One Night Stand Part 6

"Xander's rich." I wasn't sure why I'd brought it up, but it seemed fitting in the moment.

"Lucky b.i.t.c.h."

"I'm not really a lucky b.i.t.c.h because he's not mine. Gabby's the lucky b.i.t.c.h."

"No." Alice said simply. "She's just a b.i.t.c.h."

"Alice."

"You know it's true." Her voice rose. "I know she's your sister and you love her and yada, yada, yada, but she's still a b.i.t.c.h, b, i, t, c, h, b, i, t, c, h, b, i, t, c, h and b.i.t.c.ho was her name-o."

"Alice." I giggled. "You're horrible."

"I know, it's the way I was born. My mom must have had me under a full moon or something."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So are you coming home tomorrow then?"

"No." I sighed. "My parents have some weekend activities planned for all of us."

"Boring."

"You know they love that s.h.i.t."

"Any of your brothers going to be there?" Alice asked innocently and I smiled to myself.

"Yes, all of them are going to be here. It's going to be a big family celebration. Me, Gabby, Scott, Chett, and Aiden. And then Xander and his brother Henry and the 'rents." I took a deep breath. "We're all going to be one big family."

"Sounds fun." Alice said wistfully, having grown up an only child to two parents that loved to jet set around the world.

"You know you totally have to come up tomorrow morning right and stay the weekend with me." I said softly, wanting her to know that I wanted her there, but not wanting her to think it was a last minute pity invite.

"No, I can't intrude. It's Gabby's big weekend."

"You have to come." I said quickly. "You'll stay in my room and be like my bodyguard. What if Xander tries to sleep with me again and my whole family walks in on us in the bedroom, playing Cowboys and Indians?"

"Oh my G.o.d, so you would say yes if he tried to hook up again."

"No." My face reddened at my slip. "I mean, yeah, maybe, I don't know. I know I'm evil personified to even think that could happen, but he's just so gosh darn s.e.xy."

"And you know they're not in love."

"Yeah." I sighed. "Not that that really excuses anything. If I slept with him again now, knowing what I know, I'd be a b.i.t.c.h. A big b.i.t.c.h. A bigger b.i.t.c.h than Gabby."

"That is true."

"Thanks Alice." I pouted into the phone.

"I'm sorry, but it's true. You can't sleep with your sister's baby daddy. That would just be plain wrong."

"I know."

"It would be worse than Jerry Springer wrong."

"Nothing's worse than Jerry Springer." I laughed at her comment, remembering why we were such good friends. We were on the exact same wavelength.

"True." She giggled. "So what time should I come tomorrow?" She asked casually.

"Well the brothers are all coming early and we're all going out for a pancake breakfast."

"I love pancakes." She said eagerly.

"So then come early."

"Are you sure?" She said, hesitant once again. "I don't want to impose on family time."

"Alice, you are family." I said softly. "You're my best friend and my parents look at you like a third daughter and my brothers look at you as another sister." s.h.i.t, why did I say they looked at her as a sister? I knew Alice had a crush on one of them, but I wasn't sure which one.

"Well, thanks, I guess." She sounded sad. "I'll be there at 9am."

"Great, I can't wait to see you."

"Now don't do anything I wouldn't do tonight."

"I'm not going to do anything." I said lightly and looked at my bedroom door. "I'm going to bed and I'm not leaving my room until you get here."

"You're silly."

"That's why you love me."

"I'm going to go and pack now. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay, bye Alice." I hung up and lay back down on my bed and groaned as I stared at the ceiling. Images of Xander popped into my mind as I lay there. Where was he right now? What was he thinking? Was he thinking about me? I rolled over and buried my head in my pillow. I needed to stop thinking about him or I was going to drive myself crazy. I sat up in bed and decided to leave my bedroom. I wasn't tired as yet and being in my bedroom was making me think of things I could do in my bed; naughty things that I shouldn't be thinking about. I decided to go down to grab a c.o.ke from the kitchen and then go into the backyard and rock in the rocking chair that my grandmother had given us when I was a kid. I loved the rocking chair, it made me think of my childhood and how happy I'd been rocking on my dad's leg, or even one of my big brothers, when they had time for me. I'd had a happy childhood, asides from the fact that my sister had driven me up the wall for most of my teenage years. I wasn't sure if we'd ever have the kind of relationship that Alice and I had and that made me sad.

"Turn around and I'll be the one you want to boom boom boom." I made up words to the catchy song that was playing on the radio as I swung on the rocking chair on the back porch of my parents' house. The night air was cool and I was grateful that it wasn't another humid balmy Florida night. "Take me away and we'll boom boom boom on the moon moon moon." I giggled as I sang along to some girl crying out about not having a candy pop or boyfriend. I felt that my lyrics were far superior to hers. "You'll boom boom boom before you com com com." I sang out and then screamed as I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Argh."

"Liv, it's just me." Xander's voice was smooth behind me as he spoke and my body tensed up immediately.

"Oh, h.e.l.lo." I turned around and offered him a weak smile, ignoring his eyes and his chest. I stared at a spot on his ear and focused on that.

"I didn't know you were a singer."

"Huh? What?" I said stupidly.

"Have you hit any charts?"

