Page 94 of The Dom with the Clever Tongue

“And that makes you the what?” Scarlet prompted.

Ugh. She sighed heavily. Malachi had turned her into a monster! She dug a toe into the carpet and thought through ways to get out of this.

Scarlet took a step closer. “You’re the what, Reece?”

Reece toyed with her lip then glanced at her girlfriend. She knew what she wanted her to say. That she was the bitch. Bratty ideas came and went then finally a finger pressed under her chin. Scarlet tilted Reece’s head and glared at her. Her patience was clearly dwindling.

Reece dropped to her knees then flung her arms around Scarlet’s waist. “I love you, Scarlet,” she gushed.

The long defeated sigh said Scarlet was giving in today. Gently, she stroked Reece’s hair. “I love you too, brat.”

Reece nudged Scarlet’s t-shirt up then kissed her belly. “You smell good,” she murmured against her soft skin.

“Let’s go or we’ll be la – ack! Reece!”

Reece blew a raspberry on her belly and Scarlet scrambled to put her shirt down. She giggled and looked up at Scarlet’s scowling face.

“You’re so weird,” Scarlet said, laughing. Then she grabbed Reece’s hand and pulled her up. “Ready to go?”

She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. Nervous flutters took off in her belly. She wasn’t afraid of her family rejecting them – they weren’t the type. She was more afraid they’d just ignore Scarlet. Or that Scarlet wouldn’t likethemfor some reason.

“Do we have to do this?” she asked.

Scarlet nodded. “Yes. And I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be the one reassuring me.” She exaggerated a glare. “Get your purse. I won’t make a good impression being late.”

After grabbing her purse from the bed, they headed out to Reece’s car. She drove since she knew the area better. The twenty-minute drive was silent except for the sound of the Top 40 hits radio station. Reece sang along softly, making Scarlet shake her head.

As she made the familiar turns, getting closer to the house she’d grown up in, it occurred to her she’d never told Scarlet much about it. Feeling embarrassed about her upbringing and where her father still lived, made her feel like the shittiest daughter ever. It wasn’t her dad’s fault he’d been handed a crappy hand of cards.

It wasn’t like Scarlet to judge a person by where they lived or grew up or what kind of family they came from anyway. Still, as they pulled up to the small shack across from the fishing port, she gave Scarlet an apologetic smile.

Scarlet looked a little surprised at their surroundings but covered it quickly.“Is this where you grew up?”

“We didn’t have a car for a while so...” She shrugged, a little self conscious. “This is where he worked.”

“Ah.” Scarlet nodded. “He just walked to work. Well that’s efficient. Better for the environment too.”

Reece laughed. Leave it to Scarlet to find something good in the situation. She parked on the street just behind her brother’s car, since there was no driveway. The small house looked the same as it always had – lonely and about to fall apart, though she could see signs of where her dad had tried to fix it up. Patches on the roof. A new front door – the last time she was there, the old one had been falling off the hinges. As they walked up the front path, she spotted an overgrown garden to the right. She chuckled to herself. Years ago that’d been his attempt at a motherly influence. It hadn’t been funny then but now she had to laugh at his idea of what mothers do. Gardening? If that was it, she’d make a crappy mom because she had no intention of digging in the dirt as a pastime with her kids.

At the door, she grasped Scarlet’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “Talk about tools and other...manly stuff and they’ll love you,” she whispered.

Scarlet chuckled. “They’ll approve of your girlfriend if she’s butch?”

Reece shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

The door opened and her brother stood on the other side of the screen. She hadn’t seen him since Christmas. Shame filled her. She was a sucky family member.

“Hey, Reece’s Pieces!”

She scowled at the nickname. If he started delivering noogies and tried to lock her in the closet, she was going to kick him in the balls.

“Shut up, Max.”

He laughed and opened the door for them. When she walked through, he pulled her into a big bear hug. After he stepped back, she looked him over. He was still sporting a shaggy beard and long brown hair. Why hadn’t Lisa cleaned him up yet?

“Seriously, Max?” She arched a brow at his ensemble. “Flannel even in the summer?”

“We can’t all be fancy designers like you, Paris Hilton.”

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