anyway,” CJ said, as he opened Trey’s refrigerator and shoved his head in. The next part came out muffled, “You got anything besides Rolling Rock? Bud? Coors? Something fuckin’ drinkable?”
Apparently, CJ had no issue dropping the f-bomb either.
Good to know.
Except nothing was good at the moment. Trey had gone statue-still and I hadn’t heard or felt him exhale in several seconds.
Evidently, CJ had no issue complaining about his brother’s beer and drinking it anyway. With bottle in hand, CJ turned around and finished with, “You never did like going to family shit, and after you got your face fucked up and they kicked you out of the SEALs, you pretty much stopped going to anything. And it’s not like you don’t got the room in your big-ass house. Guess it pays. I mean, I’d take a bomb to the face if it meant I’d get a wad of cash. Guess bitches really do love the dolla—”
“Are you for real?” I asked. “His face isn’t fucked up, you moron.”
“Addy—”
“No, Trey. A bomb to the face?” I screeched. “Who says that?”
“I do,” CJ piped up. “Since that’s what it was, a fucking bomb to the face. You can’t be blind. You see all those scars. It’s fucked up.”
“Please, Trey, tell me I’m stuck in some sort of weird dream after I was force-fed mushrooms. You know, the kind that made you go all wonky.”
“’Fraid not, baby.”
“No? So no one handcuffed me, rolled a fatty, and forced me to inhale? And now I’m so high I’m imagining I’m standing in your kitchen with your brother?”
“No, baby.” I watched his lips twitch and I didn’t understand how that was possible.
“So this is the real world, the normal one, and your brother’s talking to you about taking a bomb to the face?”
“Yep.” He smiled.
“Has he lost his mind? Dropped on his head as a baby? Played some full-contact sport where he sustained multiple concussions that rendered him stupid?”
“Yes, not sure, no, and no.”
“She might be fine but she sure is mouthy,” CJ blurted out.
“Are we gonna eat?” Carl asked.
I stared at Trey a beat, then I busted out laughing. I couldn’t help it. There wasn’t anything funny about Trey’s brother being a big, fat jerk. And to top it off, his father was worried about food instead of how incredibly insulting his younger son had been.
“This can’t be real life,” I sputtered.
“Unfortunately, it’s mine.”
That sobered me.
I didn’t understand how Trey came from these people. And I wasn’t talking about looks. Trey was not rude, he was not inconsiderate, he wasn’t an asshole. Sure, he was gruff and a little rough around the edges. There was a hard exterior but he was kind, gentle, and good at his core.
“Tell me what you need me to do,” I whispered.
Trey’s eyes drifted closed, and when they opened, that light shone so bright it blinded me.
“Just this.”
I didn’t know what ‘just this’ meant, but I pressed closer.
“Ma, there are takeout menus in the drawer by the fridge. Find something and order it.” Then he turned to his brother. “Keep your trap shut or you’re sleeping in the car.”
“What—”
“You fucking know what,” Trey returned. “Addy and I leave at eight to go to work. You’re out by then.”
“Eight? Wanted to sleep in. Hotel beds suck. Haven’t had a good night’s sleep in two nights.”
“Not my problem. You’re out by the time we leave.”
“Adalynn’s moved in?” Paige asked.
“Yep.”
That was stretching the truth but I decided not to correct him.
“Well, that’s wonderful. Cute as a button. I bet she’ll have this house in tip-top shape in no time.”
Tip-top shape? Trey’s house was a showplace, not a frat house. There was nothing to get into shape.
“She’s my girlfriend, not my maid.”
“Of course, I just meant it will be nice for you to come home and have things done. You know, like dinner and such.”
“Addy doesn’t cook.”
Well, I did cook. I just didn’t make my own stir-fry sauce. Mine came out of a packet from the awesome Asian market around the corner from my condo.
“She doesn’t?” Paige gasped.
Trey ignored his mother and turned us to the stove, and together, we finished making dinner.
No way in heck Trey grew up with these people.
I took my time washing my face, then I took more time brushing my teeth to the point they were sparkling clean and my gums were near bleeding, then I took even more time and thoroughly lotioned every inch of skin that wasn’t covered by my pjs. When I ran out of stuff