Fallen Crest Family
Page 21
I closed my mouth.
Mason groaned.
Adam spoke up, "Huh?"
Logan twisted around, frowning. "Dude, what the hell are you doing here?"
Adam had drawn to his fullest height, but his frown turned into a glower. His eyes took on a mean glint as he clipped his head towards me in a nod. "I'm the one who brought her here. I'm the one who lied to her mother for you. So I'm thinking I have some goddamn right to hear what the hell is going on."
Logan's brows furrowed together as his lips puckered. "You what?" He twisted around to me. "He what?"
I sighed, moving away from Mason's shelter, and crossed my arms over my chest. My stomach was in knots, but maybe Adam had a point? I had a feeling I would need more of him before this month was over. "Maybe he should hear all of this?"
"No—" Logan started.
Mason finished, "NO!"
I drew in a deep breath. Both of them already looked infuriated, but then the door opened again. Nate strolled in with a case of beer. He started to shut the door, but a hand shot through and slapped it back. Two heads popped in, grinning with red cheeks and glazed eyes. They had the same hair, brown and wavy like Logan's, and each of them had similar dimples in both cheeks. Wait—they were mirror images of each other.
Mason groaned, "Not now, you guys."
One of them ignored him and strode inside. His hand was stretched out as he marched towards me. His mouth was set in place with determination and he stopped before me. "Will Leighton." He slapped a hand on his brother's shoulder, who had followed close behind. Both had wide smiles on their faces. "This here's my brother James."
"James?"
He giggled as Will's smile became blinding. "It's a family name. Don't hold it against him."
"The ladies call me Jamison. Works better on their panties. Gets 'em a lot wetter, don't know why. Only the cousins call me James still." The other brother stuck his hand out as well.
I looked at both of their hands, held steady and waiting.
"Well?" the first prompted. "Mason's being grouchy and I know he's two seconds away from punching me, but I'd rather shake your hand first. We've heard a lot about you—"
Jamison giggled again. "Not anything good. Our moms are sisters."
Will nudged him in the chest with his shoulder. He moved him back a step. "Don't mind, James. He takes up for our mom. Not me. I've got Logan's back. And he's got yours so if you need anything from me or idiot here, you don't hesitate a second."
"Okay." Mason started to step forward, but Jamison shot a hand out to stop him.
"No, no, cousin dear. We're going. We know this is family meeting time, though you know Logan will spill it all to us later."
Will barked out a laugh, following his brother to the door. "Yeah, over a case of Guinness and soggy trousers by the pool."
Logan frowned. "That was one time. You ass**les pushed me in. I couldn't take both of you."
Jamison threw an arm around his brother's shoulders. They turned so they were facing us and backed out of the room. "You were sniveling like a brokenhearted girl. And we have to take advantage every time Mase isn't with you."
Will shot his fist in the air. "And we'd do it again!"
"Out!" Mason strode to them, pushing them through the doorway before he slammed it shut.
There was a moment of silence before they knocked on the door and shouted, "Sniveling like a girl, Logan." The other howled in laughter. "Soggy trousers! Can't forget the soggy trousers."
Mason pounded on the door. "Leave!" Then he waited until the giggling faded.
Adam shook his head, perplexed. "Who the hell were those guys?"
"Idiots," Mason and Logan said at the same time.
Nate tossed a beer to both of them and popped open his own as he studied Adam with narrowed eyes. "They're cousins. What are you doing here?"
Adam drew in a deep breath. His shoulders lifted, his chest rose, and the tendons in his neck stretched. He was ready to explode, but I stepped forward. I held my hand out to stop any more interrogation. "He helped me out, okay? That's why he's here."
"Sam." Mason stepped closer to me. "Remember what he did to you."
Reality sunk in.
Adam snarled, "You're such a jerk. I'm trying to be her friend. I'm trying to—"
Mason had him against the wall in the next second. He growled at him, "I already told you what I'd do to you if you wouldn't stay away from her. Now you're trying this angle? Friendship?"
He struggled against his hold, but it didn't matter. With a cold mask over him, Mason looked lethal. He clipped out, "You turned her friends against her. I don't know what you've done to get her to forgive you, but it's not going to work. I won't let you screw her over again."
Nate and Logan wore similar expressions and as Adam looked around the room, the fight left him. He swallowed before his shoulders slumped down in defeat. Then he turned to me, but the damage was done.
I remembered. He had lied and pushed a friend away. He wanted to punish me because I wouldn't date him, and now after one afternoon where he apologized, I was ready to take him back into my world of friendship? I was nuts.
But he lied to my mom for me. He had the power to take back his words and my night would be blown. I swallowed painfully. He had the power to send Mason to jail. He couldn't do that. I couldn't let him do that. When I looked up and caught Mason's gaze, I knew he saw the fear on my face. I couldn't mask it. My hands started to tremble. I couldn't lose him.
Mason made the decision for all of us. "You're going to leave, Quinn. You're not going to say a word about any of this to anyone. If you want to try the friendship angle, fine. Help out. Be a pal to her. But if I get wind that you're working a different angle, I will follow through. Now, this is family only. We appreciate that you brought her here, but you're not welcome any further."
Logan grunted in agreement.
Adam gazed around the room with a soft plea. "Look, I care about her too. I won't do anything to hurt her."
Nate decided to speak up, "Yeah, well, you've hurt her enough. We all know it."
Shocked, I whipped my gaze to him. He had a serious look in his eye, threatening even as he stared Adam down. Then Adam stuffed his hands in his front pockets. His demeanor was submissive, but his next words lashed out in a snarl. "Family only? You got a screwed up family."
