Page 75 of Crave Me

“You’re the worst,” I tell him.

He looks at his brother and mom to see they’re occupied before mouthing “you love it” to me. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from smiling as I rewash my hands and return to my task of rolling out the pie crust.

After the pot pies are assembled and set in the oven to bake, I follow the noise that leads me downstairs to a finished basement. All of the Hayes siblings are playing a game of beer pong as I walk into the large, open room. I make my way toward Hannah and Ivy, who’s resting her hand on her tiny baby bump. She’s just starting to pop out and she’s so cute.

“Quite the sight, huh?” she asks.

“It’s wild here, they’re all so full of life.”

“They are. It’s always been like this. Rowdy, loud, crazy,” Hannah says.

“I secretly love it. What’s the dynamic with Kinsey, do they let her win?”

“Oh, god, no. Never. They make that girl work for it, so she’s tough, but if you think you’ve seen protective from Sawyer with me, it’s nothing compared to what Kins has had to deal with from the four of them.”

“Can you imagine having four older brothers?”

“Hell no. Are you an only child, too?”

“As far as I know,” it slips from my lips before I can stop it, and I try to stay calm, hoping she’ll read it as a joke.

“Ha. Same. We definitely don’t need any more Turner genes running around. I hope this baby is all Hayes.”

I couldn’t agree more about my genes. The Hollis line should surely die with me, even if I do crave a family of my own.

“He or she is going to be so loved, that’s for sure.”

We spend the next thirty minutes watching the five of them go back and forth playing beer pong, all of them getting louder and more heated as the rounds go on and on.

“Fuck off! You’re a bunch of goddamn cheaters!” Liam yells as he walks in our direction.

“How can you cheat at fuckin’ beer pong, lint licker?” Dallas yells back.

Liam keeps walking until he stands next to me and Ivy, looking irritated as all hell.

“They’re cheats, huh?” Ivy asks.

“They’re assholes. All of them.”

“But, lint licker?” I have to ask, knowing that I’m probably going to regret it.

Ivy covers her mouth and laughs as Sawyer walks up to her. He grabs her wrist and pulls it away from her face. “What did I tell you about covering up your laugh?”

“Not to?” she asks while still laughing.

“That’s Liam’s nickname. You haven’t heard it yet?” Sawyer asks.

“Apparently not. How did he get such an awful one? No offense to you and the other two, but,” I turn to face Liam before continuing, “Liam’s the most level-headed one out of all of you, so how does he end up with the worst nickname?”

“Cause they’re all assholes and they don’t like that I’m bigger than them.”

“Size doesn’t mean shit. How many times have I taken you? I’m happy to do it again right here,”

Liam steps up to Sawyer, getting right in his face. I take a step back, giving them space since these boys like to be so physical with each other. Sawyer pulls Ivy behind him, and I can’t help but glance in Dallas’ direction. He’s standing at the far end of the ping pong table with his arms crossed, his eyes focused on me and the situation three feet away.

“What the fuck is your problem lately? You got some shit you need to work out, then you let us know, but we’re not here to be treated like shit by you, so what’s it goin’ to fuckin’ be?” Sawyer raises his voice, and Liam doesn’t back down, instead, he jerks toward him, which was the wrong thing to do. Sawyer tackles him, bending down, his arms wrapping around his waist and taking him back several steps. It all happens so fast. Liam bends over Sawyer’s back, throwing a punch into his side. Dallas and Carter move quickly to their brothers, while Kinsey, Hannah, and I move toward Ivy, all of us stepping back to stay clear of them while they fight.

“Get it out of your system, little brother,” Sawyer huffs.

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