Between the Sheets (6 page)

Matty chooses this time to walk into
the kitchen. Ty snarls at him on his way out. “What’d I do,
bro?”

Mel pours salt in my brother’s wounds.
“You’re boinking his sister, who he still likes to imagine in
pigtails.”

He slides up behind me and kisses my
cheek with a chuckle. “Oh, I’ve imagined you in pigtails too. And a
plaid skirt and your shirt tied up to …” The loud groan coming from
the living room stops my hubby from elaborating further.

“
Hey, Ty,” Mel calls out.
“Maybe we should leave. You’re sister wants to do the nasty.” Her
sing-song voice and booty-spanking gestures make my hubby and me
crack up, and my brother growl even louder.

“
Want some wine?” I ask
her, not that she needs it.

“
Does a bear shit in the
woods?”

Matty pulls a single glass out of the
cabinet for her while I take out our electric bottle opener. Within
seconds the thing is uncorked and I’m pouring her a glass. “I don’t
know why you even bother with a glass. I should just get you a
straw so you don’t look like such a snob drinking your grape juice
with a pinky in the air.” My husband passes me a beer and I take a
swig.

“
At least it’s more
lady-like. Every time I see you chug a beer, I feel like any minute
you’re gonna scratch your balls and hack a loogie.”

Just for fun, I let out a big burp and
scratch at my crotch dramatically.

“
I’m okay with your passing
gas, but if you’re gonna keep strumming your cooch, I’m leaving.”
She takes her glass and follows the path to my brother.

“
I thought they’d never
leave,” I say when Matty and Tyler finally head outside to get the
grill going. “So what’s happening? How was Vegas? Are you and my
brother like … a couple now?” I tried talking to her about this
while I was on my honeymoon and I found out they were in Sin City.
I half expected to come home and find they had eloped. As much as
it would’ve killed me to miss my brother’s wedding to my best
friend, I’m kind of disappointed he didn’t slap a ring on it and
call it a day. They’ve been doing this dance half their lives
already. What the hell are they waiting for?

“
Shelly?” She waves her
hands in the air. “Where are you?”

“
Oh. Sorry,” I say,
snapping out of my thoughts. “Carry on. Tell me. What’s
happening?”

She kicks off her flip flops and tucks
her feet under her as she turns toward me with her elbow resting on
the back of the sofa. “Am I talking to my best friend right now? Or
Tyler’s sister?”

“
Can’t I be
both?”

She’s all fidgety and serious. So
unlike Mel. “No, you can’t. My best friend will listen to me and
give me advice. Tyler’s sister will listen and then tell him
everything I say and possibly mess everything up.”

I get it. I think, anyway. “So you’re
saying, you want me to listen but keep my big trap shut with my
brother.”

She groans. “When you put it that way,
there’s no fucking way you can do it. Anything I tell you will turn
into a long drawn out convo with your bro and I’ll never know how
he truly feels. I’ll always wonder if he’s with me because he wants
to be or because he’s afraid of his little sister.”

I can see the tears flooding her eyes
as she hangs her head. Oh no. What the hell did he do to my friend?
This is not the Mel I know. The strong Melissa who decked her
ex-husband’s floozy in a parking lot, had a good cry, and moved on
in a matter of days. This Mel looks like she’s about to drown in
heartbreak with her quivering lip and glassy eyes. “Melly belly,
don’t be sad. I’m your best friend and I always will be. I’ve got
your back, even when it comes to my brother. Unless you do
something to hurt him, then I’ll have to kill you with my bare
hands.”

She glances up at me with the corners
of her mouth lifting. “I’d never hurt him and you know that. I’ve
loved that guy since the first time I realized I thought boys were
cute. I’d never hurt him.”

“
Then, is he hurting you?
You’re obviously upset.”

