The Sterling Boys (14 page)

"Huh?" That's all I've got.

Dane looks just as shocked as I do, so I suppose their friendship didn't include conversations this deep. That's comforting to know.

Tria shrugs, looking anywhere but at me. "The day you found out about being high-risk for breast cancer, I wanted to prepare for the worst. At the time, I didn't understand cancer, so I just assumed all cancer was the same. Amber, a friend of mine from school, had an uncle who had survived leukemia after his brother donated bone marrow. I wanted to know if I could do that, so I went to see if our blood types matched.

"I knew Mom kept all of our medical stuff in the fireproof safe. She always handled all the paperwork for everything, including my license, but I'd seen her put the stuff there. I went digging around in it, looking for my blood type. And instead, I found my original birth certificate. Chelsey Barlin was in the spot for my mother's name. Considering Dad's history, it didn't take me long to do the math."

I swallow hard as Tria looks away to wipe a tear from her cheek. Eleanor starts to go to her, but refrains. She's probably worried about possibly transferring her critters, and that would be so hard to explain to this society. Of course, the whole neighborhood probably heard her announcing the fact she has crabs.

"I didn't know about it until last week," Eleanor says guiltily. "She never told me she knew, but she apparently confronted Edward about it when she was just eighteen."

Tria sighs hard. "That's why he flew to New York on prom night. He said I was looking at him the way you always did, and he couldn't deal with it," she murmurs sadly, looking up at me. "After that, we barely spoke. I ended up skipping my prom."

None of this was making sense. She skipped her prom? But I thought she went.

"So... he got mad at you because you learned the truth?"

Edward Noles was an even bigger dick than I realized.

"He got mad at her because she shattered the illusion," Eleanor interjects, taking a longer draw off her scotch. "Ironically enough, your father always wanted children, but he married me knowing I couldn't have any. After years of it just being the two of us, I think resentment festered and he decided he wanted a family no matter how he had to get it.

"I allowed it. I hated myself for not being able to give him a child. In a way, I suppose I felt like I deserved his infidelity and constant betrayal. The thing is, Edward wanted a family that adored him the same way his father was adored by his family.

"But Edward is a man with a fragile sense of love. Once Tria knew the truth, it changed him. He doesn't work hard at anything other than making money. If he has to try in a personal relationship, he actually grows resentful—just like he did with me. It's one of the many reasons I should have left him. He's a childish brat in designer clothing."

She looks apologetically at Tria who shakes her head. "No, Mom. Don't. Stop taking the blame for his mistakes. You've always deserved better than him."

For once, I agree with Tria.

This really is the twilight zone.

"What about your birthmother?" I ask. Tria has never looked so vulnerable to me. She's carried this weight for years, and I knew nothing about it.

"She died when I was a baby," Tria says softly, a glimmer of shame crossing her eyes. "Drug use."

Dane is silent and stiff beside me. This is too much to deal with for anyone, and I've stupidly let him get sucked into my drama.

"Eleanor?" Aunt Melanie's voice carries through the house, finding us.

"In here, Mel," Eleanor says, her eyes still on Tria.

"Did you at least wound the bastard?" Aunt Margaret asks as she rounds the corner with Aunt Melanie.

I wasn't expecting her to be here. Aunt Margaret married Paul Colton, the man of her dreams, and she got the most loyal, respectful, and dedicated man a person could hope for. They were the only reason I never gave up on love.

"She got him good, Aunt Margaret," I say fondly, smiling over at Eleanor who sniffles and laughs at once.

At least her Mad Hatter side has crept back into a slumber.

Tria grins as she looks over to our two aunts. "She got him damn good," she adds, making everyone's laughter bubble out.

Tria is just like me. Her mother was the other woman, and Eleanor, being the incredible woman she is, took us both in as her own. How in the hell did an angel end up with a twisted devil?

"You girls head on out. We've got a celebration planned. We've been waiting on this day for years," Aunt Melanie says, offering us a wink and a smile.

I start to hug Eleanor, but Dane tugs me away, wearing an amused smile on his face. I almost forgot about her crabs, and Dane just saved me from the contact transfer possibility. It’s a taxing job not to grin. Eleanor chuckles knowingly, and Dane leads me out, never saying a word.

Tria follows, but she pauses once we reach the outside. She glances at her phone, but she doesn't do anything.

"What's wrong?" Dane asks her while lacing his fingers with mine.

She frowns before looking back up. "Nothing. I just need to call a cab. You two can head on."

Dane looks to me, and I almost want to scream. We finally get to be together, but we don't get to be
together
because my life is going freaking crazy. Shit.

"Or you could come back to my place, and we could... talk?" I suggest, fighting back the groan of frustration.

