“Alice.”
“You know it’s true.” Her voice rose. “I know she’s your sister, and you love her, and yada, yada, yada, but she’s still a bitch. B-I-T-C-H, B-I-T-C-H, B-I-T-C-H, and bitcho was her name-O.”
“Alice.” I giggled. “You’re horrible.”
“I know; it’s the way I was born. My mom must have had me under a full moon or something.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“So, are you coming home tomorrow then?”
“No.” I sighed. “My parents have some weekend activities planned for all of us.”
“Boring.”
“You know they love that shit.”
“Any of your brothers going to be there?” Alice asked innocently, and I smiled to myself.
“Yes, all of them are going to be here. It’s going to be a big family celebration. Me, Gabby, Scott, Chett, Aiden, and the ’rents. And then Xander and his brother, Henry.” I took a deep breath. “We’re all going to be one big family.” Sarcasm drips from my tongue and I cannot believe that this is my life. It’s like a bad dream.
“Sounds fun,” Alice said wistfully, having grown up as an only child to two parents who loved to jet-set around the world.
“You know you totally have to come up tomorrow morning and stay the weekend with me, right?” I said softly, wanting her to know that I wanted her there, but not wanting her to think it was a last-minute pity invite.
“No, I can’t intrude. It’s Gabby’s big weekend.”
“You have to come,” I said quickly. “You’ll stay in my room and be, like, my bodyguard. What if Xander tries to sleep with me again and my whole family walks in on us in the bedroom, playing Cowboys and Indians?”
“Oh my God, so you would say yes if he tried to hook up with you again?”
“No.” My face reddened at my slip. “I mean, yeah—maybe—I don’t know. I know I’m evil personified to even think that could happen, but he’s just so gosh-darn sexy.”
“And you know they’re not in love.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Not that that really excuses anything. If I slept with him again now, knowing what I know, I’d be a bitch. A big bitch. A bigger bitch than Gabby.”
“That is true.”
“Thanks, Alice.” I pouted into the phone.
“I’m sorry, but it’s true. You can’t sleep with your sister’s baby daddy. That would just be plain wrong.”
“I know.”
“It would be worse thanJerry Springerwrong.”
“Nothing’s worse thanJerry Springer.” I laughed at her comment, remembering why we were such good friends. We were on the exact same wavelength.
“True.” She giggled. “So, what time should I come tomorrow?” she asked casually.
“Well, the brothers are all coming early, and we’re all going out for a pancake breakfast.”
“I love pancakes,” she said eagerly.
“So then, come early.”
“Are you sure?” she said, hesitant once again. “I don’t want to impose on family time.”
