“Fine, we’re getting up. Now go away.”
“If I don’t hear movement coming from this room in five minutes, I’m coming back with more pillows.” Piper threatens. Tristan grins and my sister gags. “Don’t begross. Now get up and get ready. Mom won’t let us leave until she knows y’all are at least in the process of getting dressed.”
I throw the comforter off me and roll out of bed. “See, I’m up. You two can leave now.”
“Fine, we’re going.” Piper holds her hands up in surrender. She mumbles something under her breath but I can’t hear it.
As soon as the door closes, I let out a breath. “I swear sometimes I wish I was an only child. There wouldn’t bet be all this pressure, and I wouldn’t have siblings barging into my room unannounced.”
“You don’t mean that.” Tristan gets out of bed and promptly makes it. I wonder why he didn’t pick up the bedding off the floor the other day, if he makes the bed like this. Maybe he didn’t want to wake me up. I don’t know. But I already see an incompatibility issue because I’m not big on making it normally.
“I don’t. I just wish they had some boundaries sometimes. They’ve always had a habit of just walking in. What if we’d been having sex?”
He stops what he’s doing, walks over to me and wraps me in his arms. “I promise you, they’d be able to hear and wouldn’t open the door.”
I jab my finger into his side and he flinches. “Don’t be a jerk. That’s what I have siblings for.”
“You’re right.” He holds me for a few more seconds before releasing me. “We should probably get ready before all of them attack.”
“It’d be the last thing they ever do.” I grin. “But,yeah, we shouldn’t keep them waiting. I’m gonna jump in the shower. If they come looking for me, tell them to chill.”
“Like they’d listen to me,” he mutters as I walk out of the bedroom.
My shower is quick. The last thing I want to do is make my family, and Tristan, wait longer than they need to. But I had to wash away last night’s partying. It doesn’t usually tire me out like that. But there was a ton of noise, and I need the time to decompress.
Parker is walking down the hall as soon as I open the bathroom door. “Please tell me you don’t have to blow-dry your hair and do your makeup. I’m starving.”
“Calm down.” I shoo him away. “I just need to get dressed and put my hair in braids. I’m not trying to impress anyone.
“Not even Tristan?” He raises an eyebrow.
“I don’t have to be all dolled up for him all the time. He likes me no matter how I look.” I smile and move past him toward my room.
“Clearly he hasn’t seen you after you’ve gotten drunk off your ass.”
“Pfft. As if that happens often.”
He taps his chin for a second, acting like he’s deep in thought. “I seem to remember New Year’s Eve a couple of years ago.”
“We do not speak of that night. If you want me get ready really fast, you’ll burn that night from your memories.”
“You know what? You’re right. It must have beensomeone else.” He continues down the hall. “Now hurry up.”
I guess I have to keep my word now. Little brothers are so annoying.
When Mom said we were coming to the botanical gardens, I assumed everything would be dead, or near dying. They have a lot flowers inside this arboretum area where they cold won’t get to them, and more of the native plants to the area outside.
It’s really pretty here. I wonder why we haven’t come before.
“Those are pretty,” Tristan points to a flower. “They look like the ones used in the bouquet for Dale.”
“Those are pincushions. Emily wanted to give his arrangement a little spark since it was for an engagement.” It’s pretty amazing I can recognize a lot of the flowers in here. My bosses would be proud of me. All their hard work training me is paying off.
“That’s actually pretty cool. Do y’all customize like that for all holiday bouquets?” He’s the first person outside of Parker and Piper who has asked me about my job. Even my parents haven’t shown much interest. Which is kind of sad when I think about it.
“Usually only if the customer orders specific flowers to be added. But, if we know the occasion, we’ll spruce it up. One of our customers gets their whole order customized for Valentine’s Day.”
“Why are they special?”