Mason groaned.
Adam spoke up, "Huh?"
Logan twisted around, frowning. "Dude, what the hell are you doing here?"
Adam had drawn to his fullest height, but his frown turned into a glower. His eyes took on a mean glint as he clipped his head towards me in a nod. "I'm the one who brought her here. I'm the one who lied to her mother for you. So I'm thinking I have some goddamn right to hear what the hell is going on."
Logan's brows furrowed together as his lips puckered. "You what?" He twisted around to me. "He what?"
I sighed, moving away from Mason's shelter, and crossed my arms over my chest. My stomach was in knots, but maybe Adam had a point? I had a feeling I would need more of him before this month was over. "Maybe he should hear all of this?"
"No—" Logan started.
Mason finished, "NO!"
I drew in a deep breath. Both of them already looked infuriated, but then the door opened again. Nate strolled in with a case of beer. He started to shut the door, but a hand shot through and slapped it back. Two heads popped in, grinning with red cheeks and glazed eyes. They had the same hair, brown and wavy like Logan's, and each of them had similar dimples in both cheeks. Wait—they were mirror images of each other.
Mason groaned, "Not now, you guys."
One of them ignored him and strode inside. His hand was stretched out as he marched towards me. His mouth was set in place with determination and he stopped before me. "Will Leighton." He slapped a hand on his brother's shoulder, who had followed close behind. Both had wide smiles on their faces. "This here's my brother James."
"James?"
He giggled as Will's smile became blinding. "It's a family name. Don't hold it against him."
"The ladies call me Jamison. Works better on their panties. Gets 'em a lot wetter, don't know why. Only the cousins call me James still." The other brother stuck his hand out as well.
I looked at both of their hands, held steady and waiting.
"Well?" the first prompted. "Mason's being grouchy and I know he's two seconds away from punching me, but I'd rather shake your hand first. We've heard a lot about you—"
Jamison giggled again. "Not anything good. Our moms are sisters."
Will nudged him in the chest with his shoulder. He moved him back a step. "Don't mind, James. He takes up for our mom. Not me. I've got Logan's back. And he's got yours so if you need anything from me or idiot here, you don't hesitate a second."
"Okay." Mason started to step forward, but Jamison shot a hand out to stop him.
"No, no, cousin dear. We're going. We know this is family meeting time, though you know Logan will spill it all to us later."
Will barked out a laugh, following his brother to the door. "Yeah, over a case of Guinness and soggy trousers by the pool."
Logan frowned. "That was one time. You ass**les pushed me in. I couldn't take both of you."
Jamison threw an arm around his brother's shoulders. They turned so they were facing us and backed out of the room. "You were sniveling like a brokenhearted girl. And we have to take advantage every time Mase isn't with you."
Will shot his fist in the air. "And we'd do it again!"
"Out!" Mason strode to them, pushing them through the doorway before he slammed it shut.
There was a moment of silence before they knocked on the door and shouted, "Sniveling like a girl, Logan." The other howled in laughter. "Soggy trousers! Can't forget the soggy trousers."
Mason pounded on the door. "Leave!" Then he waited until the giggling faded.
Adam shook his head, perplexed. "Who the hell were those guys?"
"Idiots," Mason and Logan said at the same time.
Nate tossed a beer to both of them and popped open his own as he studied Adam with narrowed eyes. "They're cousins. What are you doing here?"
Adam drew in a deep breath. His shoulders lifted, his chest rose, and the tendons in his neck stretched. He was ready to explode, but I stepped forward. I held my hand out to stop any more interrogation. "He helped me out, okay? That's why he's here."
"Sam." Mason stepped closer to me. "Remember what he did to you."
Reality sunk in.
Adam snarled, "You're such a jerk. I'm trying to be her friend. I'm trying to—"
Mason had him against the wall in the next second. He growled at him, "I already told you what I'd do to you if you wouldn't stay away from her. Now you're trying this angle? Friendship?"
He struggled against his hold, but it didn't matter. With a cold mask over him, Mason looked lethal. He clipped out, "You turned her friends against her. I don't know what you've done to get her to forgive you, but it's not going to work. I won't let you screw her over again."
Nate and Logan wore similar expressions and as Adam looked around the room, the fight left him. He swallowed before his shoulders slumped down in defeat. Then he turned to me, but the damage was done.
I remembered. He had lied and pushed a friend away. He wanted to punish me because I wouldn't date him, and now after one afternoon where he apologized, I was ready to take him back into my world of friendship? I was nuts.
But he lied to my mom for me. He had the power to take back his words and my night would be blown. I swallowed painfully. He had the power to send Mason to jail. He couldn't do that. I couldn't let him do that. When I looked up and caught Mason's gaze, I knew he saw the fear on my face. I couldn't mask it. My hands started to tremble. I couldn't lose him.
Mason made the decision for all of us. "You're going to leave, Quinn. You're not going to say a word about any of this to anyone. If you want to try the friendship angle, fine. Help out. Be a pal to her. But if I get wind that you're working a different angle, I will follow through. Now, this is family only. We appreciate that you brought her here, but you're not welcome any further."
Logan grunted in agreement.
Adam gazed around the room with a soft plea. "Look, I care about her too. I won't do anything to hurt her."
Nate decided to speak up, "Yeah, well, you've hurt her enough. We all know it."
Shocked, I whipped my gaze to him. He had a serious look in his eye, threatening even as he stared Adam down. Then Adam stuffed his hands in his front pockets. His demeanor was submissive, but his next words lashed out in a snarl. "Family only? You got a screwed up family."
