave her house. Yes, begged. Her home. As in they thought they were allowed to just be there.
Really? Ugh.
“We’ll leave. We’ll leave.” Prior held up his hands, but Arden noticed that he was not, in fact, leaving. No one was. All four of her brothers still stood in her living room, glaring at her.
“You’re not leaving,” Arden stated.
“Oh, we’ll leave.”
She waited for Cross to finish his sentence, and she was not disappointed.
“We’ll leave once you tell us exactly what you’re doing with Liam Montgomery tonight.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything,” Arden said as she moved forward, trying to push her brothers out of the way. Only they were all more than six feet tall, broad, and very muscly. The exact opposite of her.
Damn them and their good genes. Somehow, she had gotten screwed out of the good ones in the family, and she couldn’t just kick them into submission or force them into acting properly. Sadly.
“I shouldn’t have even mentioned it. I don’t even know why I did.”
She would never mention a date again. But they’d caught her unawares, and they’d asked her what she was doing later that night. They’d all come over for lunch because they were big, growing boys that constantly needed food and to be overprotective. They were very lucky she loved them. However, when they asked her what she was doing, she’d muttered something about a date, and it’d been nonstop questions since.
Who was this man? Where did he get the audacity to ask out their baby sister? Didn’t matter that Arden wasn’t a baby anymore and was perfectly fine going on dates.
They’d wheedled Liam’s name out of her because they’d guessed right. Apparently, she didn’t meet men enough for them to actually have any question that it was the guy she’d
met at the hospital.
Damn them. Damn all of them.
“Just go,” Arden said. “There’s really no reason for you to be here and freaked out about it. I’m just going on a date. Something I’ve done before.”
“You’ve gone on a date with Liam Montgomery before?” Macon asked, narrowing his eyes.
“No. This is our first date. So, I should probably shower and actually look decent for him. You know? Not be a total weirdo.”
“You’re always a weirdo, but you’re our weirdo,” Nate said, trying to ease the tension. But all Arden wanted to do was kick him. Kick all of them. Kick, kick, kick.
“So, he doesn’t think you’re good enough if you don’t shower and look presentable? What kind of man is this?” Cross asked, growling.
“Oh my God. Just go.”
“No, we’re not going. I Googled him.”
Arden covered her face with her hands. “You did not.”
“And if we have our way, we will get that background check done,” Prior added. She hoped he was kidding. There had to be laughter in his voice right then, right?
“He used to be a model,” Cross added. “A model, Arden.”
She lowered her hands and raised her chin. “Are you saying that he’s too pretty for me? That he’s a model and, therefore, is too good for me? Because I will kick your ass, Cross Brady. I will hurt you, and I will make you rue the day you ever thought I wasn’t good enough for Liam freaking Montgomery.”
“That is not what I meant,” Cross said quickly, putting his hands up.
“Oh, I think you did.” She totally didn’t think he did, but she was on a roll, and if it got him to leave and apologize for being a butthead, all the better.
“I didn’t. I’m just saying, he used to be a model.”
“And is there something wrong with models? Are you shaming someone for actually working for a living? Are you shaming him for his past? Because I could start writing a whole list of things all of you have done. At least he earned money the old-fashioned way.” Arden’s eyes widened, and then she burst out laughing.
“Did you just say that we could be hookers?” Prior asked, laughing with her.
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