Page 73 of Close to Falling

“I never lied. I said it was none of your business, and that’s because it wasn't,” I say, turning around to face him.

“So you do remember, and you know anything that has to do with you is my business.”

“Okay, so I told a lie,” I admit, but I told a lot of lies to him back then. “You used to pick on me about everything. I didn’t want to hear your mouth about me being a virgin.”

“You are so clueless when it comes to my feelings for you. I wanted to hear you were a virgin. The thought of you letting anyone but me have that pissed me off.”

“Made you mad, huh?” I ask, teasing.

“Very,” he replies.

“Like raging mad or bend me over this table mad?” I try not to smile when I say those words. His eyes narrow.

“Both.” He licks his bottom lip. “I wanted to fuck you right then and show you who you belonged to.”

“Show me now,” I say, running my hand down his chest. He looks down as my hand goes lower.

“What’s for supper?” We hear, and I quickly move my hand away. River smiles big, and I slap his chest.

“Eww, were you two about to have sex?” Fisher asks.

“What the hell do you know about sex, boy?” River says, turning around to face him.

“Just that two people are all over each other and they get naked.” He sits down.

I laugh. “Well, no one is getting naked,” I reply. “And stop listening to your friends. They are clueless.”

River walks by me and whispers into my ear, “You will be getting naked later.” I fold my lips in and shake my head. I hear a knock on the door, and Fisher jumps down from the stool. “Hold up,” River says as he follows him. He thinks I don’t notice how jumpy he is, like he is waiting for something to happen. I know his father is out of prison. Landon told me a few weeks ago, and I hate it. I don’t want River to have anything to do with that man. He has never done anything good for River. I turn when I hear Landon talking, and I see Sarah’s smiling face.

“Spaghetti again?” she asks as she walks over to the pot.

“You know it’s River and Fisher’s favorite,” I tell her.

“Yes.” She pauses. “Where’s the wine?”

“You know where the wine is,” I say, walking over to the cabinet to grab two glasses. The boys are in the living room talking sports, and I see my TV has been changed from the cooking show I was watching to a Bruce Willis movie. “Grab two beers out of the fridge. I’ll take them to the guys.” She hands them to me, and I twist the tops off, tossing them into the trash before I walk into the living room.

“Hey, brother,” I say and wrap my arm around Landon’s neck from the back of the couch as I hand him a beer.

“Hey, B. Thanks.” He takes the bottle from my hand. I kiss his hair before I walk over to the loveseat and hand River his.

“No hug for me?” he asks. I roll my eyes and wrap my arm around him like I did Landon. He pulls it, though, and I laugh as I flop down onto his lap. He kisses my lips, not caring that our family is looking. It’s a quick kiss, and he lets me up when he is done. Landon shakes his head, and Fisher makes a gagging noise.

“Really, gagging?” I ask, walking over to him. I rub his head and then kiss it. He rolls his eyes before he fixes his long hair back. Making my way into the kitchen, I cut the heat down on the sauce and stir the pasta. “So, what’s been going on?” I ask Sarah as I sit down to my glass of wine she has poured.

“Landon has a surf competition in Hawaii soon,” she says.

“Oh, I’d love to go. We should all go.”

“That would be fun,” she replies. “How’s the baby stuff?”

I shake my head. “Not really thinking about it anymore. I feel like if it’s meant to happen it will. Otherwise, we will just have Fisher, and I think I’m okay with that. What about you two? Any baby plans?”

“Nah, I’m not the motherly type, and Landon is always busy.”

“Landon doesn’t want kids?” I ask.

“He says it’s up to me, but he is fine with just the two of us.”

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