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“No,” I whisper. “It was…”
She motions for me to stop as I scramble for words. My heart sinks in slow motion. It doesn’t matter if it was a stupid fling. Or that we did way worse things than what was captured in the picture. Or that I’ve already decided it’s over.
I set her phone back in front of her, step backward, then turn and run back to my room. Throwing on the spare sweats and t-shirt that I keep at my dad’s, I grab my purse and keys and rush to my car.
Thirteen
Vance
ThesoonerIgetout of bed, the sooner I can see Aria. But seeing her also means she gives her answer about our relationship.
After her text last night, I fear what that will be. My brothers and I texted for a while after she turned us down. We’re in agreement that we want her, but we have no answers as to how to convince her it’s okay. We’ll give her the option to move in with us, but even though the community drives her crazy, she’s tied to it. The odds look even worse for us if she stays.
She has to feel the bond between us. Not just the erotic as hell day, but the ease of talking to each other and the fun family time. She’s not nearly competitive as us boys but still had a blast rubbing it in our faces when she bested us.
Aria’s simply kind and fun and everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman. It just so happens my brothers agree.
Then there’s the issue that we each hope we knocked her up. She understood that was a risk. I’m not ready to deal with losing her.
Slamming doors are the only sign anyone’s awake. They’re not good slams either. Something’s wrong. I jump out of bed. I’m tempted to throw on my clothes from yesterday, but I grab the bright pajamas. Mom will be happy that I’m wearing them, and hopefully they’ll make Aria laugh.
I stride out of my room. Sebastian and Klay are coming out of theirs at the same time.
“What was that all about?” I ask, before heading to the stairs.
They shrug and follow.
Sobs come from the kitchen.
“Mom?”
She’s sitting at the bar dabbing a tissue to the corners of her eyes. The woman still gets up and pulls herself together first thing in the morning, but she’s always happy. I wrap an arm around her and my brothers sit on the nearby stools.
She shrugs me off. Theo comes in and his cheery pajama bottoms match mine but they’re not enough to lift her spirits. Aria’s nowhere in sight.
“What happened to my sweet boys?”
The energy in the room shifts with her question. Does she know? Was Aria the door slammer? Did she tell our mom? Why? She had the option to walk away.
Mom accepts Theo’s hug and clasps her arms around his.
Theo glances at us but we’re silent. He tries, “It can be hard realizing they’re all grown—”
“That’s not it. I’m too embarrassed to say this…ask them.”
Shit. She knows. I think. The three of us look at each other. Busting ourselves unnecessarily would be foolish, detrimental even. Or has everything we hoped for already slipped through our fingers?
“Mom?” Sebastian pauses then continues when she turns her head away. “What’s wrong?”
Mom takes a deep breath, refusing to look at us. “Theo, I’m sorry. I raised my boys to respect women…people. I tried, I did. I don’t know where I went wrong. I’m sorry.”
Theo brushes a hand over her hair. “Can one of you get me up to speed? We went to bed as a happy family in matching pajamas and I woke up to my wife crying and you three looking like you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar.”
Asking for time to get our story straight would be disastrous. Our texts last night leave me assured we’re on the same page. This isn’t how we wanted to reveal our relationship, especially without Aria here, but we’re losing ground.
“Mayor…” Damn it. It’s intimidating that he’s the mayor. “Mister…I mean, Dad.” Crap. That’s not a good thing to remind him of.
I shake it off. “Theo. You know how you and mom had a whirlwind relationship and just knew you were right for each other?”