Tears glimmer on her lids as she stares at me for a few silent moments. Finally, one of those tears falls, and I have to fight back my own.

"I'd like that."

DANE

"So you and Rain are official now, right?" Corbin asks as I grab the bouquet of roses from my table.

I'm sweating. I'm fucking sweating. I haven't been this nervous since I was a kid. This is just a date.

"I don't know. With all of her family stuff, we haven't really had a chance to talk since the other day. She and Tria have been staying at her house... talking about things."

"For two days?" Maverick asks as he joins us.

"I imagine it takes a while to squash over a decade of resentment. They had a lot to discuss, and I didn't want to interfere."

"I don't suppose we have to give you the whole 'break her heart and we'll break you' speech, do we?" Corbin drawls, trying hard to hide the amusement in his eyes.

"Funny," I mutter dryly.

Britt walks in wearing the new dress I bought her, and I can't help but smile. She's so different from the scruffy girl who had dirt caked in her hair when I met her.

Maverick whistles low and long as Britt humors us with a twirl. I hand her the bouquet of roses, and her grin only grows.

"I've never gotten roses before," she muses, staring at the soft tips of the petals.

"Now you have," I say before bending down to kiss the top of her head.

She smiles happily while clutching the roses to her, and I hold back a small bit of laughter when she tries to leave while still holding them.

"You're supposed to put them in water. You don't take them," I call out, prompting her to turn around.

She frowns as she looks down, and then back up. "But how will everyone know I got roses if I leave them behind?"

Maverick looks at me and shrugs, and Corbin snickers under his breath. If Britt wants to carry around her roses, I won't stop her.

"Let's go," Maverick chirps, proffering his arm to Britt.

She takes it, and they lead the way to the limo. As I sit down, my eyes go to Dale and Kode who are already waiting inside. Kode won't even look at me. Considering he hasn't answered my calls since the night of the tequila shot party, I'm assuming he's pissed at me for getting the girl. Not sure why. She was mine long before he ever thought about her in that way, and he's the only one I confided in. He knew how I felt about her, but he went after her anyhow. If anyone has the right to be pissed, it's me.

"I've never seen so many guys in tuxes," Britt says idly, glancing around the limo as she crosses her legs.

She's completely unaware of the silent standoff between Kode and me, so she continues chatting, using words I'll need to find a dictionary for later. But no one is really paying that much attention to anything but the elephant in the room.

The tension gathers, and everyone keeps looking from Kode to me, though my brother and I refuse to make eye contact. Maverick clears his throat, possibly trying to prompt someone to break the tension as we drive toward Rain's house.

"Is this an awkward silence or a comfortable one?" Britt asks earnestly, lifting her eyes to meet mine.

She honestly has no clue about social interaction.

But she manages to make everyone in the car snicker quietly, including Kode, because she's so real. She smiles tightly, only because she doesn't know why we're laughing.

The car pulls up to Rain's house, and the light atmosphere in the car becomes heavy and exhausting once more. I'm starting to wonder if Kode and I will ever be okay again.

"I'll go get them," I murmur quickly, climbing out of the limo.

This night isn't what I wanted to do for our first date, but I completely forgot about the charity event at my country club. At least I have an excuse to see Rain. I had no idea how long I should wait to call her, and I sure as hell didn't want to rush her, but I also didn't want to wait too long. Christ, this shit is complicated.

I knock on her door, and Tria swings it open almost immediately.

"She's in the bedroom. I'll wait on you guys here."

I point toward the limo while saying, "We've got champagne in the car if you want to wait there."

She risks a nervous glance toward the car before she shakes her head. "I'm not brave enough to deal with four Sterlings on my own."

I really need to talk to the guys. If Tria and Rain are trying to mend their relationship, the guys have to be onboard.

I nod in acceptance before heading back to Rain's room. If I've ever been more nervous, I don't remember it. We're about to have the conversation I've wanted to have since we were thirteen—the conversation I planned on having two days ago. Damn Edward Noles stole that moment from me.

I've spent the last six years feeling miserable because of this girl, and now I plan to spend much longer feeling nothing less than ecstasy.

"Rain," I call, looking around at her empty room.

"Coming out," she says from her closet, and I swear my knees try to buckle and drop my ass to the ground when she steps into view.

A long, icy blue dress that rivals the color of her eyes clings to her body in a way that will distract me all night long. I swallow hard as I slowly rake my eyes over her from the ground up.

The dress has a small train that pools behind her, and the fabric is loose until it reaches her thighs. That's where things get interesting. I can see every curve, every line, and I can tell her underwear has to be nearly nonexistent. Motherfucker.

