Chapter Thirteen

Thanksgiving In Milwaukee

Wednesday November 23

"I saw Kristen leaving as I got to your apartment this afternoon." One look at her red-rimmed eyes and blotchy cheeks was all Will needed to know all was not well in Becca and Kristen's world. He hadn't asked questions, but instead gave her a hug.

"Good for you." Becca didn't glance in his direction but kept her attention on the road ahead.

"Becca… she was upset."

She set her jaw. "Change the subject," she said in a low, firm voice.

"Uh-uh. I like Kristen. She's funny, sweet, and she loves you beyond reason, which makes her both a saint and a masochist."

Becca jerked her head toward him and glared. "Hey!"

Will pointed to the windshield. "Eyes front, please."

Becca grumbled but did as instructed. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a nice person."

He chuckled. "Don't give me that butter wouldn't melt act." He twisted in the passenger seat to stare at her. "Deny you can be a total bi—"

"Don't say the B-word," she said with a growl. "And if you must pry, we… we had a talk last night. She told me to tell Mom and Dad the truth."

"It seems Kristen and I are in agreement, then."

Becca let out a noise of pure exasperation. "Great. Gang up on me, why don't you? Now all we need is for Aiden to find out and it'll be three for three." She darted a glance at him. "He still doesn't know, right?"

"No, he doesn't," Will confirmed. He'd hated lying to Aiden, and the longer this fiasco dragged on, the worse it was going to be when Aiden finally learned the truth.

Three days of thinking of ways to extricate himself from this mess.

Three days of coming up with no solutions but a whole lotta guilt.

"You've been avoiding me."

Will blinked. "I don't know what you mean."

Becca never was slow on the uptake.

"Bullshit. You slept the whole way home Sunday. I turned the music up loud and even that didn't wake you."

"You did what?" Who does that?

She ignored him. "And when we got back, you went straight to your apartment. That was the last I saw of you until two hours ago."

"I have exams coming up—in three weeks' time, to be exact—and so do you."

That observation sailed right over Becca's head too.

"But back to Aiden. What went on between you two?"

Nothing. Unfortunately. How could anything go on when he thinks I'm his sister's straight fiancé?

Will was struggling not to resent Becca landing him in this pile of crap, and fuck, it was hard work. Another reason why he'd avoided her all week.

"What are you talking about?"

Becca tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "He hugged you. Aiden isn't a hugger, but he hugged you . So yeah, I'm asking—what happened?"

"We talked. All night—literally. Which is why I was dead to the world, by the way. Oh, and we drank a couple of beers."

That earned him another head jerk. " You drink beer ?"

He snorted. "And you call yourself my bestie? Yes, I drink beer."

Becca laughed. "Now, if you'd said you talked about beer, that I could believe."

Maybe Becca knew him better than Will had imagined.

"By the way, I didn't notice any scratches. I guess he kept Midnight locked up. Either that, or Midnight knew another nerd when he saw one, and you made a new friend."

"He's a nice kitty. Obviously a much maligned one. And with good taste in humans."

"Well, here's a word of advice. Don't get too friendly with Midnight's human. Because once we break up, your name is gonna be mud."

" My name? Don't you mean our names?"

"Not if we go with the original plan, and you call off the wedding."

"Oh, so I get to be the bad guy? Gee, thanks, Becca."

Silence fell, and Will was in no mood to fill it with conversation.

Then Becca sighed. "I couldn't do that to you. The whole point about calling off the wedding is so that I can eventually tell them the truth—tell them about Kristen. So when it all goes tits up, I'll make sure they knew you were against this from the start."

He swallowed. "Now there's the Becca I know and love." Yes, she drove him to distraction sometimes, and he'd lost count of how many times in recent days he'd been tempted to tell her he'd had enough. But he couldn't imagine having someone in his life that he couldn't take home to meet his family.

It must really hurt her.

Still, the prospect of three days with Becca's family filled him with dread.

