“You must be Erin! I’m Sharon. It’s so nice to meet you!”
Erin’s face is covered with excitement as her arms fly open. She launches herself into my mom’s arms with an alarming force that causes her to take a step back. “I’m so excited to meet you!” Erin cries, holding my mom in a hug longer than normal acceptability usually allows.
I watch my mom’s hands pat her on the back a few times, the universal sign of the hug being over and it being time to release, but Erin remains clutched to her for another long moment.
“Why don’t we go inside?” Mom offers.
I don’t retrieve bags from the truck. We’re not staying the night. We’ll be here long enough to spend some time with my mom and family and then head back to San Diego. A few hours will be more than enough.
“I’m so sorry, what’s your name again? I keep wanting to call you something else, but I know you’re not her.”
I turn to glare at Sarah, who’s smiling sweetly at Erin. Thankfully, Erin’s oblivious to the insinuations she’s been dealt all night.
Sarah’s eyes dart to mine as I keep my glare focused on her, and she raises her eyebrows with a challenge. I don’t know if she’s daring me to get pissed or to object.
“Erin,” she answers as her eyes scan over the table filled with food, “with an E.”
I divert my attention, feeling Sarah staring at me, and hear Hank’s soft laughter.
“How’s school going?” Mom asks.
“Jack, don’t you throw that!” Sarah warns as Jack holds a roll in his hand, ready to launch it at his younger brother, Henniger.
He looks at her with a deflated smirk and drops the roll to his plate.
“Good, busy,” I reply.
“He goes to class a lot,” Erin adds. I don’t go to more than half of my classes, though I often use the excuse of class to get some time away from her.
“He wants to be a surgeon,” Molly says, grasping a spoon filled with mashed potatoes from her son, Joel.
“I know!” Erin’s hand runs across my thigh, snaking up toward my waist.
“And how’s Jameson and Landon?” My mom’s voice is sincere, her eyes warm. She was disappointed when she learned they had both made other plans for the holiday. I’m sure it was to avoid spending the day with me. They both love my mom and would likely have been willing to sit through this meal, even though she can’t cook worth shit.
I feel Erin’s hand clasp around me, making me involuntarily jerk forward and knock my plate into my water glass.
“Good. Landon’s still working with Homeland Security and really likes it,” I manage to choke out, while grabbing Erin’s hand to redirect it. I press my knees together, trying to not grit my teeth as I continue. “Jameson’s been working at an office with an apprenticeship and is already considering going back to school.” Her hand evades mine and grips onto me again like a vise.
Hank laughs and my eyes snap to him as I work to wrestle Erin’s hand away from me, fearing he knows what she’s doing.
“Tell him to give it some time. He’ll be fine.” Hank also studied economics at school and has shared his struggles with getting acquainted with the industry.
“So, Erin, what is it that you do?” my mom asks, scooping up a bite of turkey. Her eyes briefly dance to Erin, but never remain on her for long. It’s a reaction I’m not used to ever having seen from her.
“Nothing right now,” Erin answers, finally dropping her hand after I bat it away again. “I’m working to become a personal trainer. Fitness is really important to me.”
“Really, that’s great!” my mom remarks with too much enthusiasm as her eyes take another fleeting trip Erin’s direction. “Are you from San Diego?”
“No, I’m from the bay area. My parents still live up there.”
“What brought you to San Diego?” Sarah prompts.
“Well, I’d gone to LA to do modeling. I wanted to be an actor and things didn’t really work out.”
“An actor?” I hear the note of surprise in Sarah’s voice, and smirk. “What kind of acting?”
“Well, I did a couple of adult films, but they have these crazy contracts and I wasn’t willing to go through with some of the things they wanted me to do.”
I hear a couple of them choke on their drinks and food, and stare at my pile of green beans that I haven’t touched because they weren’t even lukewarm when they came out of the oven. I wish I could be anywhere but here at this moment. How in the fuck did I not know she’d been in adult films? I’m never going to live this moment down.
“What’s an adult film? Is that like The Avengers?” Hunter asks, and I hear Billy choke on his food from beside me.
“Yes,” Sarah and my mom reply instantly in unison.
After dinner, Sarah, Erin, and my mom sit in the living room while Molly goes out to smoke and my brothers and I clear the table and get things put away. I feel nervous to be so far from their conversation, fearing what other ammunition she’s going to provide Sarah with.
“Worried?” Billy teases as he cuts another piece of pie sitting at the end of the bar as I wash a platter. I watch as he scoops it onto his plate and then runs his finger through the whipped cream, popping it in his mouth with a satisfied smack.