"Charts?"

"Billboard? International? iTunes?"

"What?" I was so confused that my eyes left his ear and found his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your singing career." He asked with a small smirk. "Have you hit any bestselling charts or won any Grammys or anything?"

"You're an a.s.shole." My eyes shot daggers into his as he tried not to laugh.

"It was an honest question. You did seem to be into that song you were making up." He grinned and I shook my head.

"Whatever." I couldn't stop myself from responding to his smile. "I know I can't carry a tune, but that doesn't mean I can't sing."

"I didn't say you should stop." He nodded in agreement. "It was quite pleasant to listen to."

"Sure it was." I laughed. "My brothers pay me to stop singing." I smiled at the memories. "In fact my brother Scott once gave me twenty dollars."

"Twenty dollars? Wow." Xander tilted his face. "He must really hate your singing."

"I think it was the song and the occasion." I giggled. "He was eighteen and had brought home his first proper girlfriend for Thanksgiving." I thought back to the holiday. "They were sitting out here talking about some cla.s.s they were taking and I came out and started singing, "Love is a truly splendid thing." I started laughing harder. "You should have seen the look on his face when I burst into the chorus and started throwing ripped up pieces of paper on them."

"Ripped up pieces of paper?" Xander asked with a look of surprise.

"I didn't have rose petals." I giggled and started rocking back and forth. "If looks could have killed, Scott would have committed murder that night. Instead he gave me $20, so I made out pretty well."

"See your singing career has been profitable."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." I sighed as I rocked back and forth. I could no longer see Xander, but I could still feel his presence behind me.

"Sounds like you were a troublesome child." He said lightly and I stopped rocking and looked back at him again. This time I didn't bother hiding my smile or laughter.

"It doesn't seem to have ended though, does it?" I raised an eyebrow at him and he looked back at me in surprise. I knew that he was shocked at my laughter and that I was able to laugh at the situation we were in, given how dramatic I'd been earlier, but really how could I not laugh.

"Are you okay?" He frowned at me and I could see him searching my face as I laughed harder. He most probably thought that I was crazy or having a melt-down. He wouldn't be far off of the mark.

"I'm fine. Why?" I said, finally calming down.

"I don't know, you just seemed like you were losing it."

"I'm fine. I just thought your comment was ironic; considering the mess we're in."

"I see." His lip twitched. "It is slightly unusual isn't it?"

"You can say that again." I laughed and his eyes fell to my lips and then back up to my eyes. His gaze was intense and searching and my breath caught as we stared at each other, the only sounds in the air were our breathing and a distant bird calling out to its lost mate.

"The baby isn't mine." He said simply as he gazed at me.

"What?" I frowned, my heart racing. Was he telling the truth?

"Your sister's baby. It's not mine." He looked away then. "I wasn't meant to tell you that."

"Why not?"

"It's complicated." He sighed and looked back at me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you that."

"Have you slept with Gabby?" I asked breathlessly. Please say no, please say no, please say no.

"Liv." He started to speak and the stopped himself. "I should go inside now."

"But you just came out." All of a sudden I didn't want him to leave. All of a sudden I wanted us to have this conversation. All of a sudden, I felt light-headed and giddy. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't so in the wrong after-all. Maybe I didn't need to be on an episode of Jerry. Maybe I wasn't a backstabbing b.i.t.c.h.

"Liv, does it matter?"

"It matters to me." I nodded and bit my lip.

"Then no, I haven't slept with Gabby." He said seriously. "But I expect that to change once we're married."

"You're still going to marry her?" My heart was jumping for joy, but my stomach was still in the pits.

"Why wouldn't I?" He frowned as he gazed at me.

"I don't know. Maybe a simple thing like you slept with me." My voice dropped as he looked at me, his expression not changing. Why was he making this so difficult? Why couldn't he just tell Gabby he made a mistake and then ask me out on a date? I'd be willing to forgive him the transgression of asking Gabby to marry him. He hadn't really known me then. But he knew who I was now. Why would he still want to marry Gabby? After we'd had such amazing chemistry together.

"So?" He said simply and then turned around. "Good night, Liv. Have sweet dreams, my dear."

I didn't answer him. My face was burning with embarra.s.sment and shame. "Try not to boom boom boom with too many moons." He said again with a light laugh and I sat back in the rocking chair and moved back and forth quickly, trying to forget our whole conversation.

Chapter Four.

"You didn't have to come at six am." I yawned as I opened the front door for Alice. "Scott, Chett and Aiden aren't home yet." I blinked at Alice as she beamed at me. "And why do you look so chipper and made up." I frowned and leaned towards her. "Are you wearing fake eyelashes?" I peered at her longer, thicker and blacker than normal lashes. "And hair extensions?" My jaw dropped open. "At six am?"

"Shh, I just wanted to look good." She blushed. "Go back to sleep."

"I think not." I headed towards the kitchen. "Let's have some coffee and talk?"

"Okay." She nodded and followed behind me. "Also, I came early to help you."

"To help me?" I looked back at her incredulously. "How is waking me up before the roosters helping me?"

"In case you were in bed with Xander, he could leave your room before Gabby woke up."

"Ugh, don't even." I made a face.