Return

“LIAM!” Lily shrieks, grabbing a pillow to cover herself while Bri and I scramble to pull our skirts down and straighten our tops, just as Liam appears in the doorway.

My eyes widen as I see my old tormentor again. In board shorts, sandals and a loose tank-top, totally inappropriate for the rainy weather, he was even taller than I remembered and his always fit body had filled out with twenty or more extra pounds of solid muscle! His hair had grown out past his shoulders and was sun-bleached and on his upper lip was the type of thick mustache the usually only firefighters or porn stars wore. His handsome grin evaporates in an instant as his dark eyes dart around the room to clock all three of us and the state we were in. My heart pounding with fear the moment only lasts a couple of seconds but it feels like an eternity.

His tanned cheeks darken as he turns his head away and covers his eyes. “Oh Jesus!”

“GET OUT!” Lily grabs her other pillow and hurls it at her brother who beats a hasty retreat. She looks at me, panic in her eyes, then hurries for the door. Grabbing a robe on the way out she wraps herself up in it and goes storming out into the living room, closing the door behind her. Through the door Briana and I hear the sibling argue. “How DARE you just walk in here unannounced! You bastard!”

Liam, his voice deeper and huskier with maturity but still unmistakably his, says. “Geez! Happy to see you too Sis.”

“Liam…!”

“Don’t you work tonight?” He says. “Sorry, okay! I didn’t realize you’d have company over on a work night.”

My nerves settle a little, though only a little, as I realize he hadn’t gotten a good enough look at me to realize who I was. Briana comes over to sit with me, her arm around me, and whispers. “Should I go help?”

I shake my head. “Let Lily deal with him.” Had I been Elliot right now I would have gone myself to back Lily up, but as Ellie I would raise far more issues and questions than I would settle by making an appearance. I knew these issues couldn’t be avoided for long though. Liam was back in town! I thought we still had a few days! FUCK! I hold Bri’s hand as the pair of us listen.

“If you would kindly fuck off I’d like to return to my date.” Lily says, a bit of fear coming through the outrage despite herself.

“Date? With Briana? But you gals can’t…”

“My date is not with Briana, dumb ass.” She cuts him off. “It’s none of your damn business who it is with or what we are doing.”

“Ohhhh! Ha ha ha! Oh my God! Were you and Bri double-teaming that cute brunette?” He hoots. “Holy shit! How’d you get past the girl on girl thing?”

Briana cringes with secondhand embarrassment. Not for us, but for him.

“Oh my God!” Lily exclaims. “Would you just get out of here!”

“Hold on, now! I need to crash on your couch.” He says. “I’m too tired to go home and deal with that little fuckhead tonight. I was going to go in the morning after Mom goes to work.”

“Well Elliot works early too so good luck with that.”

“Oh, Jesus. Did Mom hire him or something? That little twerp…”

“No she didn’t hire him!” Lily lets out an exasperated sigh. “Listen. Getting Elliot on his own isn’t going to help anything. You have to talk to Mom too. BUT NOT TONIGHT!”

“I should go over there right now.”

“Liam…”

“I’m going to kill that conniving rat.”

“You’re not killing anybody.” Lily says. “Liam, Elliot is not what you think he is. Can you even understand how lonely Mom…?”

“Then she should get a roommate!” Liam snaps. “Jesus, Lil. I don’t have to tell you the risks of her having a man there.”

“Liam.” She says more firmly. “Get out of here. Get a night’s sleep. And cool off, huh? Ignoring Mom for months then suddenly going in guns blazing is not going to solve anything.”

“I haven’t been ignoring her. I’ve been busy. I sure as hell don’t have time for all her coddling and over-protecting, like I’m some child. I’m a man now! I don’t need her watching over me anymore. I can look after myself!”

“Please, Liam. Don’t ever say those things in front of Mom.”

“Listen, hauling Elliot’s ass out of there will solve everything. Everything can go back to how it was.” He says. “Don’t worry. She can’t stay mad at me for long. I’m her boy, right? The matriarch’s son. The alpha. I’m immune to all the charms, but you still can’t help but love me, can you? It’s time I reminded you all who the man of the family is. Ahhhh, you love me! I see it. You’re angry and I still see it. Gimme a hug, Sis.”

“You arrogant son of a…” Lily grumbles, her voice muffled to tell me she was indeed hugging her brother. “You’re insufferable sometimes.”

“Hey, I’ll take a walk for a bit. Say goodbye to your company and I’ll come back in a few.”

“Liam.” Lily says softly. “I’m serious. You can’t stay here tonight.”

“You’re turning me out? Your own twin? Where am I supposed to go?”

“I’m not…turning you out.” She says, her voice wavering. “I wasn’t ready, that’s all. Get a room or something tonight.”

“Erm…you got a bit of scratch for a hotel I could borrow? I used the last of Auntie Rebecca’s cash to get here.”

“Oh my God.” Lily sighs. “Go see Rebecca or Julie then. They’ll put you up. Damn it, Liam, what happened to Friday?”

“And leave that cockroach in Mom’s place until then? Fuck that.” He growls. “I know Mom’s a widower and she’s got me so is more resilient than the rest of you, but…I just hope it’s not too late. Scummy little bitch, sniffing around my fucking mom! That’s fucked. She didn’t…?”

“Liam.” Lily says. “You’ve just ruined my special night and I still have an overnighter ahead of me. I’m happy to see you, really, but…seriously, get outta here.”

There’s a long silence before Liam says in a warmer voice. “Hey. It’s good to see you, Sis. It’s cool you’re dating.”

Another sigh from Lily. “Yeah, thanks. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? And Liam…just…don’t do anything stupid?” After a pause she says. “Sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“You bet. Love ya, Lily.”

“Love you too, big brother.”

“Hey…the cab here cost me…”

“Yeah, of course. How much do you need?”

“Oh, about…hold up! Ha! Rebecca’s got me.” Liam says brightly. “Good old, Auntie. Giving me a room too.” His voice rises. “See you later Briana and…mystery girl!”

Briana looks at me then back to the door. “See ye around, Liam.”

After a minute the front door slams. Lily comes shuffling back into the room looking almost haunted. She slumps down beside me and lays her head on my shoulder. “Fuck.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself. A million thoughts and worries swirl between us as we grapple with Liam’s early return and everything that meant. Thankfully Lily had bought us the night. I could be wrong but I felt confident that neither Julie nor Rebecca would break the big news of Heather and I’s bonding. But nothing would be able to hold off the storm past the morning. All my plans these next few days…Mia tomorrow, the big game, everything…turned upside down thanks to Liam. And at my side I had never seen a woman so forlorn was Lily. She’d waited her entire adult life for a night like this only to have her twin brother shatter it.

I put my arm around her. “You okay, Lily?”

“No.” She whispers. “None of us are okay. Why couldn’t he have just…” She looks up into my eyes with a bittersweet smile as she pets my hair gently. “I was having such fun. My Ellie…”

I offer her a sweet smile and whisper, still in my femme tone. “Ellie’s still here. The clock hasn’t struck midnight. The carriage hasn’t turned into a pumpkin.” I place her hand on my thigh. “She’s right here, Lily.”