The sides of the dress are missing, and the mirror behind her lets me see the back is completely bare, coming to a point above her tightly covered ass. The top is strapless, and her cleavage is definitely accentuated.

As my eyes rake over her bare, tan, glistening shoulders, I notice her blonde locks curled and hanging loosely to one side, while the other side is pinned up. Her lips are curled into a smile that could stop the hearts of a thousand men, and she's staring at me. So this is heaven.

"Wow," I murmur, sucking in a breath that's not deep enough, before clearing my throat.

She chuckles softly while walking toward me, and I prepare myself for anything. She reaches up and pulls me down by the neck, brushing her lips against mine teasingly.

"Wow to you, too," she whispers against my lips, and I fight a war against gravity to stay upright.

It'd be damn easy to drop to my knees and profess my love for her right now, but I'm fairly positive I'd look like a pathetic freak. How do I tell her I've loved her for over decade without terrifying her? We just started dating.

"So," she says with a sigh, backing up a little. "This thing between us... What's going on? You said we would be together, but then all the crazy happened, and you haven't called me but once since then. And you seemed to be in a hurry to get off the phone."

What? I really suck at this shit. And she's very... distracting right now.

"You and Tria needed time, and I didn't know when to call. You can always call me, you know. I've never really done this," I say lamely, inwardly cursing myself the second the words leave my mouth.

She doesn't seem to know whether to smile or frown.

"You've never been in a relationship?"

I shake my head while closing the distance between us again. The need to be touching her is almost overwhelming.

"Never. I'm assuming you have?" I ask, bending to kiss her neck and trying not to think about anyone else touching her.

I couldn't ever get serious with anyone, because no one was Rain. Everyone since her has only been someone to pass the time. And nothing past the superficial ever developed.

"No, not really," she says at last. "You were the closest thing to a boyfriend I ever had when I was younger, and after high school... well, guys weren't exactly up to par."

My grin is involuntary and painful. "Up to par?" I muse, bending to press my lips against hers in a gentle brush.

"Yeah," she says absently, leaning forward, but I lean back, keeping our lips just barely separated so she'll elaborate.

"And what's the par I set?" I ask teasingly.

Slowly, her hand runs up my chest, and I fight the primal urge to throw her on the bed and let the guys go to the event without us.

"Perfection," she says at last, and my thoughts all collide at once while my heart searches for a rhythm.

Perfection? Only with her. I've never treated anyone the way I treat her. I've belonged to Rain Noles since the day we met.

I crush my lips to hers and spin her against the wall, caging her in with my arms as I devour her. If it wasn't for the three assholes creating mock coughing noises from the living room, I'd already be inside her right now.

"Later," I murmur shakily while pulling away very, very, very reluctantly.

"Definitely," she says, grinning as our fingers lace together.

We walk out to see Corbin, Maverick, and Dale with their arms crossed over their chests, all three of them glowering at me like I just defiled their sister. Tria is stifling a grin, trying not to get too close to the action. Kode is apparently still in the car. I dread his reaction tonight, because I'm not keeping my hands off Rain just to appease him.

We walk outside after locking up, and my arm angles from her shoulder to her waist as I pull her to me. Tonight, we're the ones people will envy, because no one loves someone the way I love her.

Rain and I sit at the far end of the limo, while Kode stays near the front. I only thought the air in here was thick before I picked Rain up.

Her hand comes to rest in my lap, and I clutch it in my hand, trying not to grin like an idiot when she smiles happily. It's still hard to believe that she's mine, even though we've yet to discuss what happened six years ago.

Why'd she get so cold on me?

As happy as I am that she's finally mine, I'm also worried about what's going to happen. Rain Noles hurt me the first time, and we weren't even considered an actual couple. As hard as I've already fallen right now, she'd crush me if she did the same thing.

I should keep some guards up, but it's impossible to do when that disarming grin splits her face. I love making her smile like that.

"You two gonna be eye-fucking each other all night, or is this just a moment?" Corbin asks dryly, and Rain cuts her eyes toward him in warning.

It's funny to watch a man built like pro athlete cower to a petite little thing like Rain. But they all cower to her. I was the only one who ever told her the truth, or told her when she was being an idiot. Then again, she never once threatened my balls either.

"I like your roses, Britt," Rain says, smiling at my sister who is gazing down fondly at the dozen red roses in her arms.

"Thank you. Dane got them for me. I've never had roses before."

Rain's smile grows bigger, and she nestles in closer to me.

"You look incredible tonight," I murmur against her ear, grinning when she shivers under my breath.

"Thank you," she says in a husky voice that proves she doesn't want to be stuck in a limo with other people.

It takes so much restraint, but I don't kiss her. Later. We'll have all the time in the world later.