A wide smile spread across Jamie’s face in response to my words, and I could tell he was thanking the gods above that his best friend was such a good bullshitter. His mom’s face softened a bit with my words as well. “That’s nice to hear. Although, I must admit that I don’t like the thought of you two sharing a bed until you are truly committed to each other either.” She looked down at my hand, as if she was searching for something. “And I still don’t see a ring there.” She looked back up at me and lifted both eyebrows. This woman was relentless. I was quickly realizing why Jamie was so worried about coming out.
“Oh, Mrs. Miller, you don’t need to worry about that. The thought of sharing a bed with your son honestly makes me sick. We each have our own bedroom at our apartment. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I squeezed Jamie’s hand and he smirked at me in a way that told me he was trying not to laugh.
Mrs. Miller’s face lit up and she reached out to grab my hand, shaking her head slightly. “I need to apologize to you. I misjudged you. I think you will make an excellent addition to this family once my son finally gets up the nerve to ask.” She released my hand and chuckled. “I’m also relieved. I thought it was going to be a fight when I told you that you were sharing a room with Charlotte while you’re here.”
Charlotte? As in Charlie? As in Jamie’s bombshell of a twin sister?
“What?” Jamie and I responded at the same time.
“Yeah. What?” a third voice piped in, as Charlie walked into the hallway.
I looked over at Charlie, hoping that she had somehow become less attractive in the five minutes since I had seen her last, so maybe sharing a room wouldn’t be such sweet torture. I had no such luck though and realized that she was even more attractive than I had previously noticed. Great. “I wouldn’t want to impose,” I answered, trying to think on my feet. “Five weeks is a long time to make Charlie share her room, especially when she just got back home. I’d be happy to sleep on the couch.”
Mrs. Miller laughed way too loudly at my suggestion. “That’s just silly. I’m not making our guest sleep on the couch. Charlotte would be happy to share her room with you. Wouldn’t you, Charlotte?”
Charlie visibly cringed at her mother’s words, although I wasn’t sure if she was cringing at the fact that she might be forced to share a room with me or that her mom insisted on referring to her as Charlotte when she clearly preferred Charlie. “I’m more than happy to share,” she answered a bit too enthusiastically, leading me to believe that it was a lie. “But I’m also fine with sleeping on the couch, so Reagan can have her own space.”
“Or I could sleep on the couch,” Jamie suggested. “I am the man here. The women should be comfortable.”
Mrs. Miller waved her hand at us. “Don’t be silly. Nobody is sleeping on the couch. Plus, I figured you girls would enjoy sharing a room. It will give you the chance to get to know each other. After all, it’s only a matter of time before you’re sisters-in-law.”
“You’re right, Mom. That’s a great idea,” Charlie conceded.
Mrs. Miller clapped her hands together. “Perfect. Charlotte, show Reagan up to your room and, James, for the love of God, please carry Reagan’s bags. I thought I taught you to be a gentleman.”
Before I could argue, Jamie grabbed my bags out of my hands, leaving his own sitting in the hallway. We followed Charlie up the stairs then down the hallway, to the farthest bedroom. As soon as we were inside, Jamie dropped my bags onto the floor. “I’m going to go grab my stuff. Will you be okay if I leave you for a few minutes?”
I didn’t have a chance to respond, because Charlie stepped up beside me and placed an arm over my shoulder. This simple contact sent a shiver down my spine that I was hoping she didn’t notice. “She’ll be fine. Mom was right. I need to bond with my future sis.” I tried my best not to grimace at her words. The type of bonding I wanted to do with this girl was anything but sisterly.
Once Jamie left the room, Charlie let her arm drop, and I used this opportunity to slip away from her and take a look around the room. The walls were a blush pink color, which matched the flowers on the mattress of her queen-sized bed. A large bookshelf stretched most of the length of one wall and was filled with a mixture of textbooks and cheerleading trophies.
“So, how long have you been dating my brother?” I jumped at the sound of Charlie’s voice behind me.
I froze for a moment, realizing that Jamie and I hadn’t talked about the “story” behind our relationship. I decided it was probably for the best to be as honest as possible, to assure that I didn’t confuse anything. “I met Jamie during our freshman year at NYU. We had a gen-ed math class together.” I thought about the timeline that Jamie had told me and quickly added, “We were friends for a while though. We didn’t officially start dating until our junior year.”
A smile bloomed across Charlie’s face. “Making him wait. I like that.” And I like that smile. I mentally slapped myself for having these thoughts. Chill out, Reagan.
Our conversation was cut short by Mrs. Miller calling for us to come down to the kitchen. When we got to the stairs, a small white-haired woman who looked to be well over eighty was slowly making her way down. “Let me help you, Nana,” Charlie suggested, while reaching out to take her arm.
The old woman swatted her away. “I’m not dead yet. I can walk myself.”
Charlie quickly let go, then turned back to smirk at me. She lifted one eyebrow, and I started to wonder if everything she did was ridiculously sexy.
After an excruciatingly slow walk to the kitchen behind Nana, Jamie came up beside me and placed one hand on the small of my back. “Nana, this is my girlfriend, Reagan. Reagan, this is Nana.”
“It’s very nice to meet you.” I reached my hand out, but instead of taking it, Nana looked me up and down, then back toward Jamie.
“Huh,” she muttered. “I thought you made her up.”
Jamie initially tensed up at her words, but once everyone else in the room started to laugh, I felt him relax again. The laughter was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.
“Charlotte, could you get that? It should be Mary Beth.”
“Mary Beth? Why is she coming?” Charlie asked, without budging.
Mrs. Miller turned and gave her a pointed look. “Because I invited her. I saw her at the store today, and she was surprised to hear that both you and your brother were home. She’s a family friend. I thought she was one of your best friends.”
Charlie looked over at Jamie and then back at her mom. “I mean, sure she is. But I just think it’s awkward that you would invite Jamie’s ex-girlfriend over on the first night that Reagan is here.”
“Calm down,” Mrs. Miller laughed. “That was high school.”
Before Charlie could say anything else, a voice yelled in from the hallway, “Knock knock. Anyone home?”
“In the kitchen, Mary Beth,” Mrs. Miller yelled, before giving her daughter a look that said she was unhappy their guest had to let herself in.
Within a few seconds, a girl with shoulder-length brown hair, tight muscles, and a deep tan entered the room. She was pretty, if you were into that sort of look. I noticed how she gave me a once over before turning her attention to the rest of the room. “It’s so nice to see all of you,” she spoke sweetly. Her eyes landed on Charlie, leading me to believe that she was trying to avoid eye contact with Jamie. Wow. Time to move on, sweetheart. You’re barking up the wrong tree.