She wipes her eyes with the back of
her hand and sucks in a mouthful of air before exhaling slowly.
“Here’s the deal. I have no idea what’s going to happen once Tyler
leaves tonight. We still have close to two months of school left
and I don’t know if I’ll even see him during that time. I want to
see him. I want this thing we have to continue, but I’m not sure it
will.” She pauses and takes another long breath. “But what I don’t
want is for you to say something to him. I can’t have you telling
him to be with me or not to hurt me. If he decides he wants it to
work, I want it to be real. I don’t want you influencing him or
pressuring him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

I nod, knowing exactly what she means.
I’d want the same thing for me if I were her. “Don’t worry. I get
you. I won’t say a thing to him. But can I tell you
something?”

Her eyes perk up. “Sure.
Shoot.”

“
I want you two to stay
together. Besides the fact that you’re meant to be, I really love
having him around. I can tell he’s happy with you and I’m happy to
see him. I’ve missed him so much since he left. So I’m being a
little selfish by wanting you guys to make a go of it.”

“
I’m also being selfish
when I say I want it to work too, but at what cost?” She looks down
at her tiny hands and perfect manicure. “I don’t want to move. And
I don’t want him to have to move either. But this long distance
thing sucks ass. He hasn’t even left yet and I already miss
him.”

“
Honey, don’t worry just
yet. You’re talking like a relationship with my brother is doomed
before it’s even had the chance to get started. Things have a way
of working out. Look at me and Matty. Who woulda thunk it?” I sure
as hell wouldn’t have. For a few years, he had been our sidekick.
Like our mascot. Matty would go shopping with us, tag along to the
movies to see chick-flicks, and a couple times he even went with us
to get our toes done. While I always thought he was good looking, I
never considered him doable. Now, I take any chance I can to
do
him.

“
I always knew,” Mel says,
interrupting my thoughts of my naked husband. “You don’t think he
hung around with us because he liked to talk shit about Summer and
eat chocolate, do you? I’m sure he only went with us to see
Something Borrowed
because he wanted to figure out a way to borrow you from
Chase. He’s been hot for you since the day we met him.”

I like her way of thinking. I never
saw it but I must say, it makes me feel pretty damn good to hear
it. I glance over my shoulder at the sliding door leading to our
back yard. Beyond the patio, my husband and brother are chatting,
both with beers in hand, and Matty holding a long spatula in his
other. Ty must have said something funny, causing my man to tip his
head back with laughter. “They look so cute out there. I’m so
relieved they get along so well.”

Mel nods. “They’re both easy going so
there’s no surprise there.”

I down what’s left of my beer and hop
to my feet. “Let’s go join them. I haven’t spent this much time
without touching my husband since the night before our wedding. I’m
itching to get my hands in his pants so we might need to cut this
dinner short.”

Mel snorts at this just as she’s
taking a drink of her wine. Her face scrunches up as she tries to
get the liquid down before she starts coughing. “Are you trying to
kill me?”

“
It’s that damn wine again.
I think you’re finally starting to come to your senses. You’ve
barely had a sip.”

“
I blame it on your
wedding. I haven’t been able to drink much of anything
since.”

“
An open bar has that
effect on people.”

“
I guess,” she says,
placing her glass on the counter.

“
There’s some water in the
cooler outside. I should probably drink some too to cool me down.”
I wave my hand in front of my face.

She shakes her head with a chuckle.
“Don’t worry, we only have a few hours before I have to get your
brother off to the airport again. So you’ll have a handful of nuts
in no time.”

I rub my hands together as we walk out
onto the patio. “I can’t wait.”

Melissa

The wheels are turning at G force
speeds in my head. Before I can grasp anything I’m actually
thinking, my mind wanders to something new. I gaze at Tyler,
driving my car, while we head to the airport.

We had a great dinner with Shelly and
Matt. They look amazing, and so very happy. I was married before,
but I don’t remember feeling that sweet glow that Shel exudes with
such intensity and sincerity. And the way Matt looks at her makes
my heart swell with joy. His eyes light up when she walks into the
room. He hangs on her every word like it’s the most important thing
he’ll hear that day. The love in their eyes when they look at each
other is that of a movie. I swear they’re Noah and Allie. Only they
didn’t have to wait so long to finally end up together. But that
love, everlasting and true? It’s there.

