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Oh, geez.
Tank scoffs a laugh but reaches down and pulls her into a tight hug. “It’s good to see you,” he says, and she looks at me over his shoulder and winks as she pretends to fan herself.
“Put your fucking shirt on before the old bat has a heart attack,” I hear my father scolding from the end of the hallway.
“Thank you,” I announce. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
We all make our way down the hallway and into the kitchen where Dad and Zac are busy fussing over lunch. And by fussing, I mean Zac is telling Dad how to do it, while Dad huffs and whines about doing it in the first place.
I take over for Dad, needing to keep myself busy as Tank settles in to catch up with my family.
Zac starts dishing out lunch and adds an extra plate to the table, and I’m about to ask the moron if he knows how to count when a knock sounds at the door. “I’ll get it,” I groan, noticing that Mom is nowhere to be seen, and Dad is busy questioning Tank about last night’s game. Even though we all know he watched every second of it.
Making my way to the door, I open it to find some girl staring back at me, and I narrow my eyes as I look her up and down. She must only be around twenty-two or twenty-three, and my guess is she is here to see my dimwit brother. “Can I help you?” I question as I hold the door close to my body, not allowing her entry, while also using the door as a cover to hide the majority of my injuries.
Her eyes go wide as she takes me in. “Holy shit. You must be Sophie,” she says.
“Yes, I’m well aware of who I am,” I say, enjoying making her squirm. “What I don’t know is who the hell are you?”
“Shit, of course . . . um, I’m MJ, or Emma Jane or um . . . I guess you can call me whatever you like,” she stutters out, leaving that comment wide open. I give her a pointed stare and wait for her to continue, watching as she visibly swallows. “I’m Zac’s girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend, hey?” I say with interest, glancing back to raise my brow at my brother. He certainly forgot to mention he had a girlfriend.
“Yeah,” she smiles. “It’s only been a few months. Though, I hear congratulations are in order. Zac mentioned that you’re pregnant,” she says as her gaze travels down to where there’s no bump, her comment making me absentmindedly clutch at my empty womb.
I clench my jaw, feeling as though I’m about to break all over again, suddenly not enjoying the way she squirms. Hell, I just want her to run for the fucking hills. “My baby died.”
Her eyes widen in horror, and I watch as her face turns white, looking as though she’s about to be sick. “Holy shit. I’m so fucking sorry,” she breathes, her chest heaving with heavy breaths. “Please forgive me. I’m so nervous to meet you. I’m all sweaty, and when I’m nervous I don’t think. I just . . . I was racking my brain for something to talk to you about and it slipped my mind.”
“Wow, it just slipped your mind that my baby was murdered,” I say, more than unimpressed with the girl.
She groans as I sense a mountain of a man come up behind me. I watch as MJ’s face rises to meet Tank’s. Her eyes bulge out, though this time it’s obvious she’s gawking at the pure size of him. Usually when I see women react like that, it’s because they’re hockey fans and are wondering if he’s the kind of guy they could get into bed. “Stop interrogating the girl,” he tells me, his hand at my waist. “Let her in.”
I roll my eyes but do as he says before opening the door wider. If only he knew.
Stepping out of the doorway, I wave her in and watch as she scurries past me and beelines straight for Zac, who only just notices her arrival now. He looks at her and notices her freaked-out expression before looking back at me through narrowed eyes. But all I can do is stare in return.
Watching me a second longer, he realizes that whatever must have passed between us was serious enough to really get under my skin. He presses his lips together but finally decides to let it go. Besides, what are big sisters for? I need to get rid of the weak ones, and this one, I don’t think she’s gonna make the cut.
After quickly finishing up my lunch preparations, we all sit around the table, and it’s a flurry of chatter. “So, do you have to go straight back?” my mother asks us, glancing between me and Tank with a hopeful stare. “Or do you have some time? We rarely get to see you both now.”
