I dropped my head into the slim space between Anna’s stomach and the steering wheel. She laughed and started threading her fingers through my hair while a disgusted noise came from the intercom box. It didn’t take long for the gate to start squealing open. “God…just get in here before I change my mind and have the gate permanently sealed…along with my eyes.”
Gibson giggled as I lifted my head from Anna’s lap. “I-cream, Daddy! I-cream!” Anna snorted as she looked back at her daughter, then she quickly drove us through the gate. Kellan might actually lock us out if we took too long.
Kellan’s driveway was about sixty thousand miles long. There were a couple of decently sized potholes too. Kellan should really be a better homeowner and fix that shit. After the third bump, Anna put a hand on her belly. “I have to pee so bad,” she said through clenched teeth. I wasn’t surprised; she had to pee every five minutes. When the three-story estate came into view, Matt and Evan’s cars were already parked in the driveway. Anna stopped beside Matt’s rig, threw the Hummer in park, then dashed out the door without even turning the car off. As I watched her perfect ass bounding away from me, I wondered if she’d just pick a bush outside and squat. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. Kellan’s house was on a hill, and there were at least a hundred steps leading to the front door. Maybe more. It was annoying. Before he put in the moat, he should really consider an escalator. Or a boom lift. That would be awesome.
Turning around in my seat, I faced Gibson. “Looks like it’s just you and me, kiddo.”
Gibson gave me a toothy grin. “I-cream.”
Laughing at her one-track mind, I unbuckled my seat belt. “Okay, we’ll see if Auntie Kiera has any.” Gibson clapped her hands while I shut the car off.
After slinging Gibson’s bag over my shoulder, I freed her from her car seat and scooped her into my arms. She yawned, making me do the same. “Yeah, I know. Uncle Kellan practically lives in another country. We’d already be done with rehearsals if we were still at Uncle Evan’s place, but nooooo, we’ve all got to suffer so Kellan can have his ‘privacy.’” Giving her a serious look, I added, “Sometimes family sucks. Not always…but sometimes.”
Gibson tilted her head like she was considering my statement, then she closed her eyes and started falling asleep. Patting her back, I laughed. Then I turned to look at the five thousand steps in my way and groaned. “Goddammit,” I muttered, then began the hours-long trek.
I was hot and sweaty by the time I reached the top. Then there were five more damn steps to get up the front porch. I was freaking done with stairs by the time I got to the brick-red door. I knocked on it with my boot, then yanked it open with my free hand before anyone could respond.
Kellan and Matt were in the entryway, along with Matt’s girlfriend, Rachel. Rachel was glued to Matt’s side, like she’d float into space if she wasn’t holding on to him. Kellan and my cousin were discussing something about the band’s schedule. Looking at Matt was like peering into a hazed, cracked mirror. Sure, we looked alike, but my hotness was crisp and clear while his was muted, a sepia-toned replica that didn’t hold a candle to my brilliance. Kellan was…well, a lot of girls seemed to think he was the be-all and end-all of male perfection. No, sorry, girls. He’s not. That strong jaw, deep blue eyes, and just-fucked hair was nothing special. And sure he was ripped, but…his body was just so-so next to mine. My body art made my skin much more interesting than his boring, chiseled lines. Whatever. His abs were airbrushed on anyway. I’d read that somewhere, and I totally believed it. Kell didn’t work out enough to have definition like that.
Matt was in the middle of a sentence, but I interrupted him as soon as I stepped into the room. “What the hell is up with all those steps, Kell?” Readjusting Gibson, I snarked, “You know, maybe you should have put the driveway on top of the hill with the house, instead of at the bottom of the hill. Then you wouldn’t have to climb freaking Mount Everest every time you got out of the car.”
Kellan frowned. “I didn’t design the house, Griff.”
I shrugged off Gibson’s bag and it hit the ground with a thud. “Yeah, but you can redesign it, can’t you? It’s not like you’re the lead singer of the most successful band in the world, with more cash coming out your ass each morning than most people make in their entire lifetime.” I paused a minute, then finished with “Oh wait, yeah you are. Fix this shit.”
The click of Anna’s heels echoed on the tile as she stepped into the room. “I agree with him on this one, Kellan. That climb sucks, especially when you have a bowling ball pressing on your bladder. I almost had to water your roses.”
She lifted a brow at him and Kellan flashed her his trademark million-dollar grin. “I’m glad you didn’t. How are you feeling, Anna?”
I knew Kellan was all gung ho about his wife, but sometimes his niceness toward mine irked me. Maybe it was because of how we’d hooked up. Me and Anna, not me and Kellan. She’d been visiting her sister, Kiera, and had been goo-goo-eyed for Kellan for all of five seconds, until she’d gotten a whiff of me. After that, Kellan hadn’t had a chance with her. I think he still resented me for that. Anna was the one who got away. Well, sorry, Kell, but she’s all mine. From those luscious lips to that five-star ass…mine.
Anna sighed as she walked toward me. Patting her stomach, she answered him with “Like I wish it was September already.”