“
What are you thinking
about?” Ty asks, glancing over at me as he turns into a parking
structure.

I can’t help but smile, in awe of my
friends. “Shel and Matt.”

“
They’re kinda perfect
together, aren’t they?” His smile reaches all the way to his eyes
as he speaks of his sister. “I’m so happy for her. He’s a great guy
and it makes me feel good knowing how much he loves my little
sister. I can see just how much every time he looks at
her.”

“
Well, they’re not kinda
perfect. They really are perfect. They could bottle up their
happiness and sell that stuff. Just thinking of them puts a smile
on my face.”

He reaches across the center console
of my car and places his hand over mine. “I love it when you
smile.”

As much as I’d like to flash him my
pearly whites, the reality of what’s about to happen sets in as he
parks the car, and my smile fades. “Why are we parking? I can’t go
in the terminal.”

“
I know. But we have some
extra time. I thought I could spend my last few minutes with you
talking, and maybe a little kissing.”

My belly is filled with butterflies,
skittering around, wings flapping and sending flutters of nerves
bouncing around my insides.

The thought of kissing Tyler for the
final minutes of him being in the same city as me sounds fantastic,
but it doesn’t stop the uneasiness I feel down deep in my
gut.

I’m so in love with him, my heart
doesn’t know whether to beat like crazy out of sheer happiness, or
pound out of pain. Every time he leaves, it’s like a hole rips open
in my chest and I can’t stop reliving having to say goodbye and
wondering what will happen next.

The mind is an evil thing.

Especially when my over eager
imagination is working hard at giving me an ulcer. Last night, I
had a dream that I sent him off on the plane today with a scorching
hot kiss. But when he landed in Frisco, some faceless hot woman
with long legs, a curvy ass, and wavy black hair met him at the
gate with a smooch that set off fire alarms. Just thinking of it
again makes me want to punch Tyler even though I know he didn’t do
anything. And even if he does have some hussy waiting for him at
home, what does it matter? It’s not like we’ve made any commitments
to each other. Not that walking down that road really makes a
difference either. My lying-cheating-no-good-sappy-country-song of
an ex-husband taught me that.

“
What’s got your beautiful
face all crumpled up?” Ty asks, brushing his index finger in the
crease between my eyes.

There’s not a thing I can do to hide
my emotions. Everyone knows I can never keep my lips zipped and I
always say the first thing that comes to my mind. And even when I
try hard to bite my tongue, my facial expressions give it away.
Like now.

“
Fine. Want to
know?”

He nods.

“
I’m gonna get all girlie
on you and just say it.” I take a deep breath, trying to relax
myself. By the look on Ty’s face, he probably knows what’s coming.
“I’m wondering what happens next. Will I see you again?”

He places a soft kiss on my cheek. “Of
course you will.”

“
I’m not talking about
ever. I’m not talking about at Christmas when you come home to
visit your family. I’m talking about us. Are we making plans to
stay in touch? Or is this it?”

Another kiss brushes my neck. God, if
he’s trying to distract me, it’s working. “Mel?” My name rolls off
his tongue with a warm breath of air fluttering across my
skin.

“
Mmm.”

“
I want to see you again.
Not with my family.” His lips meet mine. “Just you. Just us. It’s
not over. Not for me, at least.”

I want to kiss him back. I want to
deepen his kiss and feast on his tongue like there’s no tomorrow,
but my damn thoughts keep getting in the way.

“
What does that mean
exactly?”

He presses gentle pecks on my mouth
before backing away to look into my eyes. A smile creeps across his
face, slowly tugging the sides of his mouth upward. “It means I
better buy that Prius I’ve always wanted because something tells me
I’m going to be racking up the driving miles. There’s no way I can
wait until the holidays to see you.”