Page 148 of Neighbors With Benefits

“They don’t know yet,” I replied. “I want Aiden to tell them, but he’s nervous.”

“I’d be nervous,” Cat muttered. “This is kind of a big deal.”

We let ourselves in, and a cheer went up among the guys. Bash greeted us with hugs, and Dante gave us each a simple fist-bump. That was normal for him though, even without Aiden’s mom and sister being there.

“You must be the wonderful Jasper Barnes!” said a woman holding two glasses of wine. “Come here and give me a hug. I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like you’re my own daughter!”

“Strong start,” Cat whispered to me.

I hugged her and said, “It’s great to meet you, Mrs. Rush.”

“My name,” she clarified, “is Tabitha, and I will insist you call me that. Here.” She handed a glass of wine to me, and another to Cat.

“I like her,” Cat said with a big grin.

I met Aiden’s sister, Amy, next. She was tall and waifish, with short-cut dark hair and black-framed glasses. She wasn’t as friendly as Tabitha, but she still greeted me like I was family.

“My brother isquitetaken with you,” she said.

“I’m taken with him,” I replied. “I’m going to see if he needs any help in the kitchen.”

Aiden was pulling the turkey out of the oven. I helped him move the baking tray to the counter, and then we wrapped the entire thing in aluminum foil.

“Now it rests for twenty minutes,” he said. “You brought the mashed potatoes?”

“Freshly mashed!” I replied, kissing him on the cheek. “Your mom loves me.”

“You’re a lovable woman.”

“Are you still nervous?”

He gave me a look that told me everything.

“She loves you,” I said, rubbing his back. “She’ll support you no matter what.”

“Or she’ll disown you,” Dante muttered, sticking a finger into my dish of mashed potatoes and licking it off.

I smacked him on the arm. “We’re trying to be positive right now!”

“And I’m just being realistic,” he said. “You might want to feel her out a little before you drop a bomb on her at a major holiday.”

“We’ll see,” Aiden said, but I could see the conflict swirling in his eyes.

I took my wine back out into the living room, where Bash was flipping through the TV channels. “Trying to find the football game?” I asked.

“Dante refuses to watch the Cowboys,” Bash explained. “So I’m trying to find something else to put on in the background.”

“Stop! Right there!” Cat suddenly said. “That’sThe Mummy. Let’s watch that.”

Amy swirled wine around in her glass and sighed happily. “This movie wasveryimportant to my teenage development.”

Cat barked a laugh. “I’ll say. Seeing this movie in theaters was when I had my bisexual awakening.”

Amy gave her a sideways glance. “Same. When I realized I couldn’t decide who I was attracted to more, Brendan Fraser or Rachel Weisz, I knew.”

Cat turned to face her directly. “Yes! I spent months fantasizing about both of them. The first girl I dated looked like her, too.” Cat leaned in a little closer. “Kind of like, you actually.”

I gawked at them from the other side of the room. Were theyhitting it off?

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