Page 18 of Trouble in Love
Bags collected, Teddy introduced me to his devoted harem who led us out of the stifling, overcrowded terminal and into the parking lot, a cool late afternoon breeze doing its best to refresh our weary bodies. “Right, so who’s going with who?” Finn asked, tossing our luggage into the back of a massive four-wheel drive.
“I want Teddy!” Scarlett and Evie squealed, lunging for an arm each and dragging him into the back seat. “Luca, Asher, go with Finn and Nate.”
The latter looked delighted by his wife’s suggestion and steamed towards a tricked-out minivan before anyone changed their mind. Since the luxury of choice was not provided to me, Finn piled me into the front passenger seat in an eerily similar manner to how he’d tossed the bags into the trunk. “Trust me, dude. You got the sweet deal.” Nate smiled, his hands caressing the leather steering wheel. “I know I drive a van, but it’s sick. Just got new alloys put on and even had it lowered a bit.” His hyperactive pace of speech meant I didn’t understand what he said. He seemed pretty happy, though, so I just nodded in agreement. “Oh, don’t mention the lowering to Evie. She thinks she’s grown, and I don’t want to disappoint her.” It seemed like a sweet sentiment, but Finn, whose bulking frame was wedged between two baby car seats, began laughing hysterically.
Not for the first time, I felt like I missed the joke.
I really am dumb.
That sentiment stuck as we headed out of the airport parking lot, which the boys called a car park. They sounded like crows … caaarrr paaarrrk. I didn’t point that out, but I did highlight the genuine fear for my life once we hit the road. I knew they droveon the wrong side of the road in Australia, but I legitimately almost shit my pants every time a car approached because, hell, what if the other drivers kept forgetting like I did?
Soon enough, death was forgotten because the boys threw me a lifeline and began quizzing me about hockey. “So, you guys can have a full punch on and not get in trouble?”
“When you say punch on, if you mean a fist fight, then yep. We sure can, but we do get in trouble. If it’s bad enough, we’ll get a few minutes in the penalty box, and if it’s really bad, we might face a suspension. Never was much of a fighter.” Not until Dallas. “But some guys are tossing the gloves every match and paid to do it.”
Finn released a melancholic sigh. “Footy used to be like that, but they’ve made it all PC now. There are hardly any fights anymore.”
“Do you mean Aussie rules?” I asked. “‘Cause I’ve seen some of that on ESPN. The way they catch the ball over the top of guys’ heads is crazy.”
“Dude!” Nate yelled, practically vibrating in his seat. “Do you want to come to a game with us while you’re here? We can make it a boys’ weekend and even prep you beforehand, so you don’t say embarrassing shit like, ‘Catch the ball.’ It’s called a mark here. Consider that lesson one.”
Witnessing a game of Aussie rules did sound tempting, but football wasn’t what made my dick twitch in my pants. Not so little Luca equated Sydney with Jasmine. And Jasmine to getting wet.
My dick was much better at math than me. “That sounds great. I’d love to.”
“Awesome!” Doing nothing to calm my driving fears, Nate celebrated by repeatedly smashing his fists into the steering wheel. “Sydney’s playing a final against the Bombers nextweekend. Maybe we can squeeze in a game of league and a pub run-in before we come home, too.”
“What’s league?” I asked to no reply.
“I’ve just emailed all the clients I have on Monday to cancel and am now booking flights,” Finn yelled. “This is so happening... Oh, shit. They’ve got no extra legroom seats left. Damn. Oh well, big fella,” he said with another slap on my shoulder, “Let’s hope you’re as flexible as Teddy said you are.”
Questioning why Teddy would raise my flexibility with two total strangers seemed pointless. Instead, I rested my head against the seat, closed my eyes, and hoped I’d dream of Jasmine.
Polly
“Polly. Polly. Are you listening?”
Ugh.“Yes, Mum. I’m listening.”Not at all thinking about hot Americans with ridiculous abs.
“Prove it. What did I just say.”
“Ahh.” I had no fucking idea but took a guess. “You were asking about the appointment, and reminding me that I want a family, I need to settle down, marry this nice boy you keep telling me about.”
“Mmm. Close enough.” Something rustled and crackled in the background, and I could just picture her that very second, sitting by the window in the little cane chair she got from Aldi, with my childhood photos lying on her lap, wondering where she went wrong. “Did you get the baby photos I sent you? The ones Janet Myers sent me when I saw her at the shops? That should be enough to motivate you. God has truly blessed Nate and Evie. Just imagine it, Polly—two sets of twins.”
In all honesty, I could think of little worse. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. “Yes, I got them, Mum.”But I have notlooked at them.“And yes, the babies are very cute, but I’m still not sure—”
“Gorgeous is what they are. To think they could have been yours. They still could be if you stop all this silliness, move back home. Sydney is no place for a nice Greek girl to find a husband.”
Keen to disembark the settle down express, I changed tactics. “Lucky I’m not Greek then. I was born here, remember, Mum? Just like you were.”
“Not Greek?” Mum squealed. “Not Greek? Have a look in the mirror and tell me you don’t see the ancient beauty of Aphrodite coursing through your veins.”
“Aphrodite? I always thought I was more of a Nyx girl.”
“Polly!” Deep disgust bolstered Mum’s gasp.
As kids, my sister, Holly I had been forced to attend Greek school, and the tales of Nyx had always been my favorite. I wasn’t sure of why at the time, but when I again studied Ancient Greek mythology in high school, I came to understand the attraction. The offspring of Chaos himself, Nyx, was everything I felt I was, wasn’t, and wanted to be. Considered by many, including Homer himself, as the most beautiful of all goddesses, she was the literal concept of night—a catalyst to our darkest desires, dreams, and dirty, sexy little secrets.