I situate the platter in the cupboard above the plates and grab the pan the potatoes had been boiled in, so I can soak it. “Why would I be worried?”
“A porn star? How in the hell did you not know she was a porn star?” Hank interrupts, bringing in the last of the dishes from the table and making Billy cackle. “Sarah’s going to have my balls for that one!”
“The boys didn’t have any idea what she was talking about,” I retort.
“He didn’t know it either! Didn’t you see the shock on his face?” Billy sounds way too amused and it makes me want to throw the measuring cup I’m rinsing at his fat head.
“Yeah, I saw the shock. That’s why I asked how in the hell he didn’t know!”
“It’s not a big deal,” I reply nonchalantly, moving my gaze to be level with Hank’s to demonstrate that I don’t care.
“Yes, it’s a big deal! You brought a fucking porn star home for Thanksgiving!”
“I don’t know that you can classify her as a star. She said she only made a couple of films,” Billy objects.
Hank’s eyes cut to him, wiping the smile from his face. His eyes return to mine, still narrowed. “Look, dude, I know this has been a rough year for you, but don’t go jumping into bed with a porn star just because shit sucks. Otherwise, it’s going to suck a whole hell of a lot more.”
Hank stomps out of the room. I wait for Billy to make another joke about the situation, or ask for her last name so he can look her up, because he totally will.
“I personally don’t look at the profession of adult movie actors with disgust like our godly brother Hank. Granted, there’s no way I’d be okay with my woman screwing other men …” His words trail off as he silently thinks about it, and I thank God I can’t hear his thoughts. “Anyways,” he says, shaking his head, “it’s not just that she was in some adult movies. It’s obvious you aren’t interested in her, and it’s pretty obvious she’s a little too interested in you wanting to be a doctor. You’re better than this, kid.” He stands up and grabs his plate of pie and leaves me with a sink full of dirty dishes and his first piece of brotherly advice he’s ever bestowed upon me.
“You’re starting to keep flashcards to remind you of your boyfriend? Is there one with my name too?” Kendall teased from her seat on the couch.
Your pen stopped from where you were scribbling something on a note card, and you looked up from the textbook you’d spent most of the day buried in to the mess of flashcards spilled across the floor. A smile covered your face as you reached out to grab a card that was half covered.
“No, these are for my anatomy class. It’s all of the muscles and facts about them that I need to memorize. This one’s the gluteus maximus,” you explained. “Did you know that the gluteus maximus is the muscle in our bodies that allows us to walk upright?”
“Maybe that’s why you’re such an ass man. Your name’s in the word,” Jameson teased.
“I think it explains why he can be such an ass,” Wes fired.
This adorable grin covered your face and then grew into a laugh. You finally closed the textbook, and began gathering the mess of cards and highlighters before stretching.
“Come on, Maximus, let’s go to bed.”
My body whipped around. Your surprise turned into a giggle that I’m pretty sure was induced from too many hours of being so deep in thought. I stood up, and you backed up a few paces, shaking your head. “No. Don’t even think about it,” you warned.
It was too late, and you knew it. You sprinted down the hallway with me on your heels.
“I have socks on! This isn’t fair!”
I was gaining on you, and you knew it. I was thankful for the socks because I’m pretty fast, but you can shoot off like a damn bullet. Those socks leveled the playing field.
I heard the others whoop at us as we made another lap around the house, and I waved my arm, trying to get one of them to stand up and cut you off.
Before we reached them, your foot slid as you raced through the kitchen, allotting me just enough time to catch up to you and haul you over my shoulder, eliciting a stream of giggles and pleas as I stopped to catch my breath.
“I think someone’s going to get some gluteus maximus,” Kendall said as she walked past us, slapping you on the ass as she did.
I patted your ass a few times as I carried you up the stairs in a fireman hold.
Once in the confines of my room, I set you down on the bed and watched you shake your head at me. “You are a maximus!” you exclaimed, pulling your socks off and flinging them at the wall.
I grinned and took my shirt off, tossing it in the same direction of your discarded socks. “But I’m your maximus,” I said, grabbing your left hand in mine and turning it so I could see your tattoo: the word ‘his’ etched across it in my handwriting. I placed it to my mouth and slowly licked it.
My eyes moved from your hand to your face and I saw the anticipation dancing in your eyes. “Always,” you whispered, readjusting so that you sat on your knees.
You lied to me Ace.
You fucking lied to me.