Adrian once again followed in my footsteps. But she didn’t even have to say a word to Jaxson or Hunter. She just stood there, hands-on-hips, and smiled at the two of them. They both handed over their massive stuffed bears for her to hold, then each found a kid to give the rest of their tokens and tickets to. When she handed them back the bears to carry for her, she winked, and I grinned at her.
A bit more time and we might just turn all three of them into respectable members of society!
We did take pity on them, only forcing them to carry the stuffed animals until it was time for the beach party to start, and then we stowed them in the cars. As much fun as it would’ve been to make Wes carry the giant duck for the rest of the night, I didn’t want it to get covered in sand.
“What made you wanna come to the pier before the party?” I asked, leaning against Wes’s side as we walked down the beach. The sun was just starting to set, and we could already hear the music blasting in the distance. The vibrant reds and purples from the sun cast a gorgeous view, one that had me staying close to Wes and wishing we weren’t on our way to a crowded party.
This would’ve been the perfect time for a nice, romantic date. But, so far, Wes and I hadn’t spent much time alone outside of the house. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but I figured Wes was just trying to take things slow. I should’ve been thankful for that, but damn if I didn’t want to figure out exactly what was going on between the two of us.
Wes shrugged, but when I looked up at him, he let out a sigh and smiled. “Mom used to take us here when we were little kids. She always made Dad come along, too. It was one of the few things we always did all together as a family. She’d even take us to the arcade and make a contest out of it. She’d give all three of us the same amount of money, and whoever earned the most tickets at the end got to choose where we had dinner that night.”
“Let me guess you always won?” I teased.
“God, no!” Wes said with a bark of laughter, shaking his head. “Sebastian almost always had more than Chuck and me. Though I’m pretty sure Mom slipped him extra money whenever we weren’t looking. He was never that good at ski-ball.”
“You don’t sound upset about that, though.”
“Nah. Sebastian was the baby. All he had to do was smile up at Mom with his puppy dog eyes and he’d have her wrapped around his little finger. It used to annoy Chuck and me to no end, but we got over it as we got older. Besides, it was just nice to be able to spend time all together as a family. With Dad always working, getting to spend entire days together were rare.”
“You miss your mom.” It was a statement, not a question, but Wes nodded. I understood completely how he felt. I still missed mine every single day, and I doubted that would ever change. “Do you see her a lot?”
“Sometimes. She lives a couple of hour’s south in San Diego, so I try to go see her as often as I can. But with school and wrestling, and everything, it’s not nearly as often as I’d like.” Wes let out another sigh, staring off into the sunset. “She used to come up and visit us too, but that was before Kathy moved in. Mom and Dad still get along well enough, but Mom won’t come near the house if Kathy is there.”
“Is that why you don’t like her?” So far as I could tell, Sebastian was the only brother who didn’t hate his step-mother. Though she wasn’t technically their step-mother, I guess, since Lucas and her weren’t married.
“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of it. But she’s always rubbed me the wrong way like she’s just with Dad because of his money. Other than her being kinda hot, I can’t understand what he sees in her. She walks all over him like he’s her servant or something. And Christ, she spends more money on a single shopping trip than the rest of us spend in a month.”
I nodded, completely understanding how he felt. I’d seen it for myself, that first night I’d met her when she’d demanded Lucas make her food instead of just eating pizza with us. And God, if Wes knew she was screwing around behind his father’s back, he’d go ballistic. Part of me really wanted to tell him about it, but I was still worried about Sebastian. I didn’t want to out the kid and risk screwing things up for him.
“I’ve tried talking to Dad about her, but he just doesn’t want to see it or hear it. I think he’s still screwed up after him and Mom split and with us getting older and getting ready to start our own lives, he’s worried about being alone after we’re gone. But damn, there are plenty of other women out there, ones who aren’t gold digging bitches.”
I snorted, fighting down a smirk. “Is that what you guys were arguing about the other night?” Wes took a deep breath, and then nodded. “Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned since moving in, your father is just as stubborn as you are, Wes. If you keep badgering him about her, he’s just going to dig his heels in and stick his fingers in his ears.”
“Gee, is that what you think about me?” Wes teased, and I elbowed him in the ribs. “Yeah, okay. I guess you’re right. Maybe if I back off, he’ll figure it out on his own. I just hope it’s before she bleeds him dry.”
“Well, if she does spend up all of your inheritance, you can always mooch off Paisley. She’s got plenty of money, and I’m sure she’d just love to be your sugar mama.”
Wes groaned, and then playfully shoved me aside. When I shoved him back, Wes smirked. He lunged forward and grabbed me, dragging me down into the warm sand. The two of us ended up wrestling around for a minute or two, hands all over each other’s bodies. Wes wasn’t trying at all, but I was thoroughly enjoying letting him press his body against mine, letting his hands roam all over me, keenly remembering our night by the pool. It wasn’t until I heard Jaxon, Hunter, and Adrian cheering me on that I remembered we weren’t alone.
Face red, I broke away from Wes, the guys groaning now that their show was over. I turned and glared at them, and Adrian gave me a shy smile before herding her two meatheads away. Wes was still sitting in the sand, grinning at me, and I offered him a hand up, though I knew he didn’t need it.
“You know things are over between Paisley and me, right?” he asked as we continued walking toward the party. He had his arm around my waist again, keeping me pulled tight against his side. It was like he didn’t want to risk letting me wander away from him, not that I minded the close contact. “It was never anything serious between the two of us. She was just someone to keep busy with. It’s not like we were ever going to go off and get married or anything like that.”
“That’s not what she seemed to think. I’ve seen the way she’s been glaring at you now that you’re not hooking up with her in bathroom stalls or janitor’s closets or wherever the two of you went for quickies during school.”
“The storage closet in the band hall, I’ll have you know. Even at Forest Grove, the bathrooms are just way too gross for that. And you never know when the janitor might need a mop or some paper towels or something. The band’s storage closet is almost never used when there’s not a performance going in.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes, elbowing Wes in the ribs again. I really hadn’t needed to know that. Like, at all. I could’ve gone the entire rest of my life without knowing the details about where and when Wes and Paisley had hooked up.