Page 9 of Addicted to You
Britt and Cash were already in the dining room when I rounded the corner. My sister was showing Cash something on her phone, and then he laughed and gave her a quick kiss.
Britt glanced up at me. “Finally decided to join us, I see,” she teased.
“It’s not even nine.” I rolled my eyes. “Give me a break.”
Cash chuckled, but before he could chime in, Mom entered with a platter of pancakes, followed by Dad carrying the bacon and eggs.
“Everything looks delicious, Melissa,” Cash noted as we began passing the food around.
“Pancakes with sprinkles were always Britt and Silas’s favorite.” Mom added a spoonful of eggs to her plate. “There’s just some things you never outgrow.”
She was right.
Breakfast passed in a blur of conversation and laughter. Britt shared stories about her last year of residency, and I glanced at Cash as he gazed at my sister with admiration in his blue eyes. Judging by that look alone, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to move to Boston with Britt. Even though I didn’t have much experience with actual relationships, it seemed as though they had a good thing going on.
My parents clearly liked him too. Dad leaned back in his chair, listening intently as Cash talked about his job and living in Texas, while Mom beamed every time he said somethingnice about Britt.
When we finished eating, my mom wiped her hands on a napkin and declared, “All right, it’s time for presents! We can take care of the dishes later.”
Britt’s face lit up, and she grabbed Cash’s arm, dragging him into the living room while Dad and I followed. I sank into the couch as Britt began passing gifts around.
Mom unwrapped my gift first. “Oh, I love it.” She beamed as she pulled out the perfume I’d bought. She’d always said it was her favorite scent, but far too expensive to spend her money on.
Dad went next and couldn’t hide his smile when he opened a gift bag from me filled with Bruins’ merch and tickets to a game. “I haven’t been to a hockey game in years. Thank you.”
My sister had been harder to buy for and after searching the mall, I’d opted to get her gift cards to all her favorite stores. “Looks like I’m going on a shopping spree when I move back.” She chuckled. “Thanks, Si.”
Soon the floor was covered in opened boxes and wrapping paper.
“I think that’s everything,” Mom announced as Dad shook open a garbage bag.
“Actually, Melissa, there’s one more back in the corner.” Cash stood to grab the small bag and handed it to Britt.
She lifted a brow. “What’s this? I thought we were going to open our gifts to each other when we got back to Houston?”
He shook his head and grinned. “Just open it.”
She pulled out a small jewelry box and lifted the lid. “Oh my gosh. How‘d you know I wanted these?”
“I saw you looking at them two nights ago. That’s the real reason I went to the mall with your brother.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “Thank you. I love them.”
Once we cleaned up the mess, we settled in to watch a Christmas movie and relax for a bit. It was in that moment, I realized no matter how much I enjoyed my life in LA, there was something I liked about the quiet time at home with my family as well.
The music blaringfrom the speakers was loud enough to rattle the windows of the large house. The Silenced Misfits were known to throw epic parties, and judging by the size of the crowd, it seemed a lot of people had learned about their reputation.
I stood in the corner of the kitchen, sipping a beer, talking to a group of guys who claimed to be Surrender’s biggest fans when Elliott walked in. He spotted me immediately, weaving through the partygoers to join me.
“Hey, man.” He looked at the beer in my hand. “Keeping it chill tonight?”
I smirked. “Nah. This is just a warm-up.”
He barked out a laugh and poured some beer into a red cup. “Can you believe we used to hang with these guys when no one had heard of either of our bands?”
“Time flies. They’ve sure stepped it up since we left for LA.” I nodded at the people dancing and singing along to The Silenced Misfits’ music.
Elliott was mid-sip when his gaze landed on the doorway. His expression darkened immediately. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” he muttered.