I'll have to be on my guard the whole time.

I'll have to remember I'm supposed to be in love with Becca.

Even if right then he could have throttled her.

Hey, don't give too good a performance, not if you want to give credence to the whole ‘calling off the wedding' scenario. Let them see a few cracks. Then the break-up will be less of a shock.

Despite his sympathy for Becca's situation, Will couldn't wait to be out of this shitstorm.

"So will it be just your parents and Aiden?"

"Yup, and enough food to feed four."

"Four people?"

She chuckled. "Four families. But we'll have to work for our dinner. You and Aiden can prepare the veggies."

"What did we do to be so honored?"

Another chuckle. "I hate doing them, so you just drew the short straw." She paused. "Were your folks okay with you not being there today?"

Will smiled. "They've had me at the Thanksgiving table for twenty-one years—one year without me won't kill them. Besides, I'll be there next year. And there's always Christmas."

By then, he'd be a single man again.

You're single now, remember?

Will told himself he was just getting into the right mindset.

Less chance of getting caught out that way.

Thanksgiving was starting to look like the tranquil lake where his parents owned a cabin, its waters still and inviting.

And rocks hidden below the surface, waiting to hurt the unwary swimmer.

Something landed on Will's bed with a soft whump , and he opened his eyes to be confronted by a furry black face with long whiskers, bright eyes focused on him.

He smiled. "Midnight. Good morning." He stroked behind the kitty's ears, and Midnight got comfortable, snuggled up to Will's side, purring. "Do you get a special Thanksgiving Day meal too?"

The door to the guest room opened, and the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted in.

"Are you decent?" It was Aiden.

"Me? Sure. Midnight's naked, though."

"No surprise there. He's a brazen kitty cat." Aiden came into the room, carrying two mugs. "Good morning. Mom said you didn't get here until late last night."

"Mm." He sniffed. "That smells good." Will sat up, scraping his fingers through his hair and yawning. "What time is it?"

Aiden perched on the edge of the mattress. "Seven-thirty. Mom's already making a mess in the kitchen. To be honest, I was kinda surprised to find you here."

"But you knew I was com—"

"Oh, I don't mean here , I mean in this room."

"Where else would I be?" Will sipped the fragrant brew.

His eyes twinkled. "In Becca's room? Then again, she could have been in here."

Will arched his eyebrows. "And then again, maybe I like my balls where they are. Imagine if your dad walked in. This is the twenty-first century, but I don't think fathers' attitudes have changed all that much, not where their daughters are concerned." Not that it was a likely scenario, but Will had a role to play, and that meant saying the right things.

The expected things.

"Next you'll tell me you're saving yourself for marriage." Will choked on his coffee, spraying the comforter, and Aiden appeared stricken. "Oh dear Lord. You're not a…" He clammed up.

Will wiped his lips. "Were you about to ask if I'm a virgin?"

"No. Absolutely not." A pause. "Okay, yes." Before Will could respond, Aiden surged ahead. "Forget I asked. It's none of my business."

He laughed. "No, it isn't. And no, I'm not. Haven't been since I was sixteen. And a half." Will wasn't about to regale him with the story of Andy, the guy next door, who used to mow the lawn in nothing but shorts and sandals. Or how he'd asked Will to help him get the grass stains off his legs, which required him to get very, very close.

As close as he'd like to get to Aiden, given half a chance.

"So tell me—are you going to ask your sister the same question?"

Aiden gaped at him. "God no. I like my balls where they are too."

Midnight chose that moment to let out a loud meow, and Will chuckled. "I don't think he's happy with all this talk of genitals, but I don't see why. He is a cat, after all, and they do like to bat at dangly things."

"Oh, trust me, I'm very well aware. Those claws are lethal weapons." Aiden shuddered.

Will let out a mock gasp. "Midnight, did you hurt your daddy?"

Midnight blinked as if to say, ‘Me? As if. I'm an angel.'

