Page 24 of Coming Home

I lightly knock on the door and shift from foot to foot. The dew on the blue painted door glistens in the pale sunshine. It has the makings of a beautiful early fall day.

Several seconds later, the deadbolt snaps, and the door swings open. Lillian beams brightly with her curly red hair pulled high on her head. Her jeans and canary yellow t-shirt show off her well-maintained physique. “Morning, Sis. About time you showed up.”

“I tried.” I lug the suitcase inside and sigh loudly. The living room is warm and cheery. Along the walls are displays of family photos, and the leather sofa and chairs are intimately clustered together to give out that homey feel.

The tension in my shoulder’s eases for the first time since walking out on Trey.

“’A’ for effort. ‘S’ for stupidity.” She points to the space by the couch. “Drop your stuff there for now. I’ll make up the guest room.” She eyes me and tilts out her chin. “You look like you could use some coffee.”

“God, yes.” I shudder and follow behind her to the kitchen. The aroma of coffee, bacon, and eggs fills the space. As my gaze lands on the stovetop, my mouth waters. The fluffy eggs and crispy pieces of bacon mock me.

“Hungry?” Lillian moves to the coffee pot and pours me a mug of coffee.

“Starving.” After she hands me the delicious brew, I inhale the fragrance and sip a small mouthful of the drink to keep from burning my mouth. Heaven.

“What happened?” She collects a plate and fills it with food.

“He was an ass as usual, so I left last night.”

She jerks around to face me. “Where did you go? Don’t tell me you slept in the car.”

“No.” My face fills with heat. The brown tile floor is impeccably clean. How does she keep the white grout so tidy?

Her eyes narrow into little lines as if she’s thinking about shaking me, and then, she rolls her neck. The popping sound kind of freaks me out. Her poor kids don’t stand a chance. “Do. Not. Change. The. Subject.”

“Fine.” I press my lips together and wave my hands in the air. “I went to the bar to hide out. Not to get drunk. I saw Trey, and we slept together.”

“Whoa. Hold the phone and slow that shit down.” She drops the plate in front of me, and the eggs bounce into the air.

“Hey.” I glare at her. “I’m hungry. Don’t ruin my food.”

“And, I’m nosey here.” She grabs my upper arms and gently shakes me. “Give. Me. All. The. Dirt.” Her eyes glow as a smile curves up to her cheeks. “I know he’s hot with clothes on. How does naked Trey look after all these years?”

Colton Slater, my sister’s husband, ambles into the room with his thumbs hooked into his belt loops. “Who’s hot?”

“Dear, you’re hot, but I’m getting the scoop here. Natalie did the horizontal tango with Trey last night.”

“I see.” He walks into the room, grabs a piece of bacon, and pops it into his mouth. Once he swallows, he moans. “Delicious.”

“Thank you.” She winks at him.

They both turn and watch me as if they can read my mind.

“Fine.” I shrug and feel intense heat flood my chest and across my face. “It was good.”

“Good? Pft.” She rolls her eyes. “Deets. Oral? Anal? Missionary?”

“Oh, gross. I’m not telling you that.” I push my chair back. F

uck. I’m hungry. I scoot the chair back under the table. I’m not leaving without eating.

“Reverse Cowgirl? Yourself on The Shelf? The Little Dipper? The Hot Seat?” Colton’s eyes widen with each term as if he’s waiting to hit on one that will stick.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. We had oral sex and did The Cowgirl position. Does that make you happy?”

“Very happy.” My sister crosses her arms. “The real question is. Did it make you happy?”

I stab my fork into my eggs and lift the utensil to my mouth. “Yes, it made me happy. But I left.”

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