Page 14 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

Bobby followed him, still carrying his bag and the DVDs. “Can I stick the beer in the fridge?” He had already opened the door and set the six-pack inside. Tommy wondered why Bobby bothered to ask. “I brought some snacks and stuff too.”

Giving him a withering look, Tommy decided it wasn’t worth arguing. “Just set your stuff on the counter for now. You can pass out your treats after dinner, candy man.”

Grinning in response, Bobby did what he was told, but he came close to Tommy and leaned in. “The treats are for us.”

Something about the tone of Bobby’s voice made Tommy’s heart kick against his chest. His mouth went dry suddenly as he felt his cock stir in his jeans. All he could do was nod and try to pretend he wasn’t standing so close to Bobby he could feel heat coming off him. He turned away, opening the oven door and pulling out a pan of baked ravioli. He had to clear his throat with a small cough before he could speak. “Make yourself useful and set the table. Dinner’s in ten minutes.”

He couldn’t bring himself to look, but he was sure Bobby was grinning as he started to gather plates and forks.

Tommy was passing the salad down the line, telling Mike he was going to eat it or wear it, when the doorbell rang. All the kids looked like they were about to jump from their seats, but Tommy stood up first. “Eat your dinner,” he told them. “No need for all of us to come in and crowd him.”

Bobby was still cutting up the ravioli for Zoe on her high chair tray as Tommy walked past him. “Don’t scare him too bad,” Bobby whispered, a teasing look lighting up his face.

“There’s no such thing as scaring a guy too bad,” Tommy countered as he walked into the living room. As soon as he was over the threshold, he could hear chairs clattering and knew all of them were lining up to watch from around the corner. He couldn’t help but laugh.

When he opened the door, he found a tall, skinny kid in a suit at least a size too big for him.

“Uh, hi. Is Colleen here? I’m Wyatt.”

He stuck his hand out so fast Tommy nearly jumped back until he realized Wyatt was attempting a formal handshake. Tommy felt an urge to narrow his eyes, but he shook Wyatt’s hand.

“Like as in Earp?” Tommy asked without meaning to.

“As in my mother’s favorite uncle coupled with her severe lack of foresight,” Wyatt said with a nervous laugh. “I think by the time she had me, she’d forgotten what kids were like in school.”

Tommy stared at him for a few seconds before he stepped back and let Wyatt inside. “Colleen’s still getting ready.”

He watched as Wyatt shifted his weight restlessly from one foot to the other. He looked fidgety holding the clear plastic box with a flower in it. “Are you driving tonight?” Tommy didn’t like the idea of his sister in a car alone with a boy or out on the road with a guarantee of drunken teenagers driving around.

“Uh, no, sir. My, uh, dad’s friend’s brother has a limo service, and he gave us a really good deal for the night. Colleen and I are doubling with two of our friends, so….”

Tommy had to fight a smirk when Wyatt called him sir. There was something almost endearing about how hard he was trying. It didn’t stop Tommy from leaning in and whispering against Wyatt’s ear, “Here’s the thing. I’m sure you’ve heard the lectures about how to treat a girl and what to do and what not to do.” Tommy waited for a nod from Wyatt before going on. “The thing you gotta remember tonight, Wyatt, is that Colleen isn’t just any girl and we’re not just any family. You feel me?” Wyatt nodded again. “I know where you live, I know where you go to school, I know where you work. I even know your dog’s name. If you do anything to Colleen, you so much as look at her in a way she doesn’t like, I’ll make you hurt so bad your mother’ll feel it.”

“Tommy!”

Colleen glared at him from the foot of the stairs. He didn’t jump, but he did pull back to look at her.

“We were just….” He couldn’t finish his thought because his sister was standing there in a wispy, sheer little dress cut on an angle, high on one side and ending in a fluttery point at her other ankle. Her auburn hair was curled and done up with rhinestone clips, and tendrils were falling around her face. Every hair on her head, every eyelash, every fingernail was perfect. He didn’t even know she could look like that. “Jesus, Col, you look incredible.” She reminded him of a fairy out of one Max and Zoe’s storybooks.

Her expression changed from homicidal to flattered in less than a second. “Thanks, Tommy.”

Wyatt looked like he couldn’t breathe. “Hi, Colleen, you, um…. You look amazing.” He let out another nervous laugh. “I got you….” Rather than finish his sentence, Wyatt held up the box and started to open it. “I got you one of those wrist ones so it wouldn’t snag your dress or anything.”

He blushed furiously as he pulled the little floral spray out, his hands shaking. Tommy thought maybe Colleen would be all right tonight. Wyatt was the least threatening teenager he’d ever met. He thought Carrie could take him in a fight.

“It’s beautiful,” Colleen said as she took the last step. “I got you one too.”

Tommy hadn’t noticed she was holding a small box, a simple pink rose in it to match her dress and Wyatt’s tie.

Tommy took a step back and bumped into Bobby. “Jesus, copper, you’re a sneaky little bastard, you know that?”

Bobby didn’t pull back when Tommy brushed against him. Instead he laughed softly in Tommy’s ear and reached around to show his phone in his hand. “Thought you might want a couple pictures.”

It hadn’t even occurred to Tommy, and he felt like an idiot for it. “Thanks,” he muttered, stepping out of the way as Wyatt and Colleen fussed with their flowers and got into position. Bobby snapped a few shots with his phone. Before they finished, Tommy leaned close to Bobby and whispered, “Get one of just Colleen too.” Bobby nodded and adjusted his angle to crop Wyatt out of the last shot.

When they were done, Colleen reached for her shoulder wrap on the coat hook by the door. Tommy looked at Wyatt. “Remember what we talked about, all right?” Wyatt nodded and Tommy added, “I want her home by midnight.”

Colleen shot a glare at Tommy as she told Wyatt, “Don’t listen to him. I can come home whenever I want.”

---