" Hurt me?" Aiden snorted. "The doctor couldn't stop laughing when he stitched me up. On the plus side, I get some strange looks when I tell people at the gym it's a circumcision scar." He chuckled. "It was my own fault, and it taught me a valuable lesson—never play with the kitty while naked."

Will stroked the warm, sleek cat. "How come you brought him with you?"

"I'm staying here tonight, and my neighbor has gone to see her parents, so that would mean leaving him alone."

"You live twenty minutes away, dude. You could always go home."

"True," Aiden admitted. "But since I moved out, Mom kinda put her foot down and said she expects both kids under her roof for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Besides, the day after Thanksgiving is usually a lot of fun around here." He grinned. "Dad raids the garage for all the Christmas decorations. By Sunday, you won't recognize this place."

"It takes that long?"

Aiden gave an evil chuckle. "You'll be able to see for yourself. Because you're gonna help."

"We're not just talking Christmas lights here, are we?"

"You're going to be part of this family, so you might as well learn now. In this street during the holidays, there's a kind of competition every year for who has the most decorated house."

"And how does the Taylor family usually fare?"

Aiden's eyes gleamed. "You're looking at the champions." He cocked his head. "What about your family? Are they Christmas nuts too?"

"I think we'd be in the minor leagues." Something Will had pushed to change every year, but his parents had always put up staunch resistance. The idea of being part of—

But you won't be part of it. In fact, after this all blows up, you probably won't want to be anywhere near the Taylors again.

There was something about this family that sucked Will right in, made him lose his reason, his perspective…

Well, some one in this family.

Aiden stood. "I'd better let you get dressed. Mom will be hollering for everyone to come down to breakfast any second now."

Will held up his mug. "Thanks for the coffee."

"You're welcome. I remembered how you like it."

"Aiden!" Louise called out. "You're doing toast duty this morning. Get your butt down here."

Aiden sighed. "No rest for the wicked." He left the room.

Midnight stayed put, and Will scritched his ears. "I'm going to have to disturb you now. I need to get out of this bed."

The cat rolled onto his back, his paws curled, exposing a fluffy white tummy that was impossible to ignore.

Will laughed. "You fight dirty."

He could almost hear Midnight's response.

‘Duh. Of course. I'm a cat. Now rub me, slave.'

Will hoped Becca's prediction was correct. The thought of spending time in the kitchen with Aiden was a pleasant one.

He stroked Midnight's soft belly. "Can you keep a secret?" Midnight blinked twice, and he chuckled. "I hope that means yes." He leaned over and kissed Midnight's paw. "Your daddy is as adorable as you are."

And just as difficult to ignore.

Then he chuckled again. "And don't tell him, but I'd really like the chance to rub his tummy too."

Mom's To Do list made prepping the vegetables sound like a simple exercise.

It was anything but.

Aiden stood next to Will as they peeled and chopped carrots, ready for roasting with a coating of oil, garlic, and parmesan. The kitchen wasn't small, yet they managed to brush shoulders continually as they worked, and each light contact sent a shiver through Aiden. Now and then he stole a glance at Will, only to jerk his head back when he found Will doing the same thing.

Did Mom turn up the thermostat in here?

They worked at the kitchen island, and the combination of Will's shampoo, soap, and warm, clean skin took Aiden's mind on a decidedly carnal tangent.

Stop this. Stop this right now.

He reached for the knife, and their hands touched. Aiden pulled his back as though stung, his skin tingling. Then Mom came back into the kitchen, and he shifted sideways, putting space between them.

What surprised him was that Will did the same thing, almost simultaneously.

Mom glanced at the countertop. "Aren't you finished yet?" She narrowed her gaze. "And no eating, Aiden James Taylor. I know your little ways." She went over to the oven to peer through the glass at the turkey. "That smells amazing." Then she left the room.

"It does, doesn't it?" Will said in a rough voice totally unlike his own.

It took Aiden a second or two to realize what he'd heard. He beamed.

" Muppet Christmas Carol . Miss Piggy as Mrs. Cratchit." Aiden laughed. "That was really good. It even sounded like her."

Will glanced toward the door and said, "Just tell your mom ‘I was merely testing them. It's a chef thing.'" He was an excellent mimic.

Aiden had to know. "Can you do Becca?"

Will widened his eyes. "Are you kidding? She could walk in here any second."

He snorted. "Yeah right. She's not gonna be anywhere near here, in case Mom gives her something to do." He batted his lashes. "Please, Will? For me?"

Will stared at him for a moment then shook his head. "You fight as dirty as your cat. Hell, Midnight probably learned it from you." He cleared his throat, gave another furtive glance toward the door, and said, "Maybe we should go with fake flowers."

Aiden roared with laughter. "Oh my God, that is awesome. You totally nailed her."

Will picked up a carrot baton. "Quick, before your mom comes back."

Aiden's heart beat faster. Instead of taking it from Will's hand, he leaned in and took it in his mouth, his lips brushing Will's fingers. He bit off the end, then drew back slowly, his gaze locked on Will's parted lips.

Okay, that was so wrong.

Aiden grabbed a head of garlic and busied himself with it, removing the papery outer skin. "I'll get started on this."

Will coughed. "We have to keep the vampires at bay, right?" His voice was a little husky.

"Right."

Except I don't want to keep you at bay.

On the contrary, Aiden wanted Will as close as it was possible for two bodies to get.

How is it possible for a day to be both fun and torture, all at the same time?

The preparation had been an exercise in sensual torment, and Will had been relieved when Louise came in and told them to leave so she could work without them under her feet. He'd gone to his room, giving the excuse of calling his parents.

Okay, so he had called them, but that wasn't why he'd fled.

Avoiding Aiden was his prime motivation.

When it was time to gather for the meal, he'd chosen the chair next to Becca. Aiden sat facing him, and Louise and Carl at opposite ends of the dining table. The deep red tablecloth was covered with dishes that were empty but for the odd smear of food, and Will was about to cross the line between comfortably full and stuffed. The food had been delicious, and he'd tried to hold back, leaving a little room for dessert, but right then he wasn't sure he could manage it.

He'd enjoyed the banter, particularly as the topic of the wedding hadn't cropped up once, a welcome reprieve. And when one hour became almost two, he relaxed enough to join in the conversation. But throughout the meal, he was conscious of a weight across his shoulders, pressing down on him.

This feels so good. And Becca is going to wreck it.

Becca's phone buzzed, and she slipped it from her pocket to peer at the screen.

Louise made a noise of disapproval. "Not at the table."

Becca tapped the screen and replaced it in her pocket. Seconds later it buzzed again.

"Are you going to answer that?" Aiden asked.

Becca gave a tight smile. "No, it can wait." The phone vibrated for a third time.

"Well, obviously someone wants to talk to you," Louise observed.

Becca's eyes flashed. "I said it can wait."

Carl cleared his throat. "I think a toast is called for." He raised his glass. "To Will, whose sanity is in doubt because he wants to join this family." His eyes sparkled.

Everyone clinked glasses.

Will chuckled. "Any more compliments like that, and you'll lose a willing pair of hands tomorrow."

Carl's face lit up. "You're going to help with the decorations? Good man." He beamed at Becca. "I like him."

"I like him too," Louise added.

Aiden raised his glass. "Let's make it unanimous. We all like Will."

That last part set Will's stomach churning.

But I don't want you to like me.

He wanted so much more than that.

"And now all we need is for Aiden to find someone," Louise declared with a smile.

Will was a realist. He knew he was fixated on a man who didn't bat for Will's team, who probably couldn't be tempted to switch teams, and who wouldn't want anything to do with him once the dust of the breakup—and the cancellation of the wedding—settled.

That left only one option—enjoy it while it